Dibbles Quarry & Beyond (Ultimate Guide)

Following the yellow blazes, hike in one quarter mile to the first junction. Bear left and head uphill, now following blue blazes.

After just 250 feet of elevation gain, the trail levels out and becomes nice and easy — although it can be muddy, here, so it’s wise to wear hiking boots rather than sneakers.

At 9/10ths of a mile from the trailhead, on the far side of a small hemlock grove, the trail dips down into Dibbles Quarry.

The mountain seen straight ahead is Twin Mountain.

The thrones are super fun to sit on…

Standing by the thrones, to your left you can see Round Top and Kaaterskill High Peak. Straight ahead, you can see down through Platte Clove. To your right, the large prominent mountain is Twin Mountain. (The route up Twin from Pecoy Notch is one of the most rugged, sketchiest (and funnest) trail sections in The Catskills.)

The view from Dibbles Quarry is magical at any time of year…

On the far side of the quarry, the trail winds through mounds of abandoned bluestone shards.

Look down and you’ll see some fun stone graffiti…

Remember to Leave No Trace.

About Bluestone

Bluestone from New York is a kind of sandstone defined as feldspathic greywacke. Its sand-sized grains were deposited in the Catskill Delta during the Devonian Period, 370 to 345 million years ago.

About Dibbles Quarry

Dibbles Quarry was active in the 1800’s. It was abandoned in the twentieth century, like most other Catskills bluestone quarries, after concrete usurped bluestone as a building material.

Is Dibbles Quarry named after a local man called Mr. Dibbell? I don’t know but I do know that until 1928, when the U.S. Geographic Board formalized its current name, Sugarloaf Mountain was locally known as Dibble Mountain.

Notice the name of the assessor from Hunter: Geo. Dibbell. Also long ago, there was another assessor called H.E. Dibbell in Hunter. Perhaps they were related. Online, I’ve found recent references to current local Dibbells.

I also found references to a Dibbells Dam on Schohaire Creek which is nearby.

The Dibbells have a long history in this area.

Behind Dibbles Quarry

After the thrones, if you keep an eye to your right, somewhere along the tail you might find a way to get up behind the main quarry. Stepping off a hiking trail is a risk you have to assess for yourself. Proceed at your own risk.

I’ve passed through Dibbles Quarry many times before without noticing this back-of-quarry area.

This section was flooded after rain. I can’t wait to revisit it in winter.

Below Dibbles Quarry

After rainfall, if you stand in Dibbles Quarry, you can hear gushing water below. On topographic maps, you’ll see a waterfall symbol in the area.

I’ve not yet visited these falls; the terrain directly around the quarry is too steep to hike down. But the falls sound fantastic. I need to find a non-sketchy route that heads down there…

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Beyond Dibbles Quarry

Back on the main trail, not far past the quarry, the route brings you to stunning riparian zone. The stream crossing, here, is one of my absolute favorites in The Catskills.

When the water is flowing heavily, it can be tricky to rock-hop to the far side. Trekking poles are helpful here for extra stability, or do like my hiking buddy did and pick up a sturdy branch …

After the crossing, the trail heads uphill to the right, through a hemlock grove. At the top of the incline, the trail turns left and passes a small vernal pool/meadow on the right. Keep going.

You’ll eventually pop out into a massive open area formed by what was once a beaver pond.

In winter it freezes over…

In summer it’s lush…

Enjoy the view of Twin and Sugarloaf mountains.

From here, you can make your way back to the trailhead, following the blue blazes until you get back to the junction, then the yellow blazes back to your car.

A Fun Fact

You’ve probably heard that bears hibernate in winter. Well, not quite. Not Catskills bears…

In New York, black bears don’t fully hibernate. Even in deep winter, they’ll often pop outside to poke around for a bit. This photo was taken on the way to Dibbles Quarry on a brutally cold day in February.

The print is extremely fresh.

Happy hiking!