Hi, Everyone:

I'm looking for a good three-day/two-night (long weekend type) Catskill Mountain route suggestion, involving taking public transportation to and from the trail head (or within a couple of miles of a trail head).

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks so much.

Tim.

By the way, the public transportation would be from New York City.

Thanks.

I met someone on the Devils Path last year who had taken the Trailways Bus from NYC to Woodstock, NY and then road walked a mile or two to the trailhead. The Trailways Bus makes a bunch of stops throughout the Catskills so you can plan a trip as long as you don't mind road walking a few miles. For instance, you could jump in near Woodstock and hike north through the Indian Head Wilderness and Black Head Range and jump out near Hunter, NY on Route 23.

I've never taken the bus though so you'll probably want to throroughly check their schedule. The NY/NJ Trail Conference Maps for the Catskills are also great for planning a trip if you don't already have a set.

http://www.trailwaysny.com/
http://www.nynjtc.org/product/catskill-trails-map-set

Thanks, Brad.

The Devil's Path certainly does look tricky, where public transportation is concerned. Your suggestion about ploughing north into the Blackhead range looks promising, though; picking up the return bus in Hensonville. (I've an older, out-of-date Catskills map).

But let me ask you this (as I've never been in the area), would that route be too much of a stretch for three days and two nights? I've heard the trail gets quite tough.

Tim.

What do you think of this route:

Take the Trailways bus to Palenville, New York. Walk for a bit along Rte. 23A and join the Long Path, south, through Kaaterskill Wild Forest, across Clove Mtn. Rd., to the Lean-To at the junction for the Devil's Path. Night One. Next day, take the Devil's Path west to the first Lean-To after Rte. 214 near the Devil's Tombstone State Campground. Night Two. Then, third day, hike north west on the Devil's Path for a bit, meeting the Blue Trail, and looping slightly around to the Taylor Hollow unmarked trail down to Rte. 23A, walking back to the Trailways bus stop at Hunter.

Whaddaya think?

Thanks,

Tim.

That's all good.There is a mini-mart that's the bus stop in Palenville if you need anything.

All your work the first day is going to be first thing going up.After you get to Kaaterskill HP its an easy trail to Platte Clove Rd.

On your older map it will show a herd path direct across the road towards the lean-to.....that's now a marked blue trail and part of the Long Path.Also just a half mile before you hit Platte Clove there is a yellow trail to the SE to Huckleberry Point(about 1 1/2 miles one way,its a dead end to the point and an easy walk if you are making good time).

If you hike a bit your second day is strait forward.Waters a little low here,but the water in Mink Hollow is dependable,one is off trail down a herd path but easy to find.

Third day is cake.....You'll find the trail to Taylor Hollow easy or you can take the trail to Hunter Ski Area and go down to the Town of Hunter there.

The New York-New Jersey Trail conference has just published the revised maps for the Catskills, with a lot of changes since the last 2005 edition. I'd definitely recommend getting them. Bus stops are shown on them, too.

I hope you post a trip report, as I'm trying to figure out how to do the same thing! The local AMC chapter does run a number of Catskills backpacking trips with carpooling from NYC or bus stops, but so far they're very hostile to UL techniques and require boots.

Thanks, Dan & Elizabeth;

I'll do my best to post a trip report. There is a dearth of concise and clear information out there with regards to good, transportation accessible routes.

Dan, your info is gold. I will indeed get a hold of the new maps. But the info you provided will prove invaluable at my planning meeting tomorrow night :-)

Thanks again.

Tim.

Look here for more info;

http://www.adkhighpeaks.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=44

Or google ADKHighpeaks and on that forum go to the bottom for Catskill trip reports and general info.

I don't do the center section of your hike often but use either end at Kaaterskill and backside of Hunter to access forest areas off those trails alot in the fall.Spent 20+ days up in there last year and covered a bit of ground.

Edited by Dinsdale on 06/02/2010 17:27:53 MDT.

Hey Elizabeth,

I live in central Jersey and can get to NYC easily.. I was looking to find people to carpool with to get to the Catskills more often and was quite excited to find out about the AMC recently. I was then disappointed to find out that most of their trips get 'filled up' pretty fast..

Do you know if there is any way to use AMC's mailing list / waiting lists for their trips to arrange just a carpool? I understand that an organized trip can get 'filled up' but if it is just a ride-sharing arrangement where we arrange a fixed time to start driving back, I don't see how it can 'fill up'..

And this hostility to UL is news to me as well..

Tim I was wondering how the trip went. It looked like the 1st day would be about 11 miles and the 2nd 13, with the 3rd being very short. Does that sound accurate?

Also does anyone know what conditions would be like in the winter? What would the snow be like, would snow shoes/traction be required? What would night time lows be like?