Catskill Mountains › Balsam Cap
Balsam Cap
Often done in combination with Friday Mountain, Balsam Cap offers a good view of Cornell & Wittenberg on the way to its archetypal Catskills summit.
Balsam Cap Topography
Balsam Cap Details
Height: 3,608ft (1,100m)
Location: Southern Catskills
Level: Difficult
Scenic: No/Low
Trail Type: Bushwhack
Canister: Yes
Balsam Cap Weather
Area Forecast
Summit Forecast
This page linked below shows the weather at Balsam Cap’s summit for the next six days.
https://www.mountain-forecast.com/peaks/Balsam-Cap/forecasts/1104
Opens in a new tab/window.
Click on the small °F or °C boxes to toggle between US and Metric.
Balsam Cap
Southern Catskills Hiking Trails
Hike Balsam Cap in the Clouds
A direct line from Moonhaw takes you up the shortest possible route to Balsam Cap but be warned — the way is steep and the rest breaks are many.
Hike Friday, Balsam Cap & B25 Crash Site from Moonhaw
If you want a long, rewarding untrailed hike, this is it: some of the toughest miles you can do in the Catskills. This track shows my preferred route up Friday Mountain. Take a minute to review the main Friday Mountain page which describes the two main approaches: straight up the ridge-line or via the woods roads route.
Hike “The Six”: Friday, Balsam Cap, Rocky, Lone, Table, Peekamoose
I was definitely nervous to go on this hike. I knew it was long and demanding. It crosses six mountains and some of the gnarliest terrain in the Catskills… Friday Mountain is always hard, but Rocky and Lone are in another league, the two prickliest peaks you can tackle in the Park.
About Balsam Cap
View of Balsam Cap and Ashokan High Point from Friday Mountain