Hiking’s best-kept secret is all yours

Hiking’s best-kept secret is all yours

When I put a pack on my back and head out for several days of hiking, I think of old growth forests, undeveloped, tree-lined lakes and wilderness.

I don’t want to share my time with hordes of people, all struggling for their own little piece of nature. Sure I hike in the Adirondack High Peaks; everyone does. That’s the problem: everyone does!

During the summer months, every trailhead is packed with cars and every lean-to is stuffed like a can of sardines. Weekends are absolutely impossible.

Thankfully, I’m able to find the true enjoyment of life on less-cluttered paths, or as Robert Frost once wrote, “the road less traveled.” These areas can take some time to discover.

I have often thought of hiking the big one, the Appalachian Trail. Running all the way from Georgia to Maine, it would be the ultimate challenge. Six or seven months of a seemingly never-ending trail and a couple of sore feet? What more could you ask for?

How about a little solitude?

The Finger Lakes Trail, which traverses much of New York’s southern tier, is sort of a hiker’s secret. Plus, it’s right in our backyard. The 544-mile course from the Catskill Mountains to the Allegany State Park west of Salamanca usually gets very little traffic.

The trail meanders along rivers and creeks, crosses backroads and highways and wanders through meadows and forests. From the wild regions of the Catskills south of Margaretville, the trail follows steep, wooded ridges and lush, tree-filled valleys. This is wild country, where you can travel for miles and seldom see another hiker’s footprints.

The FLT heads northwest near the Cannonsville Reservoir and crosses the Susquehanna River at Bainbridge, before reaching the more-wild regions of Chenango County near Tyner and East Pharsalia.

Its northern-most point is near DeRuyter, where it connects with the Onondaga Trail. From there on, it’s ever westward. In the Allegany State Forest, the trail connects to the North Country National Scenic Trail System and to the Conservation Trail, which takes you to the Bruce Trail in Canada.

Yellow blazes and white or oranges disks with the green FLT logo make following the trail quite easy. This trail differs from many because it crosses a more-populated countryside, intersecting numerous roads and passing through several towns. There isn’t the planning and logistics necessary when hiking a wilderness trail.

Numerous loops branch off the main trail, allowing hikers the opportunity to see many of the unique and beautiful parts of the state.

I recommend checking out the Finger Lakes Trail System, which is maintained entirely by volunteers and is in great shape. You can hike as much as your heart desires. It’s all up to you.

I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised with what the southern tier of New York has to offer.

Rick Brockway writes a weekly outdoors column for The Daily Star. E-mail him at robrockway@hotmail.com.

link to article is here:

http://www.thedailystar.com/localsports/local_story_172040014.html

Hiker found dead on trail in Greene County

Reported by: Walt McClure Email: waltmcclure@fox23news.com Videographer: B. Sanders Last Update: 9:56 am

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Police, forest rangers and paramedics spent much of Thursday trying to recover the body of a man found dead on a mountain trail in Greene County.

A hiking trip in the Catskills turns deadly for one man.

State Police and recovery crews spent much of Thursday afternoon on the scene in Tannersville, clearing a little before 5:00.

A 911 call brought crews to the Roaring Kill trailhead of the Indian Head Plateau Mountain Wilderness Area in Greene County.

A group of female hikers was up on the trail when they discovered the body of a man.

It’s believed the man may have been there at least overnight.

State Police, forest rangers and paramedics gathered at the head of the trail — some of them heading out into the treacherous terrain in search of the man — who left his car in the parking lot before signing into a registry book Wednesday, saying he lived in Saugerties and Columbia, Missouri.

Bethany Wardle/Hiker: “It’s a very narrow trail and it’s good to go in be prepared and know what you’re going to meet.”

Bethany Wardle was part of the group that found the man.

She has hiked the trail many times before and knows her way around, but says it is not an easy hike to make.

Bethany Wardle: “You’re heading right up the mountain to the top of the twin and then onto Indian Head. There are gradual places but for the most part it’s an uphill climb. The trail is well-marked but you need to have a map and know where you going and have adequate water and food and good footwear with you.”

As of airtime, State Police had not released the man’s identity yet.

People on the scene say it appears he was in his 50s and that he may have suffered a heart attack.

Mount Kisco man building 350-mile trail

By Michael Risinit The Journal News • June 6, 2008 Quixotic might describe Bob Jessen, 68, who is trying to fashion a 350-mile-long hiking trail hitching the Bronx to the Adirondacks. “I’m like Rommel,” he said, referring to the German field marshal of World War II known for his crafty campaigns. “I’m crossing the Hudson (river) somewhere. I’m connecting points.” Jessen, his girlfriend, Jeanine Meyer, and his sister, Elizabeth Baecher, began the campaign last February and will celebrate their first 75 miles tomorrow, in honor of National Trails Day. The threesome are mostly linking existing trails on public land, keeping hikers off the area’s roads. They’ve been stymied, though, where their trail crosses from Westchester into Putnam County. For Jessen, who worked on a similar undertaking almost five decades ago, creating the Hudson Trail blossomed after a search for self-purpose. “The only things I’ve ever done in my life is it took me 35 years to become a chess master and I built a trail on the other side of the river. I’d get eaten alive if I played chess (again). I said, ‘Oh, a hiking trail,’ and I got out my maps,” he explained. As a 21-year-old, he helped blaze the Long Path, which was envisioned as a 400-mile-long byway from the George Washington Bridge, across the Palisades, through Rockland County and northward to Whiteface Mountain in the Adirondacks. Today, the Long Path ends south of Albany, about 80 miles short of its goal. The New York-New Jersey Trail Conference, which began in the 1920s as a gathering of local hikers who wanted to build and maintain trails, oversees the Long Path. Executive director Edward Goodell said Jessen’s project harks back to the conference’s roots. “It’s enormously difficult to complete such a project in this day and age,” Goodell said. “Things have changed so dramatically in terms of land use since even the 1960s. But you need visionaries like Mr. Jessen to crystallize a very clear, easily conceived type of idea.” The trail starts at Highbridge in the Bronx, part of the Old Croton Aqueduct, and follows the trailway along the unused aqueduct up through Westchester to the New Croton Reservoir. From there, Jessen relies heavily on the Briarcliff-Peekskill Trailway and the Blue Mountain Reservation, both county-owned parks. “It’s a meaningful way for us to link up with another group,” Westchester Parks spokesman Peter Tartaglia said. There’s been some “hacking away at the woods,” Jessen said, but blazing has mostly involved painting blue diamonds. The trail markers are placed on trees and utility poles. “The last color you want to use in the woods is green. It stands to reason, ” Jessen said one recent afternoon as he touched up a diamond on Watch Hill Road outside the Blue Mountain Sportsmen Center in Cortlandt. The trail then works its way to near the Hudson Valley Hospital Center, eventually heads east on Route 6 and passes under the Bear Mountain Parkway. Nearby is where Jessen wanted to turn the trail north and run it for three miles along the Catskill Aqueduct, which carries drinking water from the mountains to Westchester and New York City. “It was a natural, a slam dunk,” he said of the aqueduct’s cleared swath. But its owner, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, said no. A DEP spokesman said security concerns precluded allowing hikers to traverse the buried aqueduct. “While we did offer to review a proposal for a small crossing over the aqueduct with the installation of certain security barriers, we cannot allow such a large section of the aqueduct to be available for public use,” said Michael Saucier of the DEP. That forced the trail onto Locust Avenue and along Gallows Hill Road to Sprout Brook Road in Putnam Valley. Jessen then enlisted state Sen. Vincent Leibell, R-Patterson, who sent a letter to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg about using the aqueduct land. Leibell said yesterday that he would further pursue Jessen’s request after the legislative session ends this month. The route then winds through Clarence Fahnestock State Park and across other state land. Beacon in Dutchess County is considered the first leg’s terminus. Jessen figures the entire trail, which will end at Mount Marcy, will take two more years to complete. Finding a way from point A to B and painting blue diamonds throughout the Lower Hudson Valley and beyond has a simple end for Jessen. “We want to get people out hiking. It’s a good, green thing and, hold the phone, it doesn’t cost anything,” he said. Reach Michael Risinit at mrisinit@lohud.com or 845-228-2274.

Bob Jessen of Mount Kisco has been helping to mark 350 miles of the Hudson Trail. (Ricky Flores/The Journal News) Get more information For more information about the Hudson Trail, go to http://hudsontrail.wordpress.com. To celebrate National Trails Day, the completion of the first leg of the Hudson Trail and the Hudson Trail’s crossing of the Appalachian Trail, organizers are gathering where Sunken Mine Road intersects Dennytown Road, south of Route 301, in Putnam Valley tomorrow at noon. For more explicit directions, go to http://hudsontrail.wordpress.com/national-trails-day-june-7th-2008.

On the Bright Side: Area hiker climbs 35 Catskill peaks in one shot

By Jake Palmateer
Staff Writer

The Daily Star, Oneonta, New York

Published: June 04, 2008 04:00 am

An Oneonta man toured the high peaks of the Catskill Mountains last month like no one has done before.

Erik Schlimmer, an author and adjunct lecturer at the State University College at Oneonta, climbed the 35 highest peaks in the Catskills in one marathon, six-day hike. The 34-year-old said he covered 140 miles and ascended 42,000 vertical feet between May 10 and May 16. He ended his trek at the Windham High Peak trailhead.

Schlimmer, who teaches in SUCO’s outdoor education program and said he has been hiking in the Catskills since 1995, said the journey was, mile-for-mile, the toughest trek he has ever completed.

Carrying less than nine pounds of gear, Schlimmer camped out each night and did the entire hike solo, walking for 13-hours a day.

He’s not the first person to hike the 35 highest peaks in the Catskills. The Spangenbergers, a husband and wife team, accomplished the feat for the first time in 1952, climbing each mountain separately.

He also isn’t the fastest person to hike the 35 mountains all at once.

Ted Keizer, a long distance runner from Oregon, was the first to complete the trip in one continuous hike _ a trek that took two days and 15 hours, Schlimmer said.

“It’s a phenomenal feat,” he said.

But Keizer had a full support crew and did not hike alone the entire time, Schlimmer said.

The only support Schlimmer said he received was a supply of food he had left for himself at the halfway point.

Schlimmer said he is the first person known to have accomplished the feat solo and self-sufficient.

The hiker, who kept a journal along the way, said the entire time he was in the mountains, he only encountered 27 people.

More than half of these were on Slide Mountain, one of the most popular hiking destinations in the Catskills, he said.

There were fewer people on some of the more remote stretches of his trek.

“I went a day-and-a-half without seeing anybody,” Schlimmer said.

Schlimmer hiked on 23 trails and had a 13-mile road walk.

But he said he also accomplished 20 miles of off-trail navigating that helped him link all 35 peaks together.

The off-trail hiking was the most challenging part, he said.

Schlimmer’s hiking-style has changed from when he first took up backpacking more than a decade ago.

“Back then, I was like most backpackers with a base load of probably about 30 pounds,” Schlimmer said.

But being a veteran of long-distance hiking, having completed 11 other routes each in excess of 100 miles, he said he has downsized his gear.

“Instead of carrying a tent, I’ll carry a tarp,” he said.

He uses the tarp to create an A-frame a couple feet off the ground.

The backpack he uses could be considered a daypack. With a capacity of about 2,900 cubic inches, it is a little more than half the capacity of a typical pack used on multi-day trips.

Instead of using a self-inflating sleeping pad, Schlimmer uses a less-expensive, foam sleeping pad.

His major weight-saving piece of gear is a lightweight sleeping bag. Although the bag he uses costs more than a typical, quality sleeping bag, the expense is worth it, Schlimmer said.

Aside from falling at the end of the spring semester, Schlimmer said the timing of his trek was intentional.

“The end of May has a lot of advantages,” Schlimmer said. The snow has melted, which allows for easy walking, he said.

Later in the summer, streams and springs typically run dry, making the search for water difficult, he said.

But in May, there is plenty of water in the Catskills.

The foliage also is less dense at this time of year, making it easier to navigate off-trail.

With no leaves on the trees, he could look out and through the forest and navigate by observing the terrain, Schlimmer said.

Another benefit is the absence of stinging nettles. “They don’t come out till June,” Schlimmer said.

But Schlimmer said he was not resting on his laurels.

On Monday, he and a friend were scheduled to start a nine-and-a-half-day, non-continuous hike to scale all the mountains in New Hampshire higher than 4,000 feet _ all 48 of them.

link to article is here:

http://www.thedailystar.com/local/local_story_156040056.html

HIKING IN THE CATSKILLS

George Ruhe for The New York Times

Hiking in the Catskills.

Big Indian, N.Y., is home to soaring mountains and many wide-ranging trails as well as a smattering of charming inns and lodges.

By CINDY PRICE

Published: March 24, 2006

HIKING buffs headed for the Catskills need no introduction to Big Indian, N.Y., with its soaring mountains and many wide-ranging trails. But the hamlet, nestled along Ulster County Route 47, is also home to a little-known smattering of charming inns and lodges — not to mention a hip little resort with an emerging music and art scene.

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Spring Breaks
Twenty weekend getaways to help shrug off the memory of winter.

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George Ruhe for The New York Times

The Esopus Creek flows through the Catskills in Ulster County, N.Y.

By morning, try your hand at Giant Ledge trail, a moderate two-hour hike leading to a long ridge along Panther Mountain. The trip up is half the fun — looking for plant fossils in the rocks underfoot or ducking into the shallow caves peppered throughout — but the ledge itself offers one of the most spectacular vistas in the area. At the top, keep watch for a natural couch made entirely of sandstone — the perfect spot to take a load off, or better yet, take some lunch in.

If you’re feeling frisky enough for Round 2, the relatively gentle slog up to Slide Mountain is easy but breathtaking; it leads to the highest peak in the Catskills, at a whopping 4,180 feet. Spring thaw makes the river crossings tough, but hikers who reach the top are rewarded with a view of at least 70 peaks, from the Shawangunks to the Taconics.

Peak baggers, however, will want to keep moving. The hike down Slide and over to Cornell Mountain (that’s two peaks in the bag) is extremely challenging but promises even better views. If you do decide to make the leap, start early in the morning and take plenty of food and water — the hike is easily a daylong hump. The Catskill Mountain Club, a volunteer group, has trail maps, a list of local outfitters and useful tips on its Web site, www.catskillmountainclub.org.

For those who think a good hike involves handbags and iced coffee, Phoenicia, N.Y., has one of those quintessential small town Main Streets — thumping, colorful and filled with cute, eclectic shops and cafes. Tread carefully, though; in recent years, it’s gone from hideaway to known entity, and weekenders take their Phoenicia very seriously.

At night, relax at the Full Moon Resort (Valley View Road, 845-254-5117, www.fullmooncentral.com), a 100-acre patchwork of quaint cottages, rolling fields and purring streams. Rates are surprisingly reasonable, ranging from $85 to $115 on weekends. Weddings and big parties often fill up the rooms quickly in the summer, but those looking for a little quiet time can squeeze in most spring weekends. At night, guests strum guitars by the bonfire, or head to the cozy, roadhouse-style bar for alternative acts like Suzanne Vega or the Zen Tricksters. Throw back a cold one on the sofa, or if your weary feet can take it — get to some dancing.

Camping conscientiously

 Link is here:  http://www.riverreporter.com/issues/08-05-29/feature.html

VOLUME XXXIV No. 22 Narrowsburg, NY May 29 - June 4, 2008
THE RIVER REPORTER CLIMATE CHALLENGE Business carbon impact worksheet   Household carbon impact worksheet
Sections   News   Editorial   Columns   Feature   Arts & Leisure   Outdoors   Sports   Obituaries <!–   Forum –>   Photo Gallery   Classifieds Directories   Government   Calendar   Links TRR   About us   Supplements   Archives   Advertising   Photo Reprints   Subscribe   Newsstands   Contact us Submission   Press release   Event   Classified ad Amphibian   Amphibian     online	Camping conscientiously Outdoor ethics minimize environmental impacts By SANDY LONG UPPER DELAWARE RIVER REGION — In 2007, Wes Gillingham, a resident of Sullivan County, NY led a group of students on a three-week trek that traced the 100-mile course of New York City’s water supply from Highmount, NY to lower Manhattan. The group employed low-impact camping practices during the backcountry stretches of their trip to minimize disturbances along the trek. Gillingham spent a decade honing his outdoors skills as a ranger for the National Park Service, Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River, and has served as acting director of field programs with the National Audubon Society Expedition Institute (AEI), leading backpacking trips all over the country. The well-schooled outdoor educator and organic farmer believes that a low-impact attitude is key to enjoying the outdoors sustainably. “It’s a mindset, more than just a set of practices,” said Gillingham. “You become cognizant of your impact as an individual.” A set of principles referred to as “Leave No Trace” (see sidebar) has been developed to guide outdoor recreationists to employ more mindful practices while backpacking in the wilds, enjoying a family camping outing at a state park or hiking one of the region’s many trails. Many state parks actively encourage LNT principles and have begun offering programs that show how to put them into action (see sidebar). The guiding principle is to foster an understanding that our enjoyment of natural settings can be accomplished without inflicting harm upon the very resources we seek. For example, vegetation or artifacts such as stones should never be altered or removed. “In the Catskills, once you get above 3,500 feet, the fragility of the environment increases. It’s important to be aware of your impact on the vegetation in such places,” noted Gillingham. “Stay on trails to avoid contributing to erosion problems, set up camp away from trails and out of sight of other campers. And use compact backpacking stoves, rather than open fires, to cook food.” The main objective of conscientious recreation is to participate in such a way that your activities have no altering effect on the setting. “You’re there to enjoy the place and to leave it as you found it,” said Gillingham. “It’s a reciprocal relationship.” Gillingham is also a founder of the non-profit Catskill Mountain Keeper, which works to protect the ecological integrity of the Catskill Mountain range while promoting sustainable growth. He plans to lead another expedition of students in 2008. For more information, visit stroudcenter.org/nytrek2007/. Leave No Trace principles • Be prepared: Poor planning can result in unforeseen events leading to solutions that cause environmental degradation. Select gear and make plans by thinking about how it will impact the environment. • Camp and travel on durable surfaces: Stick to worn trails and campsites to minimize damage to untrammeled areas and avoid increasing soil erosion. • Pack out what you pack in: Take trash home with you. Don’t bury or leave it behind. • Properly dispose of what you can’t pack out: Empty dishwater far away from springs, streams and lakes. Eliminate soaps and detergents. Bury human waste in “catholes” that are six to eight inches deep and 200 feet from water. • Leave what you find: Don’t disturb natural features such as rocks and plants, nor alter campsites by digging, chopping or hammering. • Minimize use of fire: Lightweight camp stoves minimize the demand for firewood at campsites and produce faster food results. If a fire must be constructed, keep it small, use established fire rings and avoid leaving any sign that it has occurred. Never burn plastics. • Practice “Negative Trace:” Go beyond LNT and clean up trash left behind by others. Undo damage by dismantling cairns or firepits constructed in otherwise wild areas. Resources for conscientious outdoor recreation • The Pocono Environmental Education Center ( www.PEEC.org ) in Dingmans Ferry, PA is offering a series of programs about environmentally friendly outdoor recreation activities. On June 14, “Summer Outdoors” will teach how to prepare for overnight camping, hydration and Leave No Trace (LNT) practices. August 22-24 is the “Catskills Backpacking Trip,” which includes a backcountry overnight outing. September 12-14 concludes the series with “Canoe Trip,” meant to teach LNT practices for canoe travel and basic paddling skills. Call 570/828-2319 for more information. • Promised Land State Park in Greentown, PA will offer a LNT program, focused on preserving natural settings as they are found, at 7:00 p.m. on June 28. • Learn what’s happening in your area through the Leave No Trace State Advocate Program, which assists LNT educators and volunteers with local efforts to promote and teach minimum impact outdoor ethics. (Visit lnt.org/training/stateadvocate.php for more information.) • Visit nols.edu/ for information on improving outdoor skills through the National Outdoor Leadership School. • Visit outwardbound.org/ for programs that improve resilience and problem-solving skills through interactive outdoor education. • Visit dec.ny.gov/outdoor/camping.html for information on New York State camping. • Visit dcnr.state.pa.us/outdooradventures.aspx for information on Pennsylvania camping. • Visit kta-hike.org/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1 for low-impact hiking and trail opportunities with PA Keystone Trails Association. • Though based in Washington state, Wilderness Awareness School offers a home study outdoor skills course that helps students refine knowledge of their local natural resources. Visit wildernessawareness.org/.	TRR photo by Sandy Long   Campfires should be avoided or minimized. Utilize existing firepits or, better yet, a compact camping stove. Don’t leave evidence of burning behind. (Click for larger version) TRR photo by Sandy Long   The smallest tent that will meet your needs will also minimize the footprint it leaves at your campsite. Select sites that are already established. Avoid removing vegetation to create a site. (Click for larger version)
Problems? Comments? Contact the Webmaster. Entire contents © 2008 by the author(s) and Stuart Communications, Inc.

Book highlights best the region has to offer in hiking

Book highlights best the region has to offer in

hiking

By Ralph Ferrusi • Hiking columnist • May 15, 2008

Hiking book name: “50 Hikes in the Lower Hudson Valley, Second Edition (2008)” by Stella Green and H. Neil Zimmerman; The Countryman Press, Woodstock, Vt., $16

Rating: Written with the eye for detail of experienced trekkers, and the prose of experienced authors.

Maps: A general map numbers the location of each hike. Topographical maps with the trail defined by a bold black line are included for each hike. Parking and views are noted.

Features: The book contains six sections: Westchester County, The East Hudson Highlands, Rockland County and Harriman Park, The West Hudson Hills, The Shawangunks, and The North Country and the Catskills.

Background: Prime time hikin’ season is, finally, right around the corner. We’re all champing at the bit, but this can be a fickle time of year to be in the woods. Black flies are a-swarming, and the weather is more changeable and unpredictable than any time other time of year: warm and balmy one day, and bone-chilling the next; sometimes one minute to the next. So, we have to be patient, and, huddled inside staring out the window at a bleak, steady drizzle might be a good time to anticipate the coming season with a hiking book written specifically about the lower Hudson Valley. Authors Stella Green and H. Neil Zimmerman, “respectively past vice-president and past president of the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference, are well-known in the outdoors community” and “expert guides to this region rich in history, culture, and lore.”

Book description: You’ll love Hardie Truesdale’s cover photo of Storm King Mountain, taken from Breakneck Ridge. Each hike includes black-and-white photographs. The book includes a super-handy “50 Hikes at a Glance” chart by hike name, with county, distance (miles), difficulty, rise (feet), time (hours), views, notes, etc. The Introduction includes history, weather, preparations, Lyme disease, behavior in the woods, geocaching, etc.

You’ll learn new things about some old standbys: Breakneck Ridge, Storm King, the local Appalachian Trail, Bear Mountain/Harriman, the Catskills (Stormville Mountain is mentioned on page 96). One of my favorite stories in the book involves the never-ending conjecture concerning Anthony’s Nose, rising prominently east of the Bear Mountain Bridge: Henry Hudson had an Italian cook on board named Anthony. When Henry spotted the mountain he exclaimed, “What’s that?” A crewman replied, “Anthony knows.”

You might become curious about some of these not-so-faraway places with strange sounding names: Hook Mountain, Kerson Nurian, Quick Lake, Vroman’s Nose, Schodack Island, Junkyard Junction. I am!

Very interesting: Retired Gov. George Pataki protected a million acres of New York State, and, doubled the size of Fahnestock and Minnewaska. Bravo!

Ralph Ferrusi of Stormville writes Hike of the Week each Thursday in Players. Ferrusi has hiked the entire Appalachian Trail as a section hiker - twice! He maintains a section of the AT. For comments or to contribute a hike idea, call the Players Hot Line at 845-437-4848 or send e-mails to players@poughkeepsiejournal.com

LINK IS HERE;

http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080515/SPORTS06/805150304

Catskills Hiking Trails and Campgrounds Map

Catskill State Park and Mountains (Catskills) Hiking

http://www.trails.com/activity.asp?area=10425

Trail Name City State Length Top Trails   Acra Point Trail   A short hike to an isolated lookout above the Black Dome Valley. The route to Acra Point uses the northern portion of the Black Dome Range Trail, located at the eastern end of Big Hollow Road in Maple… From the guidebook “Best Day Hikes in the Catskills & Hudson Valley” South Durham, NY - Hiking - 3.4 miles    Ashokan High Point Trail   A gradual climb to a scenic and extensive blueberry heath with intimate views of the high peaks. The trail to Ashokan High Point (3,080 feet) follows an old but very well-built settlement road along h… From the guidebook “Best Day Hikes in the Catskills & Hudson Valley” Peekamoose, NY - Hiking - 7.5 miles    Balsam Lake Mountain Trail   This spruce-fir summit would be viewless without its fire tower, which offers 360-degree views of the western Catskills. From the trailhead to Balsam Lake Mountain (3,723 feet) you enter a forest of b… From the guidebook “Best Day Hikes in the Catskills & Hudson Valley” Belle Ayr, NY - Hiking - 6 miles    Bashakill Wildlife Management Area   Part of the greater Long Path, traversing New York State, this rail-to-trail travels the eastern edge of Bashakill Marsh, offering wildlife observation. Special Attractions: largest freshwater marsh … From the guidebook “Hiking New York” Wurtsboro, NY - Hiking - 13 miles    Blackhead Mountain Trail   A steep climb into Lockwood Gap to the Escarpment Trail. The short but scenic loop trail over Blackhead Mountain (3,940 feet) rewards you with the best scenery of the Blackhead Wild Forest without the… From the guidebook “Best Day Hikes in the Catskills & Hudson Valley” South Durham, NY - Hiking - 4.2 miles    Codfish Point Trail   An historic hike to an old quarry with views overlooking the Hudson River, with a spur to Plattekill Falls. This little lookout point, deep within the magical realms of the Platte Clove quarries and t… From the guidebook “Best Day Hikes in the Catskills & Hudson Valley” Palenville, NY - Hiking - 3.5 miles    Diamond Notch to West Kill Falls Trail   A hike across the Schoharie-Esopus watershed divide to West Kill Falls. This is an easy-to-moderate hike that takes you into Diamond Notch via an old turnpike converted in 1937 to a ski and hiking tra… From the guidebook “Best Day Hikes in the Catskills & Hudson Valley” Lanesville, NY - Hiking - 4.6 miles    Dry Brook Ridge Trail   A remote hike in the western Catskills in a first-growth forest little changed since the Ice Age. This interesting loop hike across the west-facing edge of Dry Brook Ridge has become more popular with… From the guidebook “Best Day Hikes in the Catskills & Hudson Valley” Margaretville, NY - Hiking - 10.6 miles    Giant Ledge Trail   A short and rewarding hike to the scenic cliffs of a glacial cirque in the epicenter of an ancient meteorite impact zone. This fairly short, rewarding hike will take you to the vertical lip of a glaci… From the guidebook “Best Day Hikes in the Catskills & Hudson Valley” Oliverea, NY - Hiking - 3 miles    Huckleberry Point Trail   A short walk through hemlock and pitch pine woods to a scenic overlook above Platte Clove and the Hudson Valley. Huckleberry Point is an ideal picnicking spot, suitable for those sunny, clear days whe… From the guidebook “Best Day Hikes in the Catskills & Hudson Valley” Palenville, NY - Hiking - 3.5 miles    Hunter Mountain Trail   A long, gradual climb to the Catskills’ second-highest peak and fire tower, with a quiet westerly ledge viewpoint. The most interesting and gradual climb to Hunter Mountain (4,040 feet—the Catskills’ … From the guidebook “Best Day Hikes in the Catskills & Hudson Valley” Spruceton, NY - Hiking - 7.2 miles    Indian Head Mountain Loop   This loop rewards with a classic Catskills setting, vistas, and challenge. Special attractions: Vistas, the 500-foot cliffs of Indian Head, wildflowers, fall foliage, and wildlife sightings. At times … From the guidebook “Hiking New York” Saugerties, NY - Hiking - 7.5 miles    (About Top Trails) Indian Head Mountain Trail   An interior forest hike to a boreal summit with exciting views. Indian Head is a beguiling triad of peaks forming a profile that appears from afar to be a face. It is best seen from the north or east,… From the guidebook “Best Day Hikes in the Catskills & Hudson Valley” Platte Clove, NY - Hiking - 6 miles    Inspiration Point and Boulder Rock Trail   A cliff-edge hike above Kaaterskill Clove to the North/South Lake Public Campsite, returning along the lakes. The scenic lookouts and labyrinthine footpaths surrounding the old mountain houses of Nort… From the guidebook “Best Day Hikes in the Catskills & Hudson Valley” Palenville, NY - Hiking - 8 miles    Kaaterskill Falls Trail   The most popular short hike in the Catskills, to the state’s highest waterfall, great for families. By the mid-nineteenth century Romantic period, Kaaterskill Falls had become the most popular symbol … From the guidebook “Best Day Hikes in the Catskills & Hudson Valley” Palenville, NY - Hiking - 1.4 miles    Kaaterskill High Peak Trail   A long, remote hike into the isolated Kaaterskill Wild Forest Area, with spectacular views from Hurricane Ledge. High Peak was far more popular 100 years ago during the hotel heydays than it is today.… From the guidebook “Best Day Hikes in the Catskills & Hudson Valley” Palenville, NY - Hiking - 10 miles    Little Pond Loop   This day hike stitches together Little Pond and Touchmenot Mountain, touring mixed forest, conifer plantation, and meadow habitats. Special Attractions: little pond; modest views, fishing, spring and… From the guidebook “Hiking New York” Livingston Manor, NY - Hiking - 5.3 miles    Minnewaska State Park Preserve   A former resort and recent battleground between developers and environmentalists, this state park preserve presents a tranquil natural realm. The site boasts beautiful white-cliff escarpmentss, pictu… From the guidebook “Hiking New York” New Paltz, NY - Hiking - 11.8 miles    (About Top Trails) Mohonk Mountain House - Mohonk Preserve   Three trails, each originating from a separate access point, introduce the Mohonk Area splendor-one of inspiring cliffs, grand views, and fragile habitats. Special Attractions: vistas, dramatic quart… From the guidebook “Hiking New York” New Paltz, NY - Hiking - 10 miles    Mount Tremper Trail   An interesting hike past a quarry and two lean-tos to the summit fire tower. The hike up Mount Tremper (2,740 feet, previously Timothy Berg) is most direct and interesting from the southwest, followin… From the guidebook “Best Day Hikes in the Catskills & Hudson Valley” Phoenicia, NY - Hiking - 5.6 miles

North Point Trail   A popular outing along the Escarpment Trail’s cliffs to the favorite haunts of the Hudson River school of landscape painters. This historic, scenic day hike begins along the legendary cliffs of Pine O…

From the guidebook “Best Day Hikes in the Catskills & Hudson Valley”

Palenville, NY - Hiking - 7 miles

North-South Lake loop   This Catskill Mountains loop travels the escarpment and wooded outskirts of North-South Lake, snaring views and passing cultural sites. Special Attractions: escarpment ledges, vistas, a monument and …

From the guidebook “Hiking New York”

Catskill, NY - Hiking - 10 miles    (About Top Trails)

Overlook Mountain Hike   Suitable for a day outing or backpack, this hike mainly travels former woods roads through mixed forests, visiting a lake and an abandoned lookout tower. Special Attractions: vistas, lake, lean-tos, …

From the guidebook “Hiking New York”

Saugerties, NY - Hiking - 13.5 miles

Overlook Mountain Trail   A steep hike to the old hotel ruins and the fire tower and Eagle Cliff from Meads, above the town of Woodstock. Overlook Mountain (3,140 feet) is Woodstock’s own mecca. The trailhead begins at the hei…

From the guidebook “Best Day Hikes in the Catskills & Hudson Valley”

Byrdcliffe, NY - Hiking - 5 miles

Palenville Overlook Trail   An historic carriage road to a pair of peaceful lookouts over lower Kaaterskill Clove and the Hudson Valley. To reach this quiet and isolated pair of overlooks, you hike the historic Old Mountain Road…

From the guidebook “Best Day Hikes in the Catskills & Hudson Valley”

Palenville, NY - Hiking - 8 miles

Peekamoose and Table Mountains Trail   A remote wilderness hike to a pair of quiet boreal summits with southwesterly views. What will impress you most about Peekamoose and its environs are its storybook forests and the remarkable clarity o…

From the guidebook “Best Day Hikes in the Catskills & Hudson Valley”

Branch, NY - Hiking - 10 miles

Plateau Mountain from Stony Clove Trail   A very steep rise out of Stony Clove Notch to a long, level plateau with isolated views. Stony Clove Notch is a narrow mountain pass with all the rugged visual appeal Longstreth promises. It is formed…

From the guidebook “Best Day Hikes in the Catskills & Hudson Valley”

Edgewood, NY - Hiking - 6 miles

Poet’s Ledge Trail   A steep hike to a quiet ledge overlooking Kaaterskill Clove, the vantage for Sanford R. Gifford’s October in the Catskills (1845). Only recently rediscovered after a very long period of anonymity (pos…

From the guidebook “Best Day Hikes in the Catskills & Hudson Valley”

Palenville, NY - Hiking - 3.4 miles

Red Hill Trail   A short, steep hike to the last fire tower that operated in the Catskills. Great for family outings. The bare, bright footlands of the Neversink highlands were cleared long ago, the earth sown with po…

From the guidebook “Best Day Hikes in the Catskills & Hudson Valley”

Ladleton, NY - Hiking - 2.2 miles

Slide Mountain Loop   Traveling hemlock-deciduous and fir-birch forests, this popular trail tags the highest point in the Catskills and passes Burroughs Plaque and Curtis Monument. Special Attractions: vistas, rare high-e…

From the guidebook “Hiking New York”

Woodstock, NY - Hiking - 7 miles    (About Top Trails)

Slide Mountain Trail   A day-long hike up the Catskills highest peak in the Slide Mountain Wilderness area. Very scenic. John Burroughs would never have suspected that the mountain, which had so successfully defied his clim…

From the guidebook “Best Day Hikes in the Catskills & Hudson Valley”

Branch, NY - Hiking - 7 miles

Twin Mountain Trail   A double-peaked mountain with superior views of the Hudson Valley and the Indian Head Wilderness Area. Twin-peaked Twin Mountain is one of the Devil’s Path mountains, those craggy and tempestuous summ…

From the guidebook “Best Day Hikes in the Catskills & Hudson Valley”

Elka Park, NY - Hiking - 4.4 miles

West Kill Mountain to Buck Ridge Lookout Trail   A demanding hike across the elongated West Kill plateau, to the scenic Buck Ridge Lookout. This is the longer but gentler approach to West Kill Mountain from Spruceton, with a slightly greater vertica…

From the guidebook “Best Day Hikes in the Catskills & Hudson Valley”

Spruceton, NY - Hiking - 9.4 miles

Windham High Peak Trail   A charming, but strenuous, walk through mature spruce plantations to the northern escarpment with sweeping views to the north. This scenic hike follows the Escarpment’s northern shoulder, where the lo…

From the guidebook “Best Day Hikes in the Catskills & Hudson Valley”

Maplecrest, NY - Hiking - 6.6 miles

Wittenberg and Cornell Mountains Trail   A steep climb from the rustic Woodland Valley to an area that is a favorite of many Catskill hikers. Wittenberg Mountain (a.k.a. The Wittenberg, 3,780 feet) is a favorite among hikers who regard its s…

From the guidebook “Best Day Hikes in the Catskills & Hudson Valley”

Woodland, NY - Hiking - 9.4 miles