Mt. Tremper Fire Tower (Catskill Park)
Distance: 6.3 miles
Elevation: 2031 feet
Time: 3 hours, 2 minutes
Hiking Challenges: Catskill Firetowers
I had a great drive from the Red Hill to the Mt. Tremper trailheads, and now it was time for hike #2 of the day! There was one other car in the parking lot around 10-11am mid-week, and I definitely took my time getting ready. The trail starts at the kiosk at the end of the parking lot and follows a red-blaze trail the whole way. Back into the woods I go!
The first section of trail goes over a small hill and is a nice stretch of hiking with one steep/short climb upfront. This section terminates at the trail register, and then the trail begins to follow the wide, rocky trail for the remainder of the hike. The trail, while rocky, is very forgiving. Climbs are followed by nice walking breaks. I passed the person who owned the other car in the parking lot (a very tall man and a very pretty dog), and had the trail to myself for the rest. There is apparently a rattlesnake den near this trail, but I escaped unscathed and not emotionally damaged - a success!
The wide, rocky, annoying trail continues to climb through a series of switchbacks and begins to get steeper (or I was getting more tired...). There is a side path (unmarked) to the Baldwin Memorial Shelter that would be a fine place to take a break. Soon after there is a spur trail to a spring, and then the trail begins to be less rocky and more dirt-y, which felt great on the feet.
The trail levels out toward the summit and just before the fire tower there is another shelter with a privy. There was another group of hikers at the fire tower that climbed from the other side of the mountain who were very nice - we had a quick chit chat and then I headed up the tower. The views were nice from the top, but the cabin was closed. I can only assume that the view from the cabin is better than the cramped undercarriage, but it was nice nonetheless. There was a small breeze that did save my life, which was much appreciated.
I slowly headed down the tower, eavesdropped on the other hikers' conversation about the 4000-foot peaks in Baxter State Park, Maine, and then headed to the shelter to have my snack and shirt-wringing-out break. The temperature was definitely climbing and my sweat was showing. Either way, I started my descent which started out quite lovely and quickly began to descend much steeper than I remembered climbing. My thighs felt the burn!
The return hike, as per usual, was pretty uneventful, and pretty quick. I passed three groups of hikers - one that looked like a group of boy scouts who asked if they were halfway, and I lied and said yes. The second group was a man and his dog who had clearly been around before (at least that's what I inferred), and the third was a family who was very unprepared for the hike. The dad asked how far to the spring (it was just under 2 miles away), he had maybe a 20oz water bottle that was already half drinken. The mom looked like she was NOT having a good time and kept mentioning how two miles in the Catskills are different than two miles back home, and their child was simply there for the ride. Not sure what ended up happening with them, but I hope they did what's best for them!
The parking lot was fuller when I landed, and when I was changing my shoes a ranger pulled up to ask how the hike was, ask if anyone was camping, and then recommended tackling Mt. Tremper from the other side, which I definitely will if I do it again! I had to change my clothes in the car due to the exposed nature of the parking lot, which was fine. I did a quick journal, chugged some electrolytes, and got some Stewarts before my drive back to mom's house!
- Start hike on red-blazed Mt. Tremper Fire Tower Trail.
- At register box, turn right to continue on red-blazed Mt. Tremper Fire Tower Trail.
- At spur path to Baldwin Shelter, check it out and continue hike.
- At summit area, climb fire tower, turn around, and return to car.
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