icicles hanging from rock wall

Thru-Hike North Dome & Mount Sherrill

This intense bushwhack route over two of the most difficult Catskills peaks is challenging and rewarding.

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foggy view from scenic mountain ledge

Silver Hollow Notch & Edgewood Mountains

This short hike to a quiet Catskills double-peak proves how the Lower Catskills can often out-reward the Classic 3500 Peaks.

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cabin in snow on mountain summit

Hunter Mountain Fire Tower (Best Route)

This moderate and very scenic hike can be completed in 4-5 hrs. This is the easiest route to climb Hunter Mountain.

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orange canister affixed to tree trunk

Fir & Big Indian

This long hike mixes beautiful Catskills trails and fun water crossings with a long bushwhack section over two substantial mountain peaks.

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large boulder protruding from mountain

Twin Mountain via Jimmy Dolan Notch

This quick ascent to a gorgeous two-peaked Catskill ridge includes a fun, tricky rock scramble — and one of the truly great views in the Catskill Park.

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wintery waterfall

Eagle Mountain from Seager

Not many people hike this way to Eagle but it’s the most beautiful route. The Seager Big Indian trail which passes along Dry Brook is uniquely challenging and magical.

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Iced-up Kaaterskill Fals

Kaaterskill Rail Trail

This is a short, super-easy hike to one of the most popular Catskills destinations. It includes views not seen by those who park closer to the falls. It’s the perfect trail in winter for some easy snow-shoeing or cross country skiing.

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green ski lift building in snow

Belleayre via Lost Clove

This challenging out and back begins with one of the steepest trails in the Catskills, passes over two sub-peaks and visits two lean-tos on the way to a ski resort with a scenic view.

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scenic view snow

Mill Brook Ridge via Kelly Hollow

This is the shortest route to Mill Brook Ridge’s summit over public land. It includes a full loop of Kelly Hollow, one of the most beautiful hiking trails in the Catskills. A short-but-steep bushwhack connects the two locations.

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sunset over devil’s path mountain summits

Huckleberry Point

Huckleberry Point is one of the most beloved Catskills destinations. The trail is short, relatively easy, and leads to one of the most dramatic vistas in the Catskill Mountains.

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orange canister on tree trunk

Rocky and Lone via Fisherman’s Path

Due to the remoteness of its two mountains, the ruggedness of the terrain, and the skin-shredding forest, this is widely regarded as the toughest hike in the Catskills.

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boulders in stream

Fisherman’s Path

The Fisherman’s Path is an unmaintained hiking trail in Denning, New York, popular with casual hikers for weekend campouts and used regularly by 3500 hikers to access Rocky & Lone mountains. The entire trail is exceptionally beautiful.

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ledge and campers and scenic view

Ashokan High Point (with Plane Wreck)

This loop hike features easy riparian trail, then a steep climb to views of Mohonk and the Shawangunk Ridge, as well as stunning blueberry meadows and a plane wreck just feet from the trail’s edge.

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sunset over mountain

Little Ashokan

The bushwhack to Little Ashokan is one of the steeper and sketchier routes I’ve hiked in the Catskills: craggy ledges, loose dirt and rocks, lots of blowdown. But the summit is magical, and the view it affords it is startlingly beautiful.

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mountain view at sunset

Hike Slide, Cornell & Wittenberg

This is my favorite tough-but-beautiful Catskills hike. Long, rugged, technical and remote, it brings you over three summits to some of the most stunning lookouts in the Catskill Park.

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view of cabin and mountains from tower

Hunter Mountain (Loop)

Hike over Hunter’s massive, gorgeous and super-scenic summit to descend via the Devil’s Path for a rugged walk-out — with a short side-quest to Southwest Hunter.

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