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.

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.

 

Ashokan Quarry Trail Opens to the Public

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.

This is an easy hike with about 200 feet of elevation gain.
For more information and to print a map and trail guide visit:
https://catskillmountainclub.org/…/wh…/ashokan-quarry-trail/

Announcing the Formation of the Friends of Bramley Mountain Fire Tower

Bramley Mountain Fire Tower and cabin c. 1950

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.

Delhi Town Council Supports the Bramley Mountain Fire Tower Project

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.

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News about the CMC in the Oneonta Daily Star

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.

Oneonta Daily Star

Go take a hike

Catskill Mountain Club’s trails encourage folks to get outdoors

Go take a hike

Photo contributed by the CMC – The Pepacton Reservoir as seen from the  Shavertown Trail.

 

The Catskills All Trails Challenge Gets a Facebook Group

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.

Catskill Park Day | Tuesday, February 5, 2019

NYS Capitol in winter_commonsimageTwo 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!

For more info, contact us at wendell@catskillmountianclub.org.
Register to go, get contact info and find a sample letter here.
Follow on Facebook here.

Final+2019+Catskill+Park+Coalition+Priorities
Download a copy here:

Final+2019+Catskill+Park+Coalition+Priorities

Regular Big Game Hunting Season Begins Soon – Hike Safely at These No Hunting Locations

Note:  For an updated post see here.

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!

Andes Rail Trail/Bullet Hole Spur (in Andes)
Bear Mountain State Park (near West Point)
Black Creek Preserve (near Esopus)
Delhi Trails (in Delhi)

Ferncliff Forest & Fire Tower (Rhinebeck)
Harriman State Park (near Harriman)
High Banks Preserve (near Ulster Park)
Highland Lakes State Park (near Middletown)
Mills-Norrie State Park (near Staatsburg)
Minnewaska State Park Preserve* (near New Paltz)
Riddell State Park (near Laurens/Oneonta)

Thacher State Park** (near Voorheesville)
The Willows at Brandow’s Point (Athens)
Wallkill Valley Rail Trail (Kingston to Gardiner)
Walkway Over the Hudson & 
Franny Reese State Park (can be combined) (Poughkeepsie/Highland)

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.

*No bear season. For deer seasons, no hunting in the vicinity of hiking trails – check map here: https://parks.ny.gov/parks/attachments/Minnewaska2017HuntingMapMinnewaska.pdf?fbclid=IwAR0c-LusE0CwKNafcBrJidoc2K73nagbtsEll1HXmv4a3iyKKLo-aSllsJY

**hunting allowed in a some areas. See map for details: https://parks.ny.gov/…/ThacherThacherStateParkHuntingMap.pdf