Mountain Meaning
Camus
“The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man’s heart.”
— Camus
Hi! Bonjour! ¡Hola! 안녕하세요! Ciao! Hallo! Dia dhuit!
Interactive Map of Hiking Trail Reports
The icons below are color-coded for difficulty: green, yellow, orange, red. Clicking on a pin will display the link to that hike report.
The Classic High Peaks
The Traditional List of Catskills Peaks Above 3500’
Most people start hiking the Catskills by climbing a few High Peaks: Indian Head, Slide Mountain & Balsam Lake are popular starting points. Here are the 35 summits you’ll need to bag if you want to join the 3500 Club.
The Best/Easiest Mountain Hikes
The Very Best Hikes You Can Do in the Catskill Park
These lists are a curated selection of the most rewarding hikes you can do in the Catskills: the best of the High Peaks, the best of the lower peaks, the best trails and bushwhacks. It’s an awesome time, every time.
Wilderness Safety Basics
Planning Tips, Kit Lists, Emergency Numbers
Start safely, hike well, and finish in one piece. Here’s everything you’ll need: your clothing, your kit, how to plan a safe hike in every season, the best apps, what to eat, what to bring. It’s all the advice in one place.
Or Start Here…
With hundreds of miles of hiking trails and countless bushwhack routes, there are so many ways to hike the Catskill Mountains
Apart from the two lists above — the Classic High Peaks and the Best Catskill Hikes — you can also view a list of All Catskills or go directly to Easiest, Moderate, Difficult or Hardest peaks
Sorry I can’t make new mountains — but I add new hikes every week
Recommended Reads
PSA: Cairns Are Bad
TL;DR — Building cairns disturbs fragile, sensitive habitats and stresses whatever environment they’re built in. I didn’t know people also built them in streams…
PSA: Dog Days of Summer — How to Hike Your Dog Safely When It’s Hot & Humid
From springtime on, temperatures and humidity can spike, but July & August bring heat indices that regularly shoot past safe limits for our canine companions. Mountain hikes are much harder, and much longer, than regular walks. All of this presents an elevated risk for dogs.
The Ultimate Guide to Peakbagging the Catskills
The most efficient way to bag all 35 Classic Catskills High Peaks is to do as many of them in groups as possible. These lists of pairs and triplets combine the Catskills in their most common groupings. Minimize your travel. Maximize your peak-bagging!
Hiking Pace Formula: How Long Will My Hike Take?
One of the simplest things you need to know about any hike is: how long will it take? Knowing a planned hike’s duration is crucial to being able to figure out what to bring in terms of safety supplies, water and food.
The Best Hiking Apps for 2020
The best hiking apps broken into four categories: navigation/planning, field identification, photography, and fun. Whether you enjoy easy scenic trails or challenging mountain hikes, these apps will help you plan, plot and prepare for your next adventure.
Best Places to Eat in the Catskills for Hikers 2020
This up-to-date list of the best Catskills cafes and restaurants will help make your next pre- or post-hike chow extra-awesome Best Catskills Eats I love Phoenicia Diner on Rte 28 for a glorious post-hike chow. So many great dishes, and their Bourbon Milkshake is such a fantastic adult treat.
Hiking News & Culture
DEC Announces Addition of 241 Acres to Catskill Forest Preserve
This has been some time in the planning. It’s great news for the area just east of the Ashokan Reservoir. The new parcel sits between Jockey Hill and Onteora Lake. Its acquisition connects all three parcels, and allows for the the construction of connecting trails to unify the area.
The Fried Chicken War of 1881
This weird news clipping popped up in my Catskills Twitter feed today and sent me down an internet rabbit hole full of ding-dong Catskills drama. Oh, the shade!
Accessing Doubletop & Graham: Latest Details
Latest notes from The Catskill 3500 Club who oversee the management and maintenance of the canisters on our untrailed peaks… Doubletop & Graham Caretaker Contact Information Change Due to the amount of people reaching out to the caretaker for hikes to these two mountains, he is revising the procedure for getting permission to hike on these privately-owned lands.
The Great Twin Reroute Controversy of 2019
Until the middle of 2019, the trail from Pecoy Notch to the northern summit of Twin Mountain included a difficult rock ledge that required a semi-technical lift. The lift itself depended on a single tree root as a handhold. It was super fun.
Catskills Hemlocks Under Threat
Spend any time in the Catskills and you’ll see how special our hemlock groves are, and how unique their micro-environment is. Learn about Hemlock Wooly Adelgid and how you can help.
COVID-19: New York Pushes Back Opening State Campgrounds until June
According to the DEC’s 2020 Campground & Day Use Area Schedule, all state campgrounds will remain closed until at least June 1. ”To reduce potential community spread of COVID-19, all campgrounds, and pavilions are closed to overnight visitation through May 31.
Catskills | Taconics | Adirondacks
Latest Mountain Hiking Posts
All recent posts in chronological order
Byrdcliffe Trail, Woodstock
A short, steep Nature Walk through peaceful woods to two views of the Ashokan Reservoir and surrounding Catskills peaks.
PSA: Cairns Are Bad
TL;DR — Building cairns disturbs fragile, sensitive habitats and stresses whatever environment they’re built in. I didn’t know people also built them in streams…
Hike Overlook Mountain Fire Tower for Sunrise
One of the most popular hikes in the Catskills can be completed in 2-3 hours. Overlook’s fire tower is 60 ft tall and is placed for one of the best views in the Catskills. An excellent view from a large ledge near the summit trail caps this insanely scenic hike.
PSA: Dog Days of Summer — How to Hike Your Dog Safely When It’s Hot & Humid
From springtime on, temperatures and humidity can spike, but July & August bring heat indices that regularly shoot past safe limits for our canine companions. Mountain hikes are much harder, and much longer, than regular walks. All of this presents an elevated risk for dogs.
Hike to Mount Tremper Fire Tower
This short, moderate hike to one of the most popular fire towers in the Catskills ends with an incredible 360° view of dozens of classic Catskill mountains.
DEC Announces Addition of 241 Acres to Catskill Forest Preserve
This has been some time in the planning. It’s great news for the area just east of the Ashokan Reservoir. The new parcel sits between Jockey Hill and Onteora Lake. Its acquisition connects all three parcels, and allows for the the construction of connecting trails to unify the area.
Hike Cross Mountain from Woodland Valley
This moderate hike along quiet trail packs a punch: stunning forest, dramatic rock formations, and a spectacular panoramic scenic lookout.
Hike Blackhead & Black Dome via Batavia Kill
This route crosses some of the most beautiful hiking trails in the Catskill Mountains. I think this is the best route for hiking Blackhead.
The Fried Chicken War of 1881
This weird news clipping popped up in my Catskills Twitter feed today and sent me down an internet rabbit hole full of ding-dong Catskills drama. Oh, the shade!
The Ultimate Guide to Peakbagging the Catskills
The most efficient way to bag all 35 Classic Catskills High Peaks is to do as many of them in groups as possible. These lists of pairs and triplets combine the Catskills in their most common groupings. Minimize your travel. Maximize your peak-bagging!
Hike Van Wyck (via Bear Hole Brook) plus Table and Peekamoose
A stunning hike up Bear Hole Brook to the exceptionally steep Van Wyck. Two bear holes. Two plane wrecks. Two talus fields. One of the most memorable Catskills views I’ve seen. This is a very difficult route. Best tackled in a group with experienced, knowledgable hikers.
Gear Upgrade: More Backpack, More Fun
A few weeks ago, I switched my backpack from a 34 liter model that’s great for day hikes to a 65 liter model that’s more suited to overnights. I’m really happy with the upgrade.
Accessing Doubletop & Graham: Latest Details
Latest notes from The Catskill 3500 Club who oversee the management and maintenance of the canisters on our untrailed peaks… Doubletop & Graham Caretaker Contact Information Change Due to the amount of people reaching out to the caretaker for hikes to these two mountains, he is revising the procedure for getting permission to hike on these privately-owned lands.
Hike Giant Ledge & Panther Mountain
This classic route to Giant Ledge is a short moderate hike with a huge pay-off: a series of ledge views which are spectacular in all seasons. This is one of the most popular hiking trails in the Catskills.
Hike Twin from Roaring Kill
This is one of the most entertaining hiking trails in the Catskill Park, leading up to one of its grandest panoramic views — but it also contains what is maybe the Park’s most challenging, technical and potentially dangerous trail sections. The Devil’s Path is famous for being one of the most difficult hiking trails in the US.
The Great Twin Reroute Controversy of 2019
Until the middle of 2019, the trail from Pecoy Notch to the northern summit of Twin Mountain included a difficult rock ledge that required a semi-technical lift. The lift itself depended on a single tree root as a handhold. It was super fun.
Mountain-Hiking.com
This site is currently an early version of what I hope will become a valuable resource for Catskills hikers over the next few years
My immediate next actions for the site are…
- Finish adding hike posts so that every Catskill High Peak has at least one associated hike ✅
- Add hiking gear reviews — particularly winter hiking gear ✅
- Add other kinds of content
- Best places to eat for hikers ✅
- Best hiking apps ✅
- A list of kid-friendly Catskills hikes ✅
- A list of Catskills nature walks ✅
- Catskills news ✅
- A list of the most popular Catskill mountain hikes ✅
- Posts on hiking health, Catskills history and geology, and climate change
- Integrate feedback from early users ✅
- Add a lot more photography to all posts ✅
- Add more hikes for lower Catskills peaks ✅
- Add brief mountain notes to all mountain header pages
- Add more hikes so all mountains have an increasing number of alternate routes
Okay, have a great hike! Hope to see you out there…
Sean
