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
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.
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.
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.
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.