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Smith Pond Trail section closed and a Delhi Trails change in permitted use.

Due to a recent decision by one of the property owners who has generously allowed the Smith Pond trail to cross their property, the southern trailhead on Arbor Hill/Back River Rd. is now permanently closed to the public. Please do not trespass. We will remove the kiosk as soon as weather conditions allow. In the future, we will redesign the trail. For now, hikers may enter at the northern trailhead on Rte. 28, opposite the Delaware Academy. The trail is closed past the bridge, so turn around at that point and retrace your path. Please do not proceed beyond the bridge onto closed private property.
On the Delhi Trails across the highway, a snowmobile trail has been authorized by the school board that is co-aligned with some sections of the hiking trail. It is marked accordingly, so be aware that you may encounter snowmobilers. The trail is closed to snowmobile use during school hours, M-F from 7 AM until 3 PM.
As soon as we have complete information of the new trail’s route, we will post it here and on the webpage: https://catskillmountainclub.org/…/delhi-trails-mt…/
2021-02-14 wgcmc Leave a response , ,

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.

2021-02-12 wgcmc Leave a response , ,

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.

 

2021-01-17 wgcmc Leave a response , ,

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.

2021-01-17 wgcmc Leave a response , ,

Announcing a Temporary Partial Closure on the Delhi Trails

February 25, 2021   Update:  The logging operation has been suspended until June. As a result, the entire Gribley Trail is temporarily reopened.
Please note that a recent decision by the Delaware Academy School Board allowed snowmobile use of a section of the lower Gribley Trail. Please use caution when hiking with children or with dogs.
December 23, 2020  Update:  Due to severe weather related conditions, logging has been temporarily halted.  The reopening of the trail will be affected by this, possibly delaying it for several weeks.  Please continue to avoid the area until all work is completed.

 

November 17, 2020    We have just learned that the section of the Delhi Trails from the Sheldon Drive trailhead to the intersection of the Gribley Trail and the Frightful’s Falls Trail will be closed effective immediately for about 5 weeks due to a logging operation on Village of Delhi property. For your safety and that of the loggers, please do not use this part of the trail for any reason.
All other trails remain open to the public, including the Gribley Trail to the Immanuel Lutheran Church parking lot trailhead, the Bulldog Run Trail, the Frightful’s Falls Trail and the Smith Pond Trail.
We will announce the reopening when the work has been completed.
2020-11-30 wgcmc Leave a response , ,

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.

2020-10-31 Ann Roberti Leave a response , ,

CMC Trails Featured in The Reporter

October 6, 2020   “The Hiker’s Guide to the Catskills”,  a recently published article in The Reporter, features the CMC trails and lots of other useful info and news about hiking in the Catskills from the CMC, the NYSDEC and the NYCDEP.

Click on the images to expand the view.

 

 

 

2020-10-06 wgcmc Leave a response , ,

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 region.  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.

2020-10-06 wgcmc Leave a response , ,

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.

 

2020-08-08 wgcmc Leave a response , ,