First Day Hike to Kelly Hollow – Sunday 1/1/2022 10:00 AM
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. The trail is an easy to moderate loop of about 4 miles. Bring lunch and/or snacks to have at the lean-to (there is a privy nearby.) Continue reading
First Day Hike on Biscuit Brook Trail – Sunday 1/1/2023 9AM
Biscuit Brook trail aka Pine HIll-West Branch trail (Blue) Trail begins on north side of County Rt.47 (From Kingston it takes 1hr. to the trailhead. Take Rte 28 West to Big Indian, turn Left on Rt.47 for 12.5 mls.) In 2 mls we reach the Lean-to on the left, moderate. continue for 2.5 mls. to the high point of trail near summit. moderate to difficult. Continue reading
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.
C
ycle the Catskill Scenic Trail on Earth Day, April 22, 9:00 AM
Take a round trip ride, from Bloomville to Stamford (and back) along the former Ulster & Delaware Railroad corridor as it follows the West Branch of the Delaware River. This is a 25-mile ride along an unpaved surface and is rated Moderate – Difficult. Mountain bikes are strongly encouraged, although hybrid bicycles are also acceptable. Please, no road bikes. The ride begins in Bloomville at the Catskill Scenic Trail’s westernmost access point. Marked with a sign, the parking area is on south side of State Route 10 just north of the intersection with River Road. We will begin at 9:00 AM and break for lunch at Stamford.
Event Duration: 25 miles, 3-4 Hours
Level of Difficulty: Moderate-Difficult Continue reading
Spring Ephemeral Walk – Saturday, May 7th, 2022 – 11 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.
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. The trail is an easy to moderate loop of about 4 miles. Bring lunch and/or snacks to have at the lean-to (there is a privy nearby.)
We will continue to follow social distancing protocols, with masks on in the parking lot and optional on the trail. Please maintain safe distancing at all times.
Event Duration: About 3 hours
Level of Difficulty: Easy-Moderate
Cycle along the Pepacton Reservoir
Enjoy a round-trip ride of 29 miles from Arkville to Shavertown Bridge (Route 30 crossing of the Pepacton) and back. This is a road bicycle ride and is rated Moderate – Difficult. Please, no mountain or hybrid bikes. The ride begins at the Catskill Recreation Center in Arkville, on the Arkville Cross Road (Co. Hwy. 38). We will begin at 9:00 AM and break at Shavertown, as needed.
Event Duration: 29 miles, 2.5 – 3.5 Hours
Level of Difficulty: Moderate-Difficult Continue reading
Hike to North Point from North-South Lake – Saturday, June 4th, 2022 – 10 AM
Hello CMC hikers!
This is one of my favorite hikes in the Catskills. It’s a “greatest hits” of well-known viewpoints and attractions, such as Artists Rock, Sunset Rock, Newmans Ledge, Badmans Cave, North Point, Ashley Falls, and more.
The hike is a loop of 5.15 miles total, with 1,100 feet of ascent. Most of the hike is easy-moderate with several small sections of moderate+ steepness and rockiness. This is a great hike for beginners looking to explore trail hiking without lots of elevation or technical sections, all while seeing some fantastic views and Catskill attractions. We will hike to North Point (the halfway point) to have lunch, then head back down a different route to the parking lot.
Here’s the route map of the hike: www.gaiagps.com/map/?loc=13.1/
Event Duration: 5.15 miles round trip, 4 hours
Level of Difficulty: Easy-Moderate
Come explore this gentle section of the long distance Finger Lakes trail with many features including streams, ponds, beaver meadows wildflowers and mountain vistas. For more information about the location, please email me. I will be camping at nearby Little Pond campground from Friday to Sunday. If you want to camp you can book a site through ReserveAmerica.com. Please register and contact the leader for meeting time and place.