Catskills: Bear Pen and Vly

Looking to head in this direction next week.
Wondering if anyone has been to these peaks lately (or any in the vicinity) and can comment on trail and snow conditions.
Snowshoes yet? What about crampons?
Thanks.
Chris

Check out adkhighpeaks.com Chris, there is a recent report on those two.

After today, I'd bring snowshoes and perhaps microspikes. you wont need crampons on either of those...

Jay

P.S. definitely want to do the ADK loop next season or perhaps the green mtn loop...

Hope all is well Jay...been a while!
Thanks for the lead to ADKHighPeaks...unfortunately that thread is mostly pleasantries amongst hikers LOL.
Will keep my eyes and ears open...not planning on going till next week anyway. But I think you're right...snow recently, correct?

P.S. what are the roads of that ADK loop again? Would definitely like to do it. Just to throw a date out there off the top of my head...early June might work for me...say June 9th-ish?

Chris, we got 6" down in Kingston, and it was forecast to be more the farther North and West, so I would plan on there being a lot of snow up that way.

OK, very good. Will def bring snowshoes then.
Check in again later next week as well.
You guys are awesome! Thanks for replies!

Chris,
Without the storm, you'd likely been fine barebooting BP/Vly. There was 5" to 8" of snow up high on Christmas Eve and with the recent snow, I'd be very surprised if that if you don't need snowshoes at the trailheads, you'll need them before you climb much higher.

Alan

Thank you Peakbagr!
Good to know.
Can't wait to dust off the ol'snowshoes.
Winters here on Long Island have been pretty lame.
(I better watch what I ask for ).

Checking the NY/NJ Train Conference Maps, it's nice to know that all I gotta carry with me is map #145...the little insert. Very convenient. LOL!

Soon I'll figure out how I want to tackle the two. Park on Rt3 and do the two (from the south) or park on Ski Run Road and loop back to the car via Rts 3 and 2...this would require hiking 3 miles on the road though. All good.

Talk soon.

Oh...and btw...haven't been on these peaks in a while...are there canisters on each of them?
Can't remember.
Thanks.
Chris

Chris there is a good herd path to Vly and a can on the wooded summit. With the snow, might take a couple of min to pick it up near the col.
When heading over to BP, be sure you keep going past the open ski runs on the summit. Follow the 'trail' past them until it ends as some spectacular views over some cliff tops. The views from there are some of the nicest in the Cats.

Alan

IndianChris said:

Hope all is well Jay...been a while!
Thanks for the lead to ADKHighPeaks...unfortunately that thread is mostly pleasantries amongst hikers LOL.
Will keep my eyes and ears open...not planning on going till next week anyway. But I think you're right...snow recently, correct?

Click to expand...

Well, Bearpen/Vly isn't exactly the Trap Dyke where conditions are key. In fact, I think Bearpen has a new snowmobile trail which pretty much brings you to the top of the old ski runs/summit.

P.S. what are the roads of that ADK loop again? Would definitely like to do it. Just to throw a date out there off the top of my head...early June might work for me...say June 9th-ish?

Click to expand...

Honestly haven't studied the route in details other than it actually starts around Albany and goes a loop through the peaks. I'm not against doing a modified ADK loop considering I know enough about the roads to be able to gauge it and plus I think part of this year's Ididaride uses some of the same roads, especially around Indian Lake, etc...

I can do pretty much any time of year, it's what vacation is for.

Jay

HAHAHA Yeah, you're right Jay. I think that snow mobile trail has been there for a while too.

Perhaps that's what I was thinking of...the Ididaride loop. I'll look that up online...

One other question...this time of year...anyone know how far one can drive up Ski Run Road to trailhead?
Thanks.
Chris

I don't think Ski Run Road is plowed, are you sure you're talking about Ski Run Road or the road to the hunter's cabin (aka the Tar Paper Shack) which can be reached via the north or the south...
Jay

In Fleischmanns on Rt. 28 turn onto Lake St. (Rt. 37) or the Halcott Center Road. Continue on this road for about 4 miles until it becomes County Rt. 3. After 2.75 miles the road splits. Stay right and DO NOT turn left onto Johnson Hollow Rd. County Rt. 3 continues to the right for .7 miles. At the snowplow turnaround on the left turn around and park on the left just below the white house.

http://www.catskillhiker.net/Catskill35/peaks/bearpen.shtml

alistair said:

In Fleischmanns on Rt. 28 turn onto Lake St. (Rt. 37) or the Halcott Center Road. Continue on this road for about 4 miles until it becomes County Rt. 3. After 2.75 miles the road splits. Stay right and DO NOT turn left onto Johnson Hollow Rd. County Rt. 3 continues to the right for .7 miles. At the snowplow turnaround on the left turn around and park on the left just below the white house.

http://www.catskillhiker.net/Catskill35/peaks/bearpen.shtml

Click to expand...

Alistair, that is a report from the SOUTH, Ski Run Road is on the north side of Bearpen and it sort of goes towards West Bearpen, as opposed to the shorter approach of up to the Tar paper shack and then you can go to Bearpen (right turn) or Vly (left turn).

You get to Ski Run Road and the shorter tar paper shack approach via the same road (of which I'd have to look at the map) but Ski Run Road branches off that road before you get to the area to park in....

I have never climbed Bear Pen via the Ski Run Road but I have climbed them from the north road to the tar paper shack and from the south as described in catskillhiker.net

Jay

Yes Jay...talking about Ski Run Road. I've hiked Bearpen via Ski Run Road in the past and on another occasion hiked Vly via the road to the Tar Paper Shack from the north.

Given the shorter days and solo trip, I think I'll pass on the Ski Run Road route. Hitting two peaks via this way would be a long day so I think I'll take the Paper Shack road from the north..get to the col...hit Vly...then back down to col...hit Bearpen...then out to car.

I could travel in on 28 and do what Alistair did but then I wouldn't pass the Cave in Windham on my way home.

Gotta pass the Cave LOL!

Thanks guys for your time!

well actually, you still wont pass the Cave from the north. Surely it's faster to simply take 23A through Kaaterskill Clove to go back south than to take Rt 23 through Windham all the way around... haha...

Jay

Jay H said:

well actually, you still wont pass the Cave from the north. Surely it's faster to simply take 23A through Kaaterskill Clove to go back south than to take Rt 23 through Windham all the way around... haha...

Jay

Click to expand...

You're gonna have to pitch a better sale than that Jay. I'm not convinced. haha...
I'm sure many a-beer drinkers would agree.

Peakbagr said:

Chris there is a good herd path to Vly and a can on the wooded summit. With the snow, might take a couple of min to pick it up near the col.
When heading over to BP, be sure you keep going past the open ski runs on the summit. Follow the 'trail' past them until it ends as some spectacular views over some cliff tops. The views from there are some of the nicest in the Cats.

Alan

Click to expand...

As Alan said, there is a good HP to Vly. Look for paint blazes on the trees, which the HP follows most of the way. Some of us found microspikes helpful on December 23, but I'm sure you'll want snowshoes now. Much of the early section of the path to Bearpen was running water, so it may be a little sticky beneath the snow. I'm guessing that the snow cover is insulating the water from the recent cold snap. We started to go beyond the Bearpen summit to the cliffs Alan refers to, but it was cloudy, and thinking of our 3-hour drive home we turned around and headed down.

alistair said:

In Fleischmanns on Rt. 28 turn onto Lake St. (Rt. 37) or the Halcott Center Road. Continue on this road for about 4 miles until it becomes County Rt. 3. After 2.75 miles the road splits. Stay right and DO NOT turn left onto Johnson Hollow Rd. County Rt. 3 continues to the right for .7 miles. At the snowplow turnaround on the left turn around and park on the left just below the white house.

http://www.catskillhiker.net/Catskill35/peaks/bearpen.shtml

Click to expand...

What he said! That route 3 is sparingly marked and there is no indication of which way it goes at that last split.

Pick a good viz day for BP. There are a series of cliffside openings with great views a couple of minutes past the top of the last old ski run.
With the cold weather all that H2O will be a nice solid ice base with snow over it.