This 2.7-mile moderate hike explores a little-used area of Norvin Green State Forest in Passaic County and passes by two abandoned iron mines — the Blue Mine and the Roomy Mine. The Roomy Mine extends about 60 feet into the hillside and can be entered during the spring and summer (the mine is closed during the fall and winter to protect hibernating bats). You’ll also climb to two viewpoints over nearby mountains. The hike should take about two and one-half hours, and dogs are permitted on leash. Be sure to bring along a headlamp or flashlight if you wish to enter the mine.
To reach the trailhead, take N.J. Route 4 West to Route 208 North, and follow Route 208 to its end. Continue ahead on I-287 South, and take Exit 57 (Skyline Drive). Bear right at the fork and take Skyline Drive to its northwestern end at Greenwood Lake Turnpike (County Route 511). Turn left and proceed south for 1.6 miles to West Brook Road. Turn right onto West Brook Road and cross the Wanaque Reservoir on a causeway. At the next T-junction, turn left and continue for 0.4 mile to Townsend Road. Turn left onto Townsend Road and proceed for about 500 feet to a small parking turnout on the right (west) side of the road, opposite a house. Park here. GPS address: 27 Townsend Rd, Wanaque, 07465.
Just north of the parking turnout, on the west side of the road, you’ll notice a “no hunting or trapping” sign on a tree. Follow a footpath into the woods and turn left onto the teal-diamond-blazed Highlands Trail, which climbs steadily on a footpath. Near the top of the climb, the orange-blazed Roomy Mine Trail begins on the right. This will be your return route, but for now, continue ahead on the teal-diamond-blazed Highlands Trail, which ascends to a high point, marked by a balanced boulder. The trail descends a little and continues for about half a mile over undulating terrain, with many short ups and downs. This trail section is particularly scenic, featuring varied and interesting terrain and vegetation, passing many glacial erratics and crossing a number of rock ledges.
After reaching a long, flat balanced rock, the Highlands Trail begins to descend. It climbs a little to cross an open rock ledge with several boulders, then descends steadily. At the base of the descent (after passing a pile of mine tailings on the left), it reaches a junction with the red-on-white-blazed Wyanokie Circular Trail and the yellow-on-white-blazed Mine Trail. Turn left for 150 feet (do not cross the footbridge), and you’ll come to the Blue Mine, filled with muddy water. This mine, named for the dark blue color of its ore, was discovered by Peter Hasenclever in about 1765 and was worked extensively in the 1800s. A large concrete pad at the entrance to the mine, with protruding iron rods, once served as a base for steam-operated equipment.
Retrace your steps to the joint Wyanokie Circular/Mine Trails and proceed north (again, do not cross the footbridge). Continue past the junction with the Highlands Trail, following the red-on-white and yellow-on-white blazes along a rocky woods road. In another 200 feet, bear left at the fork and cross a small stream on rocks. For the next quarter mile, the joint Wyanokie Circular/Mine Trails follow a level footpath. When the yellow-on-white blazes diverge to the right, bear left and continue to follow the red-on-white blazes of the Wyanokie Circular Trail.
In about 600 feet, a triple red-on-white blaze marks the end of the Wyanokie Circular Trail. Turn right onto the orange-blazed Roomy Mine Trail, which climbs gradually. In another 500 feet, you’ll come to the main opening of the Roomy Mine (on the hillside, to the left of the trail). Named for Benjamin Roome, a local land surveyor, the mine was opened shortly after 1840 and worked until 1857. To enter the mine (open only from April 1 to Aug. 31), you first have to crawl through a short passage that is only about two feet high. That leads to a large chamber with the horizontal shaft heading into the mine directly ahead. The shaft is about 6 feet high and leads 60 feet into the hillside, where it dead-ends. The temperature inside the mine is a constant 52 degrees, and the floor is usually wet.
After visiting the mine, continue ahead on the orange-blazed Roomy Mine Trail, which descends slightly. In 200 feet, the Roomy Mine Trail turns left, joining the yellow-on-white-blazed Mine Trail. Both trails head uphill to a south-facing viewpoint from a rock ledge over Wyanokie High Point and Carris Hill, with the Wanaque Reservoir visible to the left through the trees. Here, the trails turn sharply left, climb to another rock ledge, then continue north along the ridge, passing an open cut of the Roomy Mine on the right. Just beyond, you’ll climb to an open area, with west-facing views over Wyanokie High Point, Assiniwikam Mountain and Saddle Mountain.
After passing another mine opening (with a large pile of tailings) on the left, the two trails diverge. Continue to follow the Roomy Mine Trail, which turns right and descends, first on switchbacks and rock steps, then more gradually. After crossing an intermittent stream on rocks and then a woods road, the Roomy Mine Trail climbs slightly to end at a junction with the teal-diamond-blazed Highlands Trail. Turn left onto the Highlands Trail and follow it downhill to Townsend Road, where the hike began.
This hiking article is provided by Daniel Chazin of the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference. The Trail Conference is a volunteer organization that builds and maintains over 2,000 miles of hiking trails and publishes a library of hiking maps and books. The Trail Conference’s office is at 600 Ramapo Valley Road (Route 202), Mahwah; (201) 512-9348; www.nynjtc.org. Daniel Chazin can be reached at [email protected].
