Hiking Trail Description

If these coronoa-virus days have had any positive side at all, maybe it’s this: the virus has forced mountain hikers to explore their lowlands, where the Catskills are still so rewarding and have so much to offer. I might never have visited Sloan Gorge otherwise, and what an oversight that would have been. The Preserve offers an absolutely delightful, short, and family-friendly nature walk.

The parking lot here is tiny. It fits only 3-4 cars. When it’s full, people park along the side of the road, close to the trailhead and away from the homes close by.

The preserve is managed by the Woodstock Land Conservancy who describe it as a treasure trove of mixed hardwood and coniferous forests, vernal pools, a seasonal stream, and bluestone quarries, and has the first interpretive “geology trail” in the area. It is home to bear, fox, deer, raccoon, possum, porcupines, and a wide variety of birds and woodland flora.

The iron gateway below — made of two trusses that come from what is reputed to be one of the oldest wrought-iron bridges in New York State — marks the start of the walk.

Not far from the gate, you come to the first intersection. The Quarry trail is very short and makes for a nice bonus at the end of the gorge hike.

For now, turn right and head down the Gorge Loop Trail.

Hemlock Woods

Follow the yellow blazes. The first half of the gorge loop passes through an almost pure hemlock stand.

There are many old stone fences, too.

On the left side of the trail, you’ll be walking below plenty of rock drama.

The trail rises up a little way via this scramble, and an incline, into a long winding section through peaceful hemlock woods…

Before descending into the gorge, you‘ll pass a slightly sketchy section with large rock outcropppings on the right and a steep slope on the left.

The Gorge

The trail descends into a gorge proper via a short switchback. Follow the yellow blazes along the right side of the water’s edge, passing along the base of these ragged cliffs.

One note here for warmer months: bring your bug spray. With all this standing water, there are plenty of mosquitos even in April.

The Chimney

Less than half way along the gorge, you’ll come to The Chimney. This is a spur so you can either visit The Chimney and then return to the yellow trail, which carries on along the water’s edge, or you can climb through two short passages as a mini-bushwhack before returning to the yellow trail on the other side.

In the above photo, the view is looking back toward the entrance. But to the left and behind this vantage point, is a low lemon-squeeze. Carefully climb down through it, watching your head, to enter the second passage.

The view below (from inside the second passage) is again looking backwards from the far end. (So when you enter the passage, the tumble of roots you see on the right below will be on your left.)

Climb up through the back of the second passage and down to the left to return to the yellow trail.

From here, the trail winds back and forth across the gorge, parts of which are wide and open, parts of which are narrower. Lots of variety, never boring.

Eventually, the trail winds back up out of the gorge, into the woods, and you will arrive at a well-marked junction. The parking area is to the left.

Bluestone Quarry

You can start the bluestone quarry loop by either walking straight ahead or by turning right, past a small plaque that reads: “This property has been donated to the Woodstock Land Conservancy by Allan Edward Sloan, a Woodstock artist (1902-1999) to preserve a piece of this beautiful mountainside in its natural state for the enjoyment of all natural creatures. Dedicated September 8, 2001.“

The quarry loop is super short, taking only 4-5 minutes to complete but it’s pretty dramatic, and a completely different landscape from the gorge and the hemlock woods.

Whichever direction you walk, you’ll come back to the second junction. The walk to the parking area from here takes only two or three minutes.

This is a short hike — but, really, it’s more of a nature walk. It’s not a scenic hike but it’s so varied and entertaining I’ve added it to the list of best Catskills hikes.

The parent mountain for this hike is Overlook.

If you do this hike, let me know how it went in the comments below. Your feedback makes this site better.