Smith Pond Trail section closed and a Delhi Trails change in permitted use.
Recent Updates to the Catskills All Trails Challenge Tally Sheet
February 10, 2021 The NYS DEC has recently opened the Red Hill Fire Tower Trail, a 1.4 mile addition that is combined with an older 0.6 mile section of trail to lead to the fire tower from Denning Road. The remainder of the the old trail from Dinch Road, 0.8 miles from the intersection, has been named the Dinch Road Connector.
Earlier, the DEC incorporated an old snowmobile trail into the Vernooy Kill Falls Trail, increasing its length to 3.5 miles. There is a small trailhead in Greenville in addition to the one on Upper Cherrytown Rd.
Catskills All Trails Challenge Update
December 19. 2020 We’re adding a trail section to the list of required hikes! The Vernooy Kill Falls Trail was extended by DEC to be coaligned with the snowmobile trail that goes from Vernooy Falls to Greenville. The section is about 1.8 miles long and there is a small parking area at the Greenville trailhead. The trail is an easy hike and is marked Red. We will update the documents on the CMC webpage.
Doubletop and Graham Mountains are Closed to Public Access
January 14. 2021 Please note that both Doubletop and Graham Mountains are now closed to public access effective immediately.
The private landowners have generously allowed public access for many years. They have decided that recent trends of increased usage by hikers are having a significant negative effect on the wilderness character and ecology of these trailless mountains. Due to their long held concerns for conservation of wilderness, they will end access for all members of the public. As of today, hikers who encroach on these private lands will be in violation of laws against trespass and subject to enforcement measures, including arrest.
Our Catskills Grid and Catskills 4 Seasons programs will designate changes to the required peaks in concert with the decisions made by the Catskill 3500 Club for their list of qualifying hikes. Those new designations should be finalized and available in a few weeks. As of today, no future hikes of either Graham or Doubletop will be accepted as qualifying hikes for the CMC’s two programs.
Announcing a Temporary Partial Closure on the Delhi Trails
Andes Rail Trail gets some love….
“The Andes rail-trail in its four short miles offered me beauty, quiet, history, and it made me laugh.”
Thank you, Susan Barnett and Hudson Valley One for this wonderful article on the Andes Rail Trail and Bullet Hole Spur.
Click on the first page, below, to see the whole article. Here thanks to permission from Susan Barnett.
CMC Announces Three New Hiking Programs with Patches
October 6, 2020 The CMC is excited to add three new hiking programs that, when completed, will earn qualifiers a beautiful embroidered patch and a certificate commemorating their achievement.
In honor of opening the sixth trail built by the CMC since 2012, we are founding a new hiking program for hikers who qualify by hiking each of the trails built by the club. (A seventh trail will open in 2021, but hikers are free to apply based on completing each of the existing six.) These trails have been designed to appeal to most hikers, both novice and expert. They are on some of the most beautiful lands in the Catskills, are easy to moderate in difficulty and are located near major highways and villages.
Two of these programs are being adopted by the CMC, which will assume sponsorship of the Catskills 4 Seasons 140 and the Catskills Grid 420 programs from the Rip van Winkle Hikers. After decades of service to the Catskills which included organizing hikes, maintaining trails and working through membership in the Catskill Park Coalition to bring our issues to Albany, the Rips decided to dissolve the club as of the end of 2019. Among their legacies are these two hiking programs that have earned the respect of serious hikers in our regio
n. The CMC is proud to ensure that these programs will continue into the future.
Find out more about these programs, about the Catskills All Tails Challenge and about each of the trails on their pages on the CMC website.
Note: Previous 4 Seasons qualifiers can receive the newly redesigned patch free of charge by contacting the CMC at info@catskillmountainclub.org.
A Guide to the CMC Trails 2nd Edition is available now!
August 8, 2020 The 2nd Edition of the Guide to Catskill Mountain Club Trails has just been published. You can find it at the trailheads, at the Catskills Visitor Center and at several area merchants.
In the Guide you will find maps, descriptions and trailhead locations for all of the trails. Updated information for the Morris Hill Trail, which is still under construction, will be in an upcoming revision.
To view and download the Guide, click this link.
Note: For best results use 11″ x 14″ paper.