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Look, I don’t want to be rude but seriously? I believe this question makes every serious hiker laugh.

When does hiking season end?

Let me answer that question with another question: When does breathing season end?

If you’re waiting for permission to hang up your boots until spring, you’re missing out on some of the most spectacular hiking experiences the Catskills has to offer.

Columbus Day? — No.

Halloween? — No.

Thanksgiving? — No.

Christmas Day? — No.

New Year’s Day? — Definitely not. I did the best hike in the Catskills on January 1st.

The truth is simple: when hiking season ends for most people, for me, it just transforms into something even more beautiful.

Why Shoulder Season Is Actually Peak Season

Fall brings some of the very best hiking weather: Catskills Fall Foliage is amazing.

Fall doesn’t just bring good hiking weather. It delivers some of the absolute best conditions of the entire year. Catskills fall foliage draws visitors from around the world, and for good reason. Those fiery reds, burnt oranges, and golden yellows paint the mountains in colors that photographs can never quite capture.

But the magic doesn’t stop when the leaves drop. In fact, that’s when things get really interesting.

With the leaves off the trees, many hidden views open up. Views that were completely obscured for months now open up along familiar trails, making even your regular routes feel brand new. The temperatures drop into that perfect sweet spot—cool enough to hike hard without overheating, warm enough that you don’t need to bundle up like you’re summiting Everest

The light changes too. Autumn brings moodier cloudscapes that add drama to every ridgeline. Sunrise comes later in the morning, which means you can catch those golden-hour views without a 4 AM alarm clock. And if you’re a forager, this is mushroom season—chanterelles, chicken of the woods, and other edible treasures dot the forest floor.

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The Shoulder Seasons: Hiking’s Best-Kept Secret

Before winter’s full fury arrives, we enter the post-fall shoulder season for hiking: that transitional period from late October through November and into December. Many hikers mistakenly think this is when trails close down. They couldn’t be more wrong.

The shoulder seasons offer something unique: the solitude of winter without the extreme cold. The crowds that packed the trails during summer and peak foliage have gone home. You’ll have entire mountains to yourself. Frost decorates every surface on cold mornings. Ice begins to form along creek edges. The landscape takes on a stripped-down beauty, and the world feels poised between seasons, holding its breath.

This is when you can truly connect with the wilderness. When the only sounds are your footsteps and the wind moving through bare branches. When you can stop on a summit and not see another human being in any direction.

Winter Hiking: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Cold

I’ll be honest: I absolutely used to be a hardcore winter skeptic. Like many hikers, I saw December through March as an unfortunate gap in my hiking calendar. Something to endure rather than embrace.

Then I forced myself out one January morning, and everything changed.

Winter in the Catskills brings bluebird days that are nothing short of transcendent. The sky becomes this impossible shade of blue—so vivid it almost hurts to look at. The sun reflects off snow-covered mountains with blinding intensity. Frozen lakes transform into skating rinks surrounded by white-capped mountains. Every hollow, every valley, every distant ridge wears a coat of pristine white.

snow-covered trees on hiking trail — Serious winter wonderland on the trail to Balsam Lake

The air itself is different in winter. Crisp. Clean. Your breath comes out in clouds. Ice sparkles on branches. Ravens call out as they circle overhead, their caws echoing across valleys.

This is what makes people fall in love with winter hiking. Real life winter wonderland isn’t just a phrase—it’s an actual experience waiting for you on the trails.

Winter is now my favorite season to hike. There, I said it. The convert has become the evangelist.

The Hidden Benefits of Cold-Weather Hiking

Beyond the stunning scenery, winter hiking offers real benefits that have nothing to do with views or summits.

We all suffer during winter’s darkest months. We stay inside more. We exercise less. We see friends less frequently. Our mood dims along with the daylight. Seasonal affective disorder is real, and it hits hard. I hate February so much. I’m so done with the cold.

But a winter hike with friends is medicine. It’s therapy without the couch. It forces you outside when every instinct says to stay under a blanket. It gets your blood moving when you’d much rather hibernate. It puts you in nature’s cathedral when you need it most—during the year’s hardest days.

The boost to my mood, energy, and overall sense of wellbeing is immediate and undeniable. Every time. I return from a winter hike feeling alive in a way that’s hard to replicate indoors. Cheeks, red. Body, warm from exertion. Mind, is clear and happy. A feeling that I’ve lived, and maybe I’m a little tougher than I thought.

Winter Hiking Gear for shoulder season: hat, gloves, ice axe — Hat, Ice Axe, Mitts

Bad Clothes

There’s no such thing as bad weather—only bad clothes

That’s what the Scandinavians say. Kindergartens hold classes in forests even during winter. It’s not about being tough—it’s about being properly prepared.

In America, we’ve caught up. We know about base layers, liner socks, smart wool, gaiters, mid-layers, soft-shells and hard-shells. We’ve got great buffs, hats, gloves and mittens. Hand warmers and balaclavas. All set.

Today’s winter hikers have access to an impressive array of gear that would’ve seemed like space-age technology just a few decades ago:

Our winter gear is also top notch. Microspikes, 12-point crampons, snowshoes, ice axes.
Modern winter hikers have most of this gear, if not all of it, in their winter arsenals.
Check out this comprehensive Winter Hiking Kit List and learn how to stay warm and safe.

Fall and winter are also a great times to pick up solid hiking gear deals.

Grab the Winter Day-Hike Checklist — a handy printable PDF download with everything you need listed in one place.

With research and planning, you can extend your hiking right through the fourth — and greatest — hiking season.

When does hiking season end? Hiking never ends…

Weather Concerns

Mountain weather is unpredictable 365 days a year. The difference between a magical winter hike and a dangerous situation often comes down to preparation and knowing your limits.

Read How Windy is Too Windy to Hike?
Read How Cold is Too Cold to Hike?
Read How Long Will My Hike Take?

Always check forecasts. Tell someone your plans. Carry the ten essentials. Turn back if conditions deteriorate. The mountain will be there tomorrow.

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When Does Hiking Season End?