News & Views
News from the Catskills Park, product reviews, history, health, flora, fauna, best practices, opinion, tips — if it’s not a peak or a hike, it’s here…
The Best Hiking Apps for 2020
These are the best hiking apps I’ve come across to date — 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 Catskills hike extra-awesome 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.
New Permission System for Doubletop & Graham in 2020
After many years as head caretaker for the Gould Family, Bill Scholl has recently retired. The new caretaker is Bill Fiedler / (607) 221-1277 If Mr Fielder doesn’t answer, leave a polite voicemail with your full name and number, requesting permission to hike on Doubletop and/or Graham on whatever day you plan to go.
Winter Hiking Gear List
Winter mountain hiking in the Catskills is spectacular — the snow-blasted woods, the bleached landscape views, the harsh elements that test your mettle — but the days are shorter, the nights are longer, and the temperature is lethal. The stakes are way higher: a lack of preparation or a missing piece of kit could mean death in a very short time.
Open Space Institute Secures 871 Acres Near Ashokan High Point
The Open Space Institute has just announced the acquisition of two properties adjacent to the Catskill Park’s Sundown Wild Forest. The newly-protected properties have the potential to serve as a new access point to the Ashokan High Point hiking trail.
New Gear: Buff
With cold weather on the way, I’m looking to make some changes to my winter kit from last season. Sometimes small tweaks yield big benefits, and that’s exactly what adding a buff does. A buff is a leg-warmer for your face It’s a thin, light tube of fabric you pull over the top of your head until it wraps around your neck, trapping a layer of warm air next to your skin.
Ashokan Rail Trail Now Open
The newly-opened Ashokan Rail Trail on the north side of the Ashokan Reservoir is ridiculously wonderful. Ulster County and the DEP have absolutely aced this project. If you’re a walker, runner or cyclist, this is nine miles of absolute heaven. And unlike other promenades around the reservoir, dogs are allowed.
Trail Maintenance 101 in Mine Hollow
Look at this place. What a day to be outside in such a beautiful setting. The very next day, it snowed all over the Catskills—in mid-May! But on this perfect spring day, I joined a small group of fellow trainees for Trail Maintenance 101.