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.
Stay close to home. Driving to distant sites increases the likelihood of spreading the disease.
Keep a 6 foot distance between you and other hikers (except those in your household)
If you are not feeling well, stay home.
Do not expect to use any bathroom or other facilities.
Do not share equipment except with members of your household.
Take care when signing in to use your own pen or sanitize your hands immediately after signing. Only have one party member sign in per group.
Do not share rides except with members of your household.
Leash your dogs and practice social distancing rules with them.
Guidelines for all times:
Avoid high use areas or go at off times.
If the parking lot is full, visit a different location. For visitor safety and the safety of others, do not park on roadsides and only park in designated parking areas.
Alert others as you pass or step to the side to let other hikers pass.
Be sure to sign in at the registration box.
Practice tick prevention and check for ticks after your outing at all times. Tick borne diseases are always possible and can cause serious illness.
We are thankful to first responders and essential workers. Please show your appreciation by maintaining a six foot distance from others while shopping and by wearing a mask to help prevent the spread of the virus. The virus can be transmitted days before symptoms appear, as well as by asymptomatic people shedding the virus.
July 18, 2020 Yesterday we and our partners, the NYC Department of Environmental Protection, opened the new trail officially. Also in attendance was a representative from the Ashokan Watershed Stream Management Program, which supplied a grant to pay for interpretive signage. Unfortunately, in an abundance of caution we were not able to invite the public to the ceremony. While it’s always fun to have a big event, the important thing is that the trail is finished and that you are invited to hike it whenever you can!
The two mile trail begins just off Rte. 28A about 0.2 miles west of the Ashokan Reservoir Promenade. There is a dedicated parking area just 100 feet into the woods. From there follow the blue markers and yellow directional signs. Just before making the turn towards the top of the old Yale Quarry, a source of rock during the construction of the reservoir, pass the ruins of an old stone building that was used to store explosives. There are sweeping views of the Catskills, including four high peaks, from the high, open ledges along the top of the quarry wall. The path is through a mixed forest of hardwoods and pine, with a 200′ foot section passing through dense mountain laurel.
Be sure to check out the remnants of the railroad loading zone on a short spur trail near the southern end of the main loop trail. A large seasonal vernal pool fed by water falling from the quarry walls is an added point of interest in spring. Although It retains water year round, it becomes very low in summer. As you return to the parking lot, pass through an interesting area with large mounds of tailings that line both sides of the trail.
January 21, 2020 The newly formed Friends of the Bramley Mountain Fire Tower group held its first meeting on the evening of January 6th at the O’Connor Hospital in Delhi. The Friends were formed to organize the reconstruction of the fire tower that was decommissioned by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation in 1970 and removed in 1975. The tower was purchased by Pete Clark, who meticulously stored the tower’s parts right down to the nuts and bolts in his barn. It is well preserved as a result. Three years ago Tom Clark, the current owner, approached the Catskill Mountain Club with an offer to allow the tower to be restored if the CMC could lead the effort. With the formation of the Friends group, the effort to raise funds and complete the resurrection of the tower has officially begun.
In 2008 the NYC Department of Environmental Protection acquired the Bramley Mountain parcel and in 2016 the DEP allowed the Catskill Mountain Club to build a trail to the summit. The trail has been very popular with the public, drawing over 1500 hikers a year, some of them from as far away as Europe and Africa. Now, with the support and cooperation of the Town of Delhi and of the DEP as well as widespread support in Bovina, Hamden, Kortright, Andes and other local communities, the CMC has formed the Friends of the Bramley Mountain Fire Tower to move the project to completion.
For more information, to donate to the Friends, to volunteer and to sign up for the email contact list click here.
Visitors at the Bramley Mountain Fire Tower, 1950s
July 30 2019 The Catskill Mountain Club is happy to announce that the Town of Delhi has passed a resolution in support of the CMC’s efforts to restore the Bramley Mountain Fire Tower to its former home on the mountain’s summit, overlooking vast areas of the Catskills. The tower, originally raised in 1950, was decommissioned and then removed by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation in 1975. At that time, the Clark family of Delhi bought the tower, removed it, and has stored it in a barn since then, well protected from the elements. We are grateful to the Clarks for their generous offer to lease the tower to the Town for $1 so it can be placed on the summit again. This is an exciting development that will provide a great new recreational destination in the western Catskills and benefit the communities of Delhi and Bovina with the business of the many hikers who will visit the tower.
The CMC was featured in the Oneonta Daily Star recently. We are grateful for the recognition of our work on behalf of outdoors enthusiasts and of the communities of the Catskills that benefit from the great recreational assets of our region.
April 24, 2019 With the growing interest in the Catskills All Trails Challenge (CATC), we have created a Facebook group dedicated to the folks who are hiking the Challenge. The page gives you a place to connect with one another, share information and advice about the trails, ask questions, make plans, share routes, find hiking and carpooling partners and post pictures and descriptions of your adventures on the trails of the Catskill Park.
Anyone who has hiked or is interested in hiking the All Trails Challenge is welcome to join the group. You’ll need a Facebook account to join. Simply go to the following link and ask to join. Catskills All Trails Challenge on Facebook.
We welcome all hikers who share our values of good stewardship of the Catskill Park. We endorse Leave No Trace principles and compliance with the rules and regulations written by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation in order to protect the Catskill Forest Preserve, which was created to protect these lands as “Forever Wild” by an Amendment to the New York State Constitution. These regulations include limited hiking group sizes, with a legal limit of 20 without a special permit. We suggest a limit of 12 to limit impacts on sensitive and endangered plant communities, and to preserve the quality of the wilderness experience. For more, visit our page Recreational Use Regulations for the Catskill Park Forest Preserve.
Two weeks from tomorrow on Tuesday, February 5th the CMC and our many partners in the Catskill Park Coalition will head up to Albany on Catskill Park Day. Our purpose is to talk to legislators, the governor and officials at the DEC about the recreational needs of our region, including stewardship of the Catskill Park, aid to our communities, protection of our environment, conservation and many other things that impact on the health and quality of our area’s great outdoor spaces.
Click here for a summary of our goals and how you can help advance them, even if you can’t go to Albany. Find the contact info for your legislators and for the Governor and give them a call or write a letter supporting our requests. And please join us on February 5th as we make our case to our state’s leaders. Thanks in advance for helping to protect and improve the Catskill Park!
November 15, 2018 Beginning November 17th and lasting through December 9th, the popular regular deer and bear hunting season means that everyone who goes into the woods in the Catskills needs to be aware, be alert and ALWAYS BE DRESSED IN ORANGE (dogs included). Whether you are on forest preserve, state forest or NYCDEP lands, the three week period during which hunters are permitted to use rifles is a time for added care.
Alternatives where hunting is not permitted do exist. Most are not within the Catskills proper, but all are close enough to make a day trip practical. It is advisable to wear orange even when hiking on these trails. The added precaution affords peace of mind.
Listed below are 16 great places to get outdoors where hunting is not permitted. We suggest that you consider exploring new territory or revisiting your favorites. Happy Trails!
The North-South Lake Day Use Area is one place in the Catskill Park where hunting is not permitted. Be aware that the area does not include Kaaterskill Falls or the Escarpment Trail to the south of the intensive use area. It does extend on all trails north to Badman Cave.
