Twin & Indian Head Mountains via Jimmy Dolan Notch Trail & Devil's Path (Catskill Park)

Twin & Indian Head Mountains via Jimmy Dolan Notch Trail & Devil's Path (Catskill Park)

Hike Type: Lollipop Loop w/ Spur

Distance: 8.80 miles

Elevation: 2,382 feet

Time: 4 hours, 22 minutes (3 hours, 56 minutes moving)
Hiking Challenges: Catskill 3500 Club

The Hike

Time for adventure du jour #2! I noticed Twin Mountain and Indian Head Mountain from the road leading to the trailhead and truly they didn't look too horrible (especially compared to Sugarloaf), so I was feeling confident! I had a sandwich and a Celsius and I was feeling MUCH better. My feet were a little sore, but I was not overly worried about that. The access road had a comical (but understandable) amount of "NO PARKING" signs once the pavement ended, and the actual parking area had ample parking (and two porta potties!). I made use of one before getting suited up. I also noticed a blue car that I saw at the Plateau trailhead - how fun! I was dreaming of doing the out-and-back to Twin and then the loop over Indian Head, but was willing to accept just a full out-and-back to both, or even just to Twin - goal was to listen to my body and reasonably push myself.

[9:25am - Devil's Path]

I signed the trail register right at the trailhead and overhead a couple hiking parties talking about doing the full Devil's Path (they're crazy). The beginning of the trail started similar to Tuckerman Ravine - wide, rocky, but completely easy. There was a gently trickling creek, I crossed paths with my first person of the day, and soon came to the junction with the Jimmy Dolan Notch Trail!

[9:32am - Jimmy Dolan Notch Trail]

The Jimmy Dolan Notch Trail immediately and easily crossed a creek before beginning a long, easy rise through what felt like a rerouted trail. It was warmer out at 68 degrees, but it tragically felt warmer with the humidity in the air. Naturally, I got another bug in the exact same eye as the trail crossed a multitude of dried out drainages. Somewhere around 0.8 miles, the trail exhibited some impressive cobblestone-like stonework that continued for an impressive amount of time. 

I continued along the luxurious sidewalk as I realized I simply was not gaining much elevation... at all. The bugs were enjoying the airspace around my ears as I neared the 2500ft contour, which is where the trail began to climb more moderately with a few zig-zags.  

After, the trail briefly flattened and then began to CLIMB. It was only about 400 feet of elevation, but it happened quickly and steeply with loose, wobbly footing. I went from wonderfully walking to dreadfully slogging past a nettle grove (I was so tempted to touch one just to see how bad it actually hurt but my survival instincts prevented that, thankfully). 

The trail pivoted from unstable, wobbly rocks to larger, stable rock, which I guess was an improvement? Thankfully, I soon landed in Jimmy Dolan Notch, marked by the Devil's Path/Jimmy Dolan Notch trail junction!

[10:19am - Devil's Path/Jimmy Dolan Notch]

From here, I dropped my pack and followed a herd path straight past the Devil's Path sign and through the rugged and wild Jimmy Dolan Notch (AllTrails had a trail mapped to an overlook). There really wasn't much of a view, BUT the geology was magnificent!

Back at the trail signs, I was living in the land of 1,000 flies and chugged some water (water water this time, not Nuun, and it was glorious). The trail sign listed Twin Mountain as being 1.1 miles away - off I go!

The flies continued to be abundant, but thankfully they were neither swarming nor biting. The trail was initially a little grown-in, but was soon completely fine. Staying on-theme, the trail soon became wildly rugged but geologically magnificent. There was a small breeze (thank goodness) that ushered me along while I admored the flowering clovers (I never realized that clovers flowered until this year). 

There was a small scramble past, around, and through some more cool rocks and I passed humans #2 and #3, both of which were in good spirits (a good sign!). The Devil's Path passed a couple of rock caves and shelters and I caught a tree view toward Indian Head from scramble #3. After rounding a shoulder, the terrain and temperature both cooled off in some denser woods, soon passing a grown-in ledge view to Indian Head.

[10:45am - Devil's Path/Twin Mountain South Peak]

After the grown-in view, the Devil's Path rounded the south peak of Twin Mountain and a short spur path led to a rock that provides views of... trees. It was kind of a neat spot, just being immersed in trees, though! The sun was HOT. 

After the south peak, the trail became wonderful! There was soon a fantastic view to Sugarloaf and a shoulder of Plateau Mountain plus many more distant peaks. It was a shame that it was so hazy out, but that's really just a hazard of hiking in the summertime.

The sun was BAKING me, so I didn't stay to enjoy the view. I passed some blueberry bushes that weren't quite ready for snacking, and then the Devil's Path began to tragically, but easily descend. The descent felt like a long time, but I'm sure it truly wasn't that bad. 

The col was covered in beautiful trees and moss and then the Devil's Path began to steeply climb again (at least the rocks were still really cool...). Thankfully, the climb was short and sweet (even though I thought I was going to die from exhaustion) and soon passed a "no camping" area and then the somehow even more-inconsquential-than-Plateau summit, which had "TWIN" etched into a trail marker.

[11:13am] - Twin Mountain Summit

Right after the boring summit was a nice viewpoint, simialr to the one off of the south summit, but lesser. I enjoyed some pistachios and water (water had truly never tasted so good), wrung the liters of sweat out of my sshirt, and soon began me trip back to Jimmy Dolan Notch.

I passed over the height-of-land and what I think was a summit rock ~5ish feet off trail and then scrambled down back to the col. I dilly-dallied a little too long taking photos, and the flies unfortunately discovered my hair (which I can't imagine smelled very good, but to each their own, I guess...). The re-ascent was moderate at worst with mostly good footing - truly fine. I enjoyed the view from the south peak's ledge with a wonderful, short-lived breeze. I scrambled down the three scrambles, soon landing back in the notch.

[11:38am - Devil's Path/Jimmy Dolan Notch]

Now it was decision time. I had three options: 1) go back to the car from here, 2) go up Indian Head, descend back here, and return to the car, or 3) do the full loop from here. My emotional heart wanted to do the loop, but I was worried about the heat, exhaustion, and my lack-of-abundance of water. I puhed off the decision until later, again. I shoved some more pistachios into my mouth, popped an Advil for my aching shoulder (thanks, Plateau), and started climbing again just as an unhappy couple arrived from the Jimmy Dolan Notch Trail.

I was upset when I realized that I hadn't seen a 3500' Feet sign ONCE on these hikes - maybe they're only for the taller peaks... The Devil's Path was steep, but not as bad as the climb up Twin or even to the notch. I was going slow, but I was glad it was easier. I nearly stepped on a tiny frog, but thankfully saved his life. 

Continuing to climb, I laughed at how soaked my soaks and even shoes now were. I made the decision that I would do the loop as long as my heart rate went back down after my climbing was done. There were tree views behind back to Twin Mountain, and soon the Devil's Path rounded a corner and the shoulder, arriving at a wonderful plateau walk.

[12:00pm - Indian Head Mountain Summit (approx.)]

Somewhere along this ridge walk was the summit of Indian Head Mountain! I had hoped to see a sign, cairn, or etched trail marker, but I truly saw nothing. There was one moment of a grown-in viewpoint, which might have been near the summit. I was also borderline delerious, so I may have missed something. Soon enough, I started descending, past a guy I saw in the parking lot who asked me "is the summit far?" - I just said "uh I don't think so?"

I came to an overgrown ledge view where there was a nice breeze - I took a moment here to wring out my shirt (again). I traversed an unproblematic mud put, which was home to dozens of dragonflies. I was actively trying to hike slow to keep my heart rate low and to hopefully cool my sweating. I caught a baby view over to Overlook Mountain and then descended along the bottom of the cliff wall which was truly more impressive than the view.

I crossed paths with a few folks and then kicked another rock with the same foot I used to painfully kick a rock on Plateau, which was a solid bummer. There was a steep descent to a "no camping" area, where I "enjoyed" feeling a squelch with every step due to my soaked shoes from my sweat. 

[12:21pm - Devil's Path/Overlook]

I descended to a nice overlook that had a view to a knob that I was going to have to hike over (I think). There was a small poster of a "Gone, Not Forogtten!" memorial just before. On a lighter note, from the view I heard a woman go "what the f**k"? and made the mistake of looking down at a near-vertical climb that I would have to soon descent.

The woman and her daughter slowly made thier way up the scramble and then I CAREFULLY made my way down. I passed a BUNCH of grouses in the col - presumably a mom and her babies. Mom grouse went left and babies went right, so a lot bird whining ensued afterward. I passed another grown-in view and climbed up and over the knob (or climbed the knob and passed the view - unsure of the sequence of events) and began to daydream about all the liquids I was going to drink after my hike. 

[12:39pm - Devil's Path/Sherman's Overlook]

I passed a peek-a-view to Plattekill Mountain and then descended along (more) cool rocks, passing another view to Plattekill Mountain and then a very nice view to Kaaterskill High Peak and its surroundings. I shoveled the rest of pistachios, killed my water, and took my first sit of the day (besides in my car) in the shade to mentally prep for my final three miles. I later learned that this viewpoint is "Sherman's Overlook."

I continued to descned along MORE cool rocks (I really appreciated how all the cliffs were like... layered. The trail was shale-y but had mostly stable footing, which was welcomed, as it descended back into a deciduous forest. There was now a constant breeze which kept me alive (and the flies away). I began to pass some more... comical looking hikers, starting with a group of four who looked like they have never hiked a day in their lives before, followed by a man in long-sleeved religious clothing hiking up with only a Poland Spring water bottle and a misting battery-powered fan. 

I received a few bug bits at this point and traversed another unproblematic muddy spot (the soft ground actually felt great), and eventually passed people #2 and #3 that I saw forever ago on my ascent up Twin's south peak. I began to regain strength here as the trail began to flatten out and I picked up my speed. 

[1:13pm - Devil's Path/Overlook Trail]

Now, I'm unsure of specific trail names because NYSDEC doesn't actually post trail names on their signs, but the Devil's Path eventually turned left onto a road grade that is either the Long Path, Overlook Trail, or Overlook Primitive Bicycle Corridor, or likely some combination of all three. This was a short stretch, though, as the Devil's Path turned left again off of the road grade soon after.

[1:15pm - Devil's Path/Overlook Trail]

This final bit of new trail REALLY tested me. The flies were more active than they had been and I was exhausted. I did hit a few flies (hard), which felt GOOD. The trail undulated and crossed many dry stream beds, eventually crossing a really well-built mostly-dry brook. Naturally, I soon stubbed the same toe for a third time, but after planning my own funeral, I could see the trail sign for the Devil's Path/Jimmy Dolan Notch Junction! I could have cried! The trail sign said 0.5 to the car, which was more than I wanted, but I was just happy to be almost done.

[1:41pm - Devil's Path/Jimmy Dolan Notch Trail]

Thankfully, it was only 0.25 miles back to the parking lot. I signed out, and soon, I was done! I was fericuously thirsty, but all I had in the car was old Gatorade Zero Fruit Punch Packets, which I immediately chugged ang gave myself a tummy ache... Make it work! It was now a hot 82 degrees, and I decided I was more than allowed to be bonked. Between the two hikes, I hiked 15.6 miles and 4,419 feet, with my longest break being the 30 mintues between hikes. Well earned!

[1:46pm - End of Hike]

I soon made my way to Stewarts in Haine's Falls where I shopped like a madman. I got water, Gatorade, Stewart's brand lemonade, a Recee's Big Cup, a double cheeseburger, and a slice of pizza. I got my first and only muscle cramp of the day back at the car, which was more than fine, as it was time to refuel! The only dud of my haul was the lemonade - it was way too sour for me - everything else was magnificent.

There were a wild amount of people walking on NY-23A, I guess looking to picnic along Kaaterskill Creek? My adventure drive was not over yet, though! To my horror, I-87 had a solid amount of traffic. I guess I was not the only person going back to the tri-state area on the Sunday after the 4th of July... I was VERY tired at this point, and the slow traffic was NOT helping. I decided I deserved a treat, so I found a Dairy Queen near Poughkeepsie that I was going to visit. I woke up for the next 20 minutes, but to my HORROR, the Dairy Queen was not only closed and boarded up, but it was also graffitied. As a Plan B, I went to McDonalds, but the line for that was around the corner. Plan C was going to Walmart for a walking break and a box of cereal... It wasn't fun, but it got me home safe and sound.

Step-by-Step

- Park at Devil's Path trailhead.

- Start hike on Devil's Path (red).

- At jct., turn right onto Jimmy Dolan Notch Trail (blue).

- At terminus, turn right onto Devil's Path (red).

- At Twin Mountain summit, turn around.

- At jct. with Jimmy Dolan Notch Trail (blue), continue straight on Devil's Path (red).

- Follow Devil's Path up and over Indian Head Mountain and back to car.

Map of Indian Head Wilderness (NYSDEC)

Photo Album

Plateau Mountain via Devil's Tombstone Campground (Catskill Park)

Plateau Mountain via Devil's Tombstone Campground (Catskill Park)

Hike Type: Out-and-Back

Distance: 6.80 miles

Elevation: 2,037 feet

Time: 3 hours, 12 minutes (2 hours, 53 minutes moving)
Hiking Challenges: 52 Hike Challenge 2025, Catskill 3500 Club

The Hike

After finishing up the "kinda Bachelorette party but really just wedding planning" weekend, I had a fully open Sunday for some hiking before making my grand return to New Jersey. I had hoped to climb Plateau Mountain in the Catskills on the way up a couple days ago, but thunderstorms prevented me from achieving that. After looking at the stats, I decided I'd do Plateau today and if I had energy left, which I should, I cal also hike the mountians I had planned for today afterwards (Twin & Indian Head). I had a SILLY wake up at 1:45am and was out the door at 2:00am (I giggled setting the alarm because it was so silly). I was shockingly awake for the drive and even saw a shooting star near Worcester! I stopped for food and fuel at the Lee rest area. I started to see early daylight around 4:00am once I was on I-87, and then I had a wonderful drive through the Catskills, passing Hunter Mountain just before the trailhead. There were a few other cars at the trailhead including one van, and it was just a little too dark for me to start without a headlamp, so I got to have a little power nap.

After my nap, I explored the parking area, which had a lovely pond, picnic spots, and some water spigots. My stomach was NOT happy, which was a solid bummer, and I was mentally preparing to take care of a code brown once in the woods. I got suited up a little after 5:30am and crossed the road to start my hike. It was a humid 61 degrees, and it was time to climb!

[5:41am - Devil's Path]

The Devil's Path climbed up some stairs to enter the woods and passed the trail register (I was good and signed it!). I took about 10 spider webs in the first 5 feet of the hike, but thankfully that was the bulk of it. The trail began on a wide footbed through some warm, humid air, and then began to zig zag and steepen up many rock steps, soon switching to a more rugged uphill climb. 

I realized I didn't lock my car which was a solid bummer, but I had already done too much work to turn around. The trail was a calf steep which had my legs on fire! I knew this would be a steep climb, but I don't think I fully comprehended how steep it was going to be. I climbed through a loose, wobbly stretch as the footbed narrowed around 0.5 miles. There was an occasional lukewarm breeze that was the only thing keeping me alive!

There were some obstructed tree views as I ascended another loose graveley stretch steeply. I continued to remind myself that the name Plateau Mountain implies I will have a nice, long walking break, because I needed it! The trail slightly leveled out at an unpleasant grassy patch followed by a talus-y area. The trail then turned and steepened, but thankfully the worst was now behind me (at least the worst in terms of steepness...). 

I passed some fun, white, poofy flowers and then entered a stretch of overgrowth that was just not fun to swim through. After the dreadful stretch, the Devil's Path meandered through the woods past some really cool rock formations followed by one more stretch of loose, awful footing. 

Thankfully, that awful stretch led to the view! The trail kind of split just beforehand - the official trail turned right and easily hiked up stone steps to the viewpoint ledge, and a worn path on the left led to the steep wall of the ledge that was scramble-able up (I kind of read that the trail used to go this way, but I cannot confirm that). I went left for no good reason, hurting my shoulder in the process, but the view was worth it!

[6:38am - Devil's Path/Overlook]

The overlook was really wonderful in the morning, colorful light. It's fun to be in a mountain range that I'm not overly familar with - the only things I could identify were Hunter Mountain on the right with it's fire tower and Slide Mountain on the left. The drainages looked intricately carved between all the surrounding mountains and hills which was just wonderful!

To my absolute delight, the climbing for the hike was basically over! Turning back into the woods, I hiked along a wonderful, flat ridge that some would dare call a "plateau." The footing was good and soft and soon I came to a somewhat grown-in ledge view towards Kaaterskill High Peak.

Loudly buzzing flies were beginning to wake up, but thankfully they were no bother aside from their symphony of sounds. The trail meandered around some unproblematic ferns, eventually nearing (or entering) someone's heavily posted private land. There was an occasional gentle blaze and a few birds adding to the overhead buzzing, too. There were some webs here and there, but only when the trail was narrower.

There was a gentle small scramble and then the Devil's Path swung around a false summit and easily descended into a dark forest before rising past some really cool rock shelf-like formations (I wish I knew more geological terms), soon landing at the junction with the Warner Creek Trail.

[7:14am - Devil's Path/Warner Creek Trail]

The trail junction sign mentioned that the Tremper Mountain Fire Tower was 10 miles away, which was fun to see. Only 0.5 miles to the summit, according to the sign! The Devil's Path easily descended again before rising to a left turn off of what looked like an old trail or road corridoor, arriving at the summit shortly after!

[7:26am - Plateau Mtn. Summit]

The summit was simply the height-of-land on the trail, only marked by the word "PLATEAU" sharpie'd onto a faded red trail marker. I likely would have hiked right past it if the trail didn't begin to descend right after! I did a quick break there to grab a beef stick and swap out my Nalgenes, but I didn't stick around 1) because there was nothing to see and 2) the flies were getting a little close for my liking when standstill.

I ate my beef stick on the move (the Fatty brand with cheese in it... I was not a fan of the texture), easily descending and gently rising back to the junction with the Warner Creek Trail in the beautiful woods.

[7:39am - Devil's Path/Warner Creek Trail]

The return trip to the overlook was inconsequential, just wonderful, easy hiking. I found myself admiring all of the old blazes which made me wonder about something and gave me an idea. My wonder was is the plastic really better for the environment than a paint blaze, or does it not make much of a difference? My gut says a slab of paint MUST be better for the trees than a piece of plastic and two nails, but what I do know... My idea was a cool hiking patch challenge where you have to "collect" photos of all the different trail markers that NYSDEC uses (like yellow, blue, and red, and then the different "eras") - I might research this more.

I used the PeakFinder app at the medium grown-in overlook to find out that to the right of Kaaterskill High Peak was Sugarloaf, Twin, and Indian Head - the latter two I planned to hike afterwards!

[8:10am - Devil's Path/Overlook]

I soon came back to the main, wonderful overlook that was paired with a life-altering breeze (thank goodness). The view looked completely different with the sun fully shining and it was just as lovely. I took a quick standing break and mentally prepared for a rough descent.

Right away, a little snake spooked me and then I slid about 4 feet on one foot in the uppermost horribly loose section. I got a bug in my eye and smashed my toe against a shockingly hard rock in the overgrown stretch. The middle loose, gravelley section was still loose and gravelley, as was the lowest, which was just as horrible. It was dreadfully sweaty down low, and I got another bug in the same eye as before. Thankfully, after questioning all of my life choices, I reentered a hardwood forest, descended on stone steps, signed out at the trail registered, and made my way across the road back to the car.

[8:45am - End of Hike]

This hike was more tiring than I originally expected (my fault) and I found myself trying to convince myself to call it a day and skip Twin/Indian Head, but it was only 8:45am, I had a full change of clothes, I was about to eat and hydrate, and I would be really proud of myself if I rallied, so alas, I rallied! I also realized I did not need to take care of a code brown in the woods, so that was a win! I filled up a Nalgene at a water spigot and started my short-and-sweet drive over to the Devil's Path trailhead!

Step-by-Step

- Park at Devil's Tombstone Campground.

- Cross street and hike to Plateau Mountain via Devils' Path (red).

- At summit, turn around and return to car.

Map of Indian Head Wilderness (NYSDEC)

Photo Album

Giant Ledge & Panther Mountain (Catskill Park)

Giant Ledge & Panther Mountain (Catskill Park)

Hike Type: Out-and-Back

Distance: 6.81 miles

Elevation: 2031 feet
Time: 3 hours, 46  minutes (3 hours, 39 minutes moving)

Hiking Challenges: Catskill 3500 Club

The Hike

It’s February vacation! Before I made my obligatory visit to NJ to see the family (and get a haircut…), I decided to tackle one of the Catskill 3500 peaks. The club requires four of it’s mountains to be climbed in the winter for the 35’er patch, which happily narrowed down my choices! I ended up hiking Panther Mountain via Giant Ledge, which ended up being an excellent choice (my other idea was Blackhead, which according to FB posts was an icy disaster). I left Boston around 4:45am, and got started on my hike just before 9:00am. 18-degrees at the trailhead, I was playing with my layers until finally deciding on leggings, sweatpants, darn toughs, long sleeve base layer, fleece zip up, and merino wool buff. I wore the puffy for the first 10 seconds and then packed it in. Overall, my layers worked great. I definitely failed at not sweating, but I was able to alternate between rolled up just baselayer to full gloves/buff/fleece relatively comfortably. EITHER WAY, let’s get hiking!

I crossed the street at the hairpin turn and got started hiking by crossing a footbridge and IMMEDIATELY sipping in a way only Scooby Doo could do and falling hard on my right side. Thankfully I was able to walk it off, but WHAT a way to start the hike. I decided to not take iPhone notes during this hike just to unplug some more, which was a lovely plan that I thoroughly enjoyed. I don’t mind taking notes during the hike, but when I’m doing a bigger hike (i.e., up an actual mountain), I like to be more in-the-moment. 

The first part of the hike follows the yellow-blazed Phoenicia East Branch Trail, gently ascending up a ridge. There was crusty snow on the ground with a few icy patches, but nothing too slippery. There was one steeper area that was 100% ice flow, but a footpath/trail has been made around that section. It was relatively breezy this morning, and I couldn’t tell if the loud tree knocking was because of the breeze, an animal, or Bigfoot (probably Bigfoot). Again, I was trying not to sweat, but to no surprise, failing miserably. 

A little under a mile in, the trail reaches a junction with the blue-blazed Giant Ledge-Panther-Fox Hollow Trail. The first part of this section had lots of woodpeckers and was fully flat and frozen - I only fell through a few spots. I had the pleasure of following a rabbit’s footprints during this section. I could tell when warm, this section of trail would be soaked. Looking at the AllTrails app, I could see there was a steeper climb coming up, so I took a moment to take my fleece off and put the spikes on for this section, which was a good move. There were only two sets of footprints ahead of me, but they got a little lost at the steeper section, leaving me to “break trail” (thankfully only though 1” of snow). Near the top of Giant Ledge, there are a bunch of campsite spurs, which I definitely got lost on, but was able to bushwhack my way shortly back to the trail and the first viewpoint, where I found the duo ahead of me. They were having truly a fantastic morning - they had food and a stove for a hot beverage. Good for them! I thanked them for their footprints and continued on my way. 

There were a few more viewpoints along the trail showcasing the incredible view from Giant Ledge - I’m really looking forward to getting to know the Catskills more so I can know what I’m looking at! There was a bit of old graffiti at one of the viewpoints, which I always find to be super cool. The trail begins to gently, and then steeply descend to a col between Giant Ledge and Panther Mountain. It was COLD in this col - I fully re-bundled up. Some new animal tracks appeared in the col - likely a coyote (could be a bobcat, could be a wolf if they have those?), that accompanied me for the rest of my trip. 

There were seasonal views up to Panther through the trees, and then I started to climb again! The climb overall was rather forgiving - any steep sections were followed by a relatively flat section. There was one excellent view of Giant Ledge & Slide Mountains. The trail itself traversed some beautiful, rocky scenery, and I got to see a few OLD blazes, which was fun. There was one final STEEP section, which was more daunting visually than it was in practice, which leads to the 3500’ sign! The coyote tracks would disappear and reappear, clearly avoiding more challenging terrain. 

The final stretch of trail was much more gentle with a few tricky ice flows that thankfully were not too steep. The tracks led me right to the summit area, which has a small view and tree with a “P” carved in. I saw the AllTrails track continued past the summit area, which could have been nothing or it could have led to another view, but I figured I could check it out when I have to do Panther again in a non-winter month. It turns out I would never meet my coyote friend, which was truly okay, but I did appreciate how the tracks made me feel like Snow White for a little while.

The return trip started as-expected, I passed my friends again as they were heading up panther and a couple other hikers, made my way down the steep section safely, and noticed the snow and ice was starting to melt. Giant Ledge itself was an absolute madhouse of tourist hikers, which is fine, but not my cup of tea, so I picked up my pace to get away from the crowds. The flat part of the trail was a wet, icy, muddy, swampy mess, but the final stretch on the yellow-blazed trail was peaceful with less people. I signed the register and made it back to my car, where it was now a balmy 37-degrees. One man approached me asking where the trailhead is, how long it took me, and how far I went, and then commented on how my pace was “good” and how that was “good for me,” which wasn’t necessary but well-intentioned. I did my journaling, and then made my way to NJ!

Step-by-Step

• Park at Giant Ledge parking area.

• Follow yellow-blazed Phoenicia East Branch Trail

• At junction, turn left onto blue-blazed Giant Ledge-Panther-Fox Hollow Trail.

• Summit Giant Ledge, continue on, summit Panther, and retrace steps to car.

Slide Mountain Wilderness (NY DEC)

Photo Album

Balsam Lake Mountain (Catskill Park)

Balsam Lake Mountain (Catskill Park)

Hike Type: Out-and-Back
Distance: 6.09 miles
Elevation: 1201 feet
Time: 2 hours, 28 minutes
Hiking Challenges: Catskill Firetowers; Catskill 3500 Club

The Hike

I had hoped to hike this mountain the same day I did Overlook, but the weather wasn't looking great for that afternoon. I was headed up to the Adirondacks for my inaugural trip for a few days, so I took the scenic route and stopped at the Catskills on the way up. This was an early Wednesday morning, and I was lucky enough to have the whole mountain to myself the whole day! The temperature was in the mid-50s, which truly felt amazing after the deadly heat from the past few days. I parked at the trailhead, christened the woods nearby, noted the first of my signs indicating that Graham Mountain is closed, and started my hike.

 

The trail crosses the road immediately and then starts its consistent, gradual climb for most of the journey. About a quarter mile into the woods there is a trail register and another Gramahm Mountain closed sign, so I signed in and kept on. The one downside of having the mountain to myself in the morning is that I had the blessing of eating every single spider web. Thankfully, the trail mimicked the Overlook and Tremper fire tower trails as being part of a wide path that likely was a former road.

 

The trail was pretty gentle and featureless, but through nice woods. There were two stand-out sections: one area had massive boulders and interesting rock formations, and the other was where the herd path to Graham Mountain branched off. Interestingly enough, there was no closed sign at the fork, even though there were closed signs elsewhere. 

 

Soon after the fork to Graham Mountain, the trail junction with the Balsam Lake Mountain Trail (red). The red trail turns right to climb Balsam Lake Mountain, which I followed. It follows the wide trail to gate, which I believe is meant to stop snowmobilers from going further. The trail then alternates between short, steep climbs, and flat sections. Soon enough the backside of the cabin appears and there's the summit!

 

The summit has the cabin which was locked, a firetower, a picnic table, a USGS benchmark, and there may have been a privy somewhere off in the woods, but don't quote me on that. The view from the firetower was great! Not Overlook quality, but still a great view. The tall evergreens make for a great foreground. I wandered around the summit area trying to find the benchmark, which did take a minute, but I found it in between the cabin and firetower in the woods. I had a drink and snack and started my return trip.

 

Not much happened on the return trip - ended up being a quick and easy return. One thing I did notice was that some water bars were made with old telephone poles, some of which still had trail markers on them. Soon later I was signing out, crossing the road, enjoying being by myself, and started my long drive to the Adirondacks!

 

Step-By-Step

• Cross Mill Brook Road and start hike on Dry Brook Trailhead.
• Sign register, continue hike on blue-blazed Dry Brook Trail.
• At junction with herd path, continue on blue-blazed Dry Brook Trail.
• At junction with red-blazed Balsam Mountain Trail, turn right onto red-blazed Balsam Mountain Trail.
• Summit mountain, turn around, and retrace steps.

"Balsam Lake Mountain" from Wikipedia

        "Balsam Lake Mountain is one of the Catskill Mountains, located in the Town of Hardenburgh, New York, United States. It is the westernmost of the range's 35 High Peaks. Its exact height has not been determined, but the highest contour line on topographic maps, 3,720 feet (1,130 m), is usually given as its elevation. Located within the Balsam Lake Mountain Wild Forest management unit of the Catskill Park Forest Preserve, in the late 19th century its summit became the site of the first fire lookout tower in the state, operated by members of a nearby sportsmen's club. It was later taken over by the state's conservation agencies, which built several improved towers on the site, one of which remains, along with its accessory buildings and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places,[3] although it has not been used for fire detection since 1988. The summit is also the site of a rare sphagnum bog that has been affected by acid rain since a mid-20th century windstorm blew down many of the trees sheltering it at the time. The tower and the views it commands, as well as its ease of access by the old truck road to the tower, have made it a popular attraction for hikers despite the mountain's remote location. Many are peakbaggers aspiring to membership in the Catskill Mountain 3500 Club, for which Balsam Lake is a required peak."

"Geography" from "Balsam Lake Mountain" Wikipedia

        "Catskill forest historian Michael Kudish says the Mill Brook Ridge range, including Balsam Lake, is one of the areas in the region showing the fewest signs of human disturbance. The Iroquois who were the first settlers in today's New York only went into areas above 1,500 feet (460 m) to hunt, if they went there at all. European settlers established few farms in the area, both before and after independence. The clearings that give the Quaker Clearing trailhead its name are the only significant past agricultural use that can still be seen today. Limited logging, primarily by farmers procuring firewood, took place above those clearings. A steel frame tower with a staircase climbing the inside and an enclosed cab on top in front of a stand of evergreen trees Fire tower. 

        The most significant developments in the human history of the mountain took place in 1887. The state bought the southeast slope of the mountain that year for the newly created Forest Preserve, ensuring the land would remain forever wild, always in public ownership and never logged, per a law later added to the state constitution as Article 14. Also that year the Balsam Lake Club decided to erect a crude wooden fire lookout tower on the summit so that an observer could detect fires that threatened the lands around the lake and the headwaters of the Beaver Kill where they hunted and fished. It was the first such lookout tower built in New York State.

        Two years later, the state bought more of the mountain, and eventually acquired the summit itself in 1900. At some point before the United States Geological Survey resurveyed the area for its 1901 maps, the Turner Hollow Road, an old, rough turnpike connecting Seager and Quaker Clearing, often used by members of the Balsam Lake Club to get to the train station at Arkville, was rerouted from the col between East and West Schoolhouse mountains to the one between West Schoolhouse and Balsam Lake. The southern portion survives as part of the Dry Brook Ridge Trail.

        Eight years later, in 1909, the state's Forest, Fish and Game Commission took over the fire tower; a decade later it built the first cabin and replaced it with the steel tower that stands today. By 1935 the state was maintaining not only the jeep road to the summit but the old Turner Hollow Road south to Quaker Clearing and the foot trail from the summit to the road.

        The Great Appalachian Storm of November 1950 took a heavy toll on the summit balsam firs. Blowdown was extensive in both the bog and non-bog areas. The trees that remained standing died more rapidly due to the exposure. It has since recovered, but the bog has become vulnerable to the effects of acid rain in the meantime, possibly changing its growth patterns. 

        After a series of severe droughts and fires in the early 1960s that led to some temporary closings of the Forest Preserve,. fires and the damage they caused declined due to an increase in public awareness of forest fire danger and the decline in activities that caused them. Staffed fire towers became less essential; the state began closing them down and dismantling them in favor of more cost-effective aerial surveillance.

        In 1976 the Balsam Lake Club donated 3,615 acres (1,463 ha) to the Catskill Center for Conservation and Development, keeping all but the immediate shoreline of the lake itself. Three years later, the Catskill Center in turn sold the land to the state, putting most of the mountain in public ownership. When the first Catskill State Land Master Plan was drafted and implemented in the mid-1980s, the 13,500-acre (5,500 ha) contiguous tract that stretched from Balsam Lake Mountain to Alder Lake over Mill Brook Ridge was designated as the Balsam Lake Mountain Wild Forest, a land classification slightly less restrictive than a wilderness area allowing for state vehicular use of the road up the mountain. 

        The fire tower remained staffed until 1988, one of the last to be closed. Hikers continued to climb it for the views, even though it was no longer maintained. A proposal by the state Department of Environmental Conservation to dismantle the Red Hill fire tower in nearby Denning led to a community effort to save and restore the five remaining towers in the Catskill Park. In conjunction with that effort, the new Mill Brook Ridge Trail was built from Alder Lake in the west across that mountain's two eastern summits to Balsam Lake, to connect the trail system on the hills above Pepacton Reservoir to the central Catskill trail system and provide another link in the Finger Lakes Trail."

Balsam Lake Wild Forest Map (DEC)

Balsam Lake Wild Forest (DEC)

Photo Album