The Most Popular Hikes
These Catskills mountain hikes are beloved and often busy to the point of being beleaguered, especially at weekends. But they’re popular for a reason: most offer stunning scenic views from ledges or fire towers.
High Use Areas
Use this list to plan your visit — either to avoid known popular locations during busy times, or to visit them during off-peak hours and days.
Staff & Volunteers
On busy weekends, several high-use areas — e.g. Peekamoose Blue Hole, Kaaterskill Falls, Plattekill Clove — are staffed with specially trained Catskill Stewards.
You may also come across forest rangers. Their collective job is to help preserve our wild lands, though we can all be stewards through our sensitive use of the outdoors.
Timing is Everything
If you’re desperate to get away from people, these are definitely not the hikes for you — at least not at peak hours on peak days. Friday / Saturday / Sunday will see many of their trailheads overflowing by 9am.
Tip 1: Choose well. I prefer to do these hikes mid-week, when most people are at work. Or I will hike them in the very early hours, in the dark, on my way to a summit sunrise.
Tip 2: Have a concrete alternate hike in mind in case you need to switch to Plan B. Especially in 2020, during COVID times, trailheads seem twice as busy as they’ve ever been.
Tip 3: Leave No Trace. Carry out every single item you carry in. Leave zero trash, not even a single scrap of orange peel — it takes six months to decompose!
Balsam Lake Fire Tower Hike
Incredible 360° wilderness views make this hike spectacular at any time of year.
Diamond Notch Falls via Spruceton
A short, easy mountain hike to a true Catskills gem: Diamond Notch Falls.
Sunset Rock Trail (Taconics)
A short rugged, riparian hike to Sunset Rock, a stunning Taconic scenic spot.
High Falls Conservation Area
Short, easy hiking trails wind through High Falls Conservation Area to one of the most spectacular waterfalls in New York.
Anthony’s Nose via Camp Smith Trail
This route to the lookout on Anthony’s Nose is gentler than the classic route from the north.
Dibbles Quarry & Beyond (Ultimate Guide)
A short, easy hike to the very memorable Dibbles Quarry in one of The Catskills’ loveliest notches.
Baxter Mountain Trail
Baxter Mountain Trail in the Adirondacks is on of the sweetest trails in Keene Valley. Baxter is also one of the most hike-able and scenic peaks in the area.
Catskills & Adirondacks Fall Foliage Reports 2022
The best Catskills Fall Foliage Report because it’s direct from the Catskills!
Rooster Comb
The trail to Rooster Comb in the Adirondacks is relentlessly uphill but also quite short. Enjoy 3 fantastic lookouts, each more stunning that the last.
Giant Mountain
Giant Mountain is one of the most popular peaks in the Adirondacks. This route offers a super fun climb and a super scenic descent.
6 Incredible Fall Foliage Hikes in the Adirondacks
When that Adirondack fall foliage hits, you don’t want to miss it. Here’s a selection of incredible hikes to view the ADK extravaganza.
Red Hill Fire Tower from Denning
This new route to Red Hill Fire Tower is a little longer and tougher than the classic route, but so much sweeter.
Vernooy Falls Trail: Waterfalls & Mill Ruins
The delightful Vernooy Falls hiking trail leads to one of the funnest spots in The Catskills.
Race Brook Falls & Mount Everett
This rugged route passes along the bottom of Race Brook Falls, then climbs through beautiful forest to a scenic lookout beyond the summit of Mount Everett.
