First Trip to the Catskills

After a recent move away from the Upper Valley (VT/NH) and settling in Lancaster County, PA, I needed a new mountain range to explore. I had never been to the Catskills, so I did some VFTT-inspired research and was on my way.

Day 1:
I drove up I-87 on Friday under beautiful skies, past Haines Falls and Maplecrest, and into the Black Dome Valley. The colors were outstanding, and the terrain reminded me of central Vermont. I got started from the Big Hollow trailhead around noon.

I hiked past Batavia Kill Shelter to the ridgeline, from where you can look eastward into the Hudson Valley. The views were quite remarkable. The climb got steeper above 3500 feet, which was fun. The summit of Blackhead was itself forested, but shortly after heading west off the summit, there is a tremendous outlook with views NW to S, including Black Dome in the foreground, the Devils Path peaks, Slide, and Colgate Lake below.

The colors in the pass were sublime. The 2/3 of a mile up to Black Dome included a magnificent ledge with the best views of the day, especially on the return trip when the sun’s position was more favorable. The views in the Black Dome Valley, Blackhead, SE, and S were worthy of a leisurely snack break.

The hike over Black Dome and over to Thomas Cole was fairly unremarkable, but it was such a pleasant day to be outdoors. Other than a long-ish stop on the Black Dome ledges, I made pretty quick time back to the trailhead.

The whole hike was about 8 miles, 3000 vertical feet, and took a little under four hours total.
On to Day 2…

Day 2:
I began at Giant Slide Parking Area, and started walking southward at 6:30, getting to Slide Mountain P.A. in about forty minutes. I found the trail up Slide very nice – consistent grade, easy footbed, pleasant forest. There is a wonderful view northward before the summit. Unfortunately, the summit views are obscured a bit, but there is still a nice open area to sit in the sun.

The drop off Slide is a different story – lots of ledges and scrambles. There were a few “Is this really the trail?” moments. It has to rank as one of the more challenging half-miles in the northeast. It was great!

The ascent of Cornell has a few ledges near the top, and a break-out view just before the summit. Shortly after its viewless summit, the Cornell Crack appears. I had to scratch my head a few minutes before deciding to take off my backpack, squeeze down the chimney, and reach up to retrieve my pack. It was a fun little problem, and then a nice walk over Wittenberg, which had the best view of the day – open ledges facing NE to S, facing the Ashokan Reservoir.

The descent down to Woodland Valley seemed longer than the map suggests, and there were now a lot of people on the trail. After a rest at WV, I headed up toward Giant Ledge. Since I was on a schedule (I have an eight-month pregnant wife in PA), I told myself I had to get there by 1:00, otherwise I would forego Giant Ledge and Panther. I got there at 1:04.

I chatted with a guy at the trail intersection who I had earlier seen on Cornell (I think). After fifteen minutes or so, I hiked/jogged back to the car, which took less than fifteen minutes. Altogether, I think it was about 15 miles total, in under 7 hours (including the road walk).

All told, the two days were a wonderful introduction to the Catskills. They are more impressive than I anticipated – rugged trails, big mountains, and beautiful scenery.

The Catskills are some pretty big 'small' mountains and very rugged terrain in places. You picked some nice ones for your introduction.
The Cornell Crack can be interesting. From just jamming you way up or butt sliding down in stages. In the winter, when filled with deep snow, just an unnoticeable ledge or much more when it's filled with ice. There is a bypass herd path a short distance to the side through the woods. There are a number of peaks with herd paths and no trails. Once on the herd path they are like trails without markers, but with unbroken snow, or when deep leaf fall, can be a little tricky to follow from time to time.