Hike to Codfish Point – President’s Day, Monday, February 21st, 2022 – Leave trailhead 9:30 AM
Named after a crew of blue-stone quarry workers were stranded for a time with nothing to eat but salted cod. There is a magnificent view of the Hudson River and beyond.
Event Duration: 4 miles round trip; about 4 hours in duration
Level of Difficulty: Moderate
Leader(s): Sharon Klein
Hike Up Kelly Hollow – Saturday, March 12th, 2022 – 10 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. Bring lunch and/or snacks to have at the lean-to (there is a privy nearby.)
Event Duration: 4 miles, about 3 hours (round trip)
Level of Difficulty: Easy-Moderate
Leader(s): Sharon Klein
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.
Taking the Dinch Road Connector Trail (yellow), we’ll cross a small stream not far from the parking lot. From there the trail wraps around the mountain, a couple small switchbacks, and then the Red Hill Fire Tower trail (blue) will level off. At the top, there is a nice grassy area with a Ranger Station and a few picnic tables.
.Rain Date, Sunday, 6/26/2022 Continue reading
Experience an incredible outdoor adventure, paddling the beautiful Pepacton Reservoir. Join Catskill Mountain Club board member Ann Roberti for a scenic paddle. Bring your own CANOE or KAYAK (it must be steam cleaned prior to putting it in the reservoir — see more below) or rent from a local business that has kayaks stored on site.
We will launch promptly at 11 AM from the Shavertown Bridge Recreational Boating Launch site on the north side of the bridge.
Duration: We’ll paddle about 4 miles and the trip will take 3-4 hours including a lunch break.
Bring: drinks, lunch or snacks, sunscreen and a life jacket.
Life jackets required. All boats must be steam cleaned prior to arrival on site and have a valid DEP access sticker. Many vendors store boats on site, requiring only that you visit the store to pay and to pick up paddles and PFDs. For more information on regulations, please visit https://cwconline.org/reservoir-boating/ and https://cwconline.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/2021-Pepacton-PDF-for-Web.pdf
This is 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.
This 6.5 mile moderate out and back hike to Panther (3,720 ft) is rewarded with outstanding views at the several ledges that we encounter. The ascent is gradual with a few short steep areas. After the first 0.75 miles, we’ll reach Giant Ledge, one of several ledges. In the next 0.9 miles, we’ll arrive at the summit of Panther where the view of the valleys below is limited. We’ll continue a little more to a viewpoint after the summit of Panther to break for lunch.
This is a 6.5-mile out-and-back hike up to Westkill (3,881 ft.) We’ll take the easy and flat 
Diamond Notch Trail (blue). After we cross the bridge, we’ll take the Devil’s Path (red) which ascends quickly and steeply but not too strenuous. I find this section of the Devil’s Path easier than the other sections. 
After about 1.4 miles, we’ll reach an interesting rock that could be used as a shelter. Another 0.9 miles brings us to a very nice viewpoint, Buck Ridge lookouts, to the north, east and south. The next 0.1 miles, we’ll be at the summit of Westkill. We’ll retrace our steps and make a stop at Diamond Notch Falls before our return to our cars.
This is
a less than 9-mile out-and-back hike to Table (3,837 ft.) and Peekamoose (3,843 ft.). We’ll take the Phoenicia-East Branch Trail (yellow) fairly flat for about 1.2 miles until we reach the Peekamoose Table Trail (blue), turning right as we head down to the East Branch of the Neversink River and Deer Shanty Brook. In 0.3 miles, we’ll cross a log bridge as the trail heads toward Table Mountain. There are several smaller hills to cross before climbing the main ascent. There are a couple of viewpoints and the last 0.2 miles are a little steep as we arrive at the summit of Table. The next 0.8 miles takes us to Peekamoose, in which the drop into the Col between the two mountains is minimal. We’ll break for lunch at the very nice viewpoint near the summit of Peekamoose. Plan to be at the trailhead by 8:30 AM.
This is a 6+ loop mile up to Sugarloaf (3,810 ft.). We’ll take the Roaring Kill Trail (yellow) for 0.25 miles until we reach the junction where we’ll bear right on the Mink Hollow Trail (blue). We’ll turn left onto the Devil’s Path (red). The about 1-mile ascent up Sugarloaf is challenging and has a vertical gain of 1200 feet, consisting of some rock scrambles in both the ascent and descent. We’ll break/lunch at the viewpoint. We’ll continue on the Devil’s Path on the descent, steep and challenging in spots for 1.2 miles until we reach Pecoy Notch trail (blue). Along the way on the Pecoy Notch Trail, we’ll encounter a meadow/beaver pond and Dibble’s Quarry. Shortly afterwards, we’ll arrive at the Roaring Kill Trail for our return to the cars. Continue reading