Overlook Mountain Fire Tower
Overlook Mountain | Saturday, 11/26/2022, 9:30 AM
This is about a 6.5-mile hike from the Meads Meadow Trailhead, using the Overlook Mountain connector to the yellow, then blue to the main Overlook Mountain trail. From there, the trail climbs steadily to the top of Overlook Mountain following an old gravel road to ruins of an old hotel that once transported guests in the late 19th century to the Overlook Mountain House. There are great views from the cliffs on Overlook of the Hudson Valley and the Catskill High Peaks as well as from the top of the fire tower. We’ll break for lunch at another viewpoint where it’s lesser known. Continue reading
This is a 9-mile out and back hike to the summit of Panther (3,720 ft.). I’d done Panther 8 times from the very popular route, from Route 47, but I’ve never summitted Panther from this direction. The trail isn’t very well used, is longer, and the route is strenuous even for experienced hikers. We’ll follow the Giant Ledge – Panther trail (blue) where the trail ascends gradually with a few rock scrambles that do keep things interesting. We’ll approach several false peaks before we’ll arrive at the actual summit of Panther. We’ll break for lunch after the summit of Panther, retracing our steps to a viewpoint about 5 minutes away. 
ycle the Catskill Scenic Trail on Earth Day, April 22, 9:00 AM
This a chance to find and identify the beautiful Spring ephemeral wildflowers which are so named because they appear in early spring when they flower and fruit and then die back, all in a short period before the trees have had a chance to leaf out. Most hikers never see these flowers because they wait for late spring or summer to get into the woods. We will look for Trillium, Spring beauties, Trout Lily, Hepatica, Violets, Squirrel Corn, Dutchman’s Breeches, Jack-In-The-Pulpit and many others. We may also find some early mushrooms and ramps.
Cycle along the Pepacton Reservoir
Kelly Hollow is one of the most beautiful short trails in the Catskills with rocky streams and waterfalls. It has a combination of coniferous and deciduous forests with a lovely abandoned beaver pond near a lean-to at the top. Bring lunch and/or snacks to have at the lean-to (there is a privy nearby.)
This 3-mile out and back hike, more like a walk to Red Hill fire tower (2,990 ft) features minor steep sections, gaining about 837 vertical feet along the way but nothing that anyone who’s a hiker can’t handle. It’s a beautiful uphill stroll that ends before anybody can whine too much.