Fall
Hike reports listed below are from hikes completed in the fall.
Snowshoe Basics
The number of snowshoe options is overwhelming. Here’s a quick guide on what to look for, and where to get your first pair.
How Cold is Too Cold to Hike?
January 2021 had some spectacularly cold weather in the Catskills, with wind chills dipping close to -40°F / -40°C at summits. But how cold is too cold? Here are 6 things you need to think about: weather, comfort, safety, frostbite, hypothermia, and gear.
Winter Day-Hike Essentials Checklist
Download this helpful PDF with explanatory notes and a handy winter day-hike essentials checklist.
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.
Mill Brook Ridge via Kelly Hollow
This is the shortest route to Mill Brook Ridge’s summit over public land. It includes a full loop of Kelly Hollow, one of the most beautiful hiking trails in the Catskills. A short-but-steep bushwhack connects the two locations.
PSA: How Long Does Trash Last on the Trail?
Many people don’t know how long it takes natural items to decompose, assuming that whatever biological matter they discard will break down quickly. But many of our most common scraps take an astonishing amount of time to fully disintegrate…
How Windy is Too Windy To Hike?
I moved my hike from a windy Friday to a less windy (but much colder) Saturday. 80% of my online followers agreed with me. Here’s why.
PSA: How to Buy a Hiking Headlamp
For hikers and campers, headlamps are essential pieces of gear. Whether you’re hiking out at dusk after a long day, or hiking in, in the pitch dark for a glorious summit sunrise, a headlamp will keep you on track and safe.
Huckleberry Point Trail
Huckleberry Point is one of the most beloved Catskills destinations. For a mountain hike, this hiking trail is short and relatively easy. With very little effort, in 75 minutes or so, you’ll get out to one of the most dramatic vistas in these hills. This is an extremely popular and memorable hike.
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.
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.
Catskill 3500 Trail Conditions Google Spreadsheet
For current trail conditions, this shared Google spreadsheet is a great resource to check before (and after) your next Catskill 3500 hike.
When Does Hiking Season End in the Catskills?
Learn how to extend your hiking into the fourth — and greatest! — hiking season. Catskills hiking never ends…
Ashokan High Point Trail (with Plane Wreck)
This wonderful loop hike has an easy start with almost three miles of beautiful riparian trail. Then a steep climb leads to the summit where there’s a great view of Mohonk and the Shawangunk Ridge. The hike down Ashokan High Point’s west side is notable for its beautiful meadows and views, a plane wreck, as well as a handful of steep trail pitches.
Bushwhack from Ashokan High Point to 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.
Backcountry Campout in the Catskills — First Experience
Having never camped out before, and certainly never in the backcountry, I researched for weeks, pulled the necessary kit together, and finally screwed up enough courage to solo camp overnight in the wilderness.
