Santanoni Peak in the distance

Top 6 Hiking Dangers

With some basic knowledge and gear, mountain hiking is rarely dangerous. However, without adequate prep, things can turn ugly quickly. 

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frozen trees on the summit of Wittenberg / winter hiking essentials

Winter Hiking Essentials

Winter hiking essentials — crucial gear and intel to hike safely this winter.

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scenic sunset view from Pakatakan Mountain

18 Amazing Western Catskills Hikes

Some of the best day hikes are only a few hours from New York City. The Western Catskills have it all!

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two hikers in snowy forest

35 Best Quick Tips for a Safe Winter Hike

These 35 tips for winter hiking will help keep you safe in the harshest conditions

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small waterfall, long exposure

Secret Hike: Winter Views, Giant Quarry, Waterfalls, Ruins

I had no idea what I’d find on this unsung trail. I was blown away.

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rock ledge on Table Mountain

Table, Peekamoose, Lone & Rocky

The easiest and most beautiful route to Lone and Rocky — but this is still one of the hardest hikes in The Catskills

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giant boulders

Schunemunk Mountain Loop

The terrain is the star on this mostly moderate hike over Schunemunk’s two ridges. This long, challenging route includes the base of Moodna Viaduct, The Megaliths, and excellent views.

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hikers on breakneck ridge

Breakneck Ridge

Super scenic and super sketchy — this is the funnest and most popular day hike in New York’s Hudson Highlands.

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Sean looking disappointed

West Kill via Diamond Notch Falls

One of my favorite hikes in The Catskills, the route from Diamond Notch Falls to Buck Ridge Lookout and the summit of West Kill Mountain is just so beautiful.

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large boulder protruding from mountain

Twin Mountain via Jimmy Dolan Notch

This quick ascent to a gorgeous two-peaked Catskill ridge includes a fun, tricky rock scramble — and one of the truly great views in the Catskill Park.

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green ski lift building in snow

Belleayre via Lost Clove

This challenging out and back begins with one of the steepest trails in the Catskills, passes over two sub-peaks and visits two lean-tos on the way to a ski resort with a scenic view.

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orange canister on tree trunk

Rocky and Lone via Fisherman’s Path

Due to the remoteness of its two mountains, the ruggedness of the terrain, and the skin-shredding forest, this is widely regarded as the toughest hike in the Catskills.

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boulders in stream

Fisherman’s Path

The Fisherman’s Path is an unmaintained hiking trail in Denning, New York, popular with casual hikers for weekend campouts and used regularly by 3500 hikers to access Rocky & Lone mountains. The entire trail is exceptionally beautiful.

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ledge and campers and scenic view

Ashokan High Point (with Plane Wreck)

This loop hike features easy riparian trail, then a steep climb to views of Mohonk and the Shawangunk Ridge, as well as stunning blueberry meadows and a plane wreck just feet from the trail’s edge.

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sunset over mountain

Little Ashokan

The bushwhack to Little Ashokan is one of the steeper and sketchier routes I’ve hiked in the Catskills: craggy ledges, loose dirt and rocks, lots of blowdown. But the summit is magical, and the view it affords it is startlingly beautiful.

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mountain view at sunset

Hike Slide, Cornell & Wittenberg

This is my favorite tough-but-beautiful Catskills hike. Long, rugged, technical and remote, it brings you over three summits to some of the most stunning lookouts in the Catskill Park.

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