News

For Immediate Release

September 24, 2025

Contact: Peter Manning, Catskill Mountain Club

Peter@catskillmountainclub.org

LARK IN THE PARK ANNOUNCEMENT

Held each October, the Lark in the Park celebrates the Catskill Park with a series of hosted outdoor events across the region. The State of New York established the Catskill Park in 1904. The area inside the park’s blue-line boundary is about 700,000 acres and encompasses parts of four counties. Since the park’s creation, the amount of state-owned forest preserve lands has tripled and is now upwards of 300,000 acres.

These lands provide a wide variety of opportunities for recreation in a wild setting. The forest preserve also blends with the Catskills’ hamlets and village downtowns, where history and culture complement the array of offerings found in each year’s Lark Events Calendar.

Beginning October 4 and running through October 13, the Lark features more than 25 hikes, from challenging summit climbs to casual ecology and birding walks. This year’s events also include bike rides, paddle trips, and a mix of history, with outings to old hotel sites, former railroads, four fire towers, and John Burrough’s Woodchuck Lodge. Event goers can also consider participating in or spectating the theatrical reading of the story of Rip Van Winkle. Held in the historic railroad station on its campus, the Mountain Top Historical Society will serve up “a delightful afternoon of community, literature, and a touch of old-world magic.”

Appealing to a wide range of adventurers, the Lark offers no shortage of reasons to get outside and enjoy the beauty, culture, and recreational pursuits found throughout our wonderful region.

Organized by the Catskill Mountain Club in partnership with the Catskill Center and the Catskill 3500 Club, the 2025 Lark in the Park is supported in part by a tourism promotion grant from Delaware County. We are grateful to all the volunteer event leaders who help make this autumn celebration such a success.

The Lark in the Park was founded in 2004, the year of the Catskill Park centennial. Visit catskillslark.org for more details.

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Registration Open for the CMC Dinner

Saturday, September 27th 

GET YOUR TICKETS HERE

Registration Deadline September 18

SILENT AUCTION ITEMS HERE

The Catskill Mountain Club will hold its popular annual dinner on Saturday, September 27th at Bluestone Restaurant at the Delhi College Golf Course. 

A cocktail hour with hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar will begin at 4:00 pm.  Please come early so that you can catch up with fellow club members on the outdoor patio. The buffet dinner will feature Kalbi Flank Steak, Citrus Glazed Salmon, and Slow Roasted Portabella Mushroom.

We will be featuring a state-of-the-club presentation, as well as a short film, The Story of The Bramley Mountain Fire Tower which focuses on the history and the reconstruction of the tower.

New Trail Challenge awards will be presented to all those in attendance who have earned the All Trails, Catskills Grid/420, and Catskills 4 Seasons/140. The Outstanding Event Leader Award will be presented to legendary Catskills hiker Marv Freedman.

The dinner will again include a silent auction for a wide array of items donated by local businesses and club members. The auction items include outdoor equipment, artwork, restaurant gift certificates, cooking classes, vacation rentals, and more. You will almost certainly find items that you need or desire, and all the proceeds from the auction will benefit the CMC.

 If you have any questions about the dinner, please contact John Sandman at sandmajm@gmail.com.

CMC Helps Organize Another Successful 5K

For the second year, the Bovina 5K Run, Walk, and Kids Run attracted upwards of 200 participants. More than $4700 was raised to support the restoration of the Bovina Playground. This event illustrates a place-based approach: the community unites around its assets and highlights these for others to enjoy and support. These assets include a riverwalk, hiking trails, a vintage baseball field, and a pavilion – thanks to the work of the Livestock Foundation – and the entire hamlet of Bovina Center is on the State and National Register of Historic Places. Along with Livestock, CMC partnered with numerous motivated volunteers and several key entities. For more info, please see the PRESS RELEASE.

The Bramley Mountain Fire Tower continues to be open on the weekends through October 13. Fire tower stewards will enable visitors to ascend the tower on weekends. For more info please visit Friends of the Bramley Mountain Fire Tower website (and related Facebook page) for the schedules as the weather gets warmer.

Please visit the CMC Events page to learn more about upcoming events.

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