Summer
Hike reports listed below are from hikes done in the summer.
Backpack Basics
Your backpack is a fundamental and very personal choice. There are lots of excellent brands to choose from. Here’s the skinny.
Basic Mountain Hiking Gear
While hiking gear can change from trail to trail, and from season to season, the following items will serve you well on every hike. They are a fleshing out of The Ten Essentials (the absolute bare minimum you should pack for every hike). This hiking gear list focuses on day-hiking.
Hike Sugarloaf & Twin from Roaring Kill
Any hike that includes Twin Mountain is a great hike. From either side, Twin offers some the funnest ascents in the Catskill Park. But the western side of Twin, with its steep talus field and a section of technical open rock face, is perhaps the toughest 0.7 mile you’ll hike on any Catskill trail.
Hike from Platte Clove to Plattekill to Echo Lake
This hike is mostly very easy, with about 75% on well-marked trail. However, the bushwhack to the scenic lookout on the south side of Plattekill is extremely difficult, and presents some dangers.
Friday, Balsam Cap & B-25 Crash Site
A long, tough, rewarding hike that follows woods roads and herd paths, and ends with a true bushwhack to the wreckage of a WWII military bomber.
Hike Thomas Cole & Black Dome from Barnum Rd
A moderate Catskills hike — over consistently interesting and varied terrain — to two epic views.
Plateau from Mink Hollow
This is the shortest/fastest way to climb Plateau Mountain in The Catskills. Mink Hollow Trailhead & Parking The parking area at the north end of the Mink Hollow trail is marked on the NYNJTC maps in gray, which signifies “roadside parking”.
Indian Head & Twin (Sunset Hike)
This is my favorite hike in the Catskills. It has everything the Catskills can give you: classic Catskills forests, rugged terrain, excellent scrambles, and jaw-dropping scenic views.
Hike Huntersfield via Ashland Pinnacle
Situated among some of the most bucolic land in New York State, this quiet trail over lush peaks makes for a rich, rewarding and restorative hike.
Hike Kaaterskill High Peak & 2 Plane Wrecks
KHP’s summit is a Catskills classic with a spectacular view from Hurricane Ledge. This route takes in two eerie plane wrecks, and there is much to see on the long trek in and out. This a tough, muddy, rewarding hike.
