Catskill 2 night backpack ideas

[Steve-o]

Hey there,
I've been to the "cats" a couple of times, but, only to do a couple of peaks that were on some silly list.
Anyways, I hope to get out there in 2 weeks.
Can anyone recommend a good 2 night backpack?
Northern Cats would be ideal, as we'll be comming from Mass.
There would be no car-spot or traverse.
So basically, I'm looking for a place to camp 1-6 mi. from a trailhead.
Set up camp for 2 nights, and do a strenuous dayhike.
Thanks, Steve

 

[una_dogger]

Oh so many good places.....

Here are some of my favorites. Sorry I don't have my NYNJTC Maps in front of me but you could pm for more details if you like:

1. Denning: take the trail into where the rivers meet. There was a former lean too here. Follow fisherman's trail up the Neversink River. Many primitive sites along the Neversink. One of the MOST beautiful rivers I've ever seen. I could just sit on the banks in the Hemlocks and stare at the river rock through the clear water for hours. Meets your criteria for sub 6 mile in.
Day two: hike the Phoenecia East Branch Trail to Curtis-Orsmbee Trail to Slide Mntn Summit, return via main trail down Slide Mntn and back on Phoenecia East Branch Trail. Full day hike but much of it on pleasant grades. OR whack up the valley of the Neversink to the col between Cornell and Slide and back (always wanted to do this, John Burroughs writes poignantly of this area and its largely unchanged since his day). Can also hike Table/Peekamoose and Lone Bushwack from here...as well as many other bushwacks that I know little about but some do require landowner permission...so I'll leave any elaboration to someone like Alan Peakbagger or JayH.



2. Black Head Range: Big Loop over Acra Point, Burnt Knob, then BlackHead, Black Dome, Thomas Cole. Bike spot or six mile pleasant road walk back to Trailhead. Think its 23-26 miles total. Some nice climbing and views. Northern most Catskills so not such a haul from Acton.

3. Peekamoose/Table Traverse. Requires car spot. Hefty trek over Peekamoose with overnight packs, but great views from Reconnoiter Rock. Table Lean too is in a quiet spot. Out via Denning. Be sure to spend some time exploring the Neversink Valley. Just a variation of number 1.

4. Cornell-Wittenburg-Slide. They are not done in that order. Everyone always just says them like that. Its really not that far. Just the car spot takes forever.

 

[the_swede]

I've done the Blackhead Range circular before and I can say it's a good hike:

Park the car at Barnum Road and climb Thomas Cole, Black Dome and Blackhead. Hook up with the Escarpment Trail and take it over Windham High Peak down to Peck Road.

There's a lean-to just a few minutes off a side trail once you descend Blackhead where you can spend the night.

Does anyone know if spending the night at Acra Point is allowed?

Is this really 23-26 miles?

 

[Mark Schaefer]

Blackhead Range with Windham High Peak

Is this really 23-26 miles?

The trail portion is just over 13 miles (including the hike down to the lean-to), per the good description on the localhikes website. Click on the topomap button at the left for a trail map, or here is the direct link. With full packs it will feel like more. The road walk between the two trailheads is less than 3 miles. I have done this loop several times in a day hike. However, as an overnight you will have more time to spend at the viewpoints. Each of the two days will also be sufficiently short to allow for travel time to and from your home.

Does anyone know if spending the night at Acra Point is allowed?

The challenge would be to find a level spot that is 150' from the trail. That would be difficult at the summit of Acra Point, but perhaps not impossible. I cannot think of a good spot. The lean-to is probably the best choice and most conveniently located at the midpoint of the hike.

Denning area is also a good choice. You could set up a base camp in the lowlands not far from the Neversink and do day hikes up into the bushwhack range depending on what you need in peaks. For instance Balsam Cap/Friday and Lone/Rocky (perhaps with Table). All a matter in how much you want to bite in one day. Admittedly you could get all 4 peaks (or more) in a day.

Westkill, Leavitt (SW Hunter), Hunter, and Rusk might be another overnight with a stay at the Devil's Acre lean-to.

 

[Jay H]

Denning would be a far far drive for somebody coming from the north...

Blackhead range is a good idea, you could even spot a bicycle on Peck Road to save a bit of road walk. Batavia Kill leanto is an easy walk in that is not far from the trailhead. You could go out to Thomas Cole one day and then up to Windham the next, TC would be an out and back but Windham could be made a circular with some planning with a bike spot.

Jay

 

[deanmacg]

Go to the Biscuit Brook lean-to area and camp. Tackle Doubletop. Do Fir and Big Indian on day 2.

 

[paul ron]

The Windham loop is a great 2 nighter. Hike over Thomas Cole adn that side of the loop to the middle just over Blackhead, there is a lean-to there for the first night. Then hike over Blackdome n Windham, passAcura Point and just before Peck Hollow there is another Lean-to for the second night. The next day is a road walk to the car on the other side.

Check the maps for details as my description is off the top of my head, but I am sure about the lean-tos.

 

[imarchant]

W-C-S & Giant Ledge Loop.

Park @ the hairpin turn on cnty. rt. 47 (Slide Mountain Rd). Hike in to Giants Ledge, (1.6 miles), no lean-to, but plenty of flat areas with fire rings. Hike the loop to Woodland Valley, up Wittenberg, Cornell & Slide and back along rt 47 (take the woods rood just past Winnisook lake, back to Giant Ledge. This is a 15-16 mile loop. If you want to carry a pack, there is great camping for your second night between Cornell & Slide.

 

[Viewseeker]

c-w-s

Did an over night from woodland valley last year.. hike into the first tee and hang a left to the lean-too or continue rt. to others..This is the shortest to carry all the gear into and next day make the traverese over to slide and back. Fill up on water 1 or so miles before the lean-to...you can pm me and i can send you waypoints for water, limited water along if i remember..very nice views, great hike..

 

[MattC]

Great suggestions above, but I'll toss in another just to add to the difficulty of choosing. I'm surprised no one has yet mentioned the eastern Devil's Path peaks, all found within the Indian Head Wilderness. You could use the Mink Hollow leanto area as a base camp and hike Plateau and/or Sugarloaf from there. If you didn't mind returning back over the same peak (s) you could continue east from Sugarloaf to Twin and even Indian Head if you wanted a big day.

Another good site in the area is the Devils Kitchen leanto, but that is at the eastern end of the range, so it probably works better for one night on a backpacking trip, rather than for the base camp-dayhike approach. I suppose you could stay there and do an out and back over Indian Head, Twin and perhaps Sugarloaf. Or if you're not concerned with the 3500' thing, you could hike Plattekill Mt. (some 'whacking) Overlook Mt. and/or Echo Lake from Devils Kitchen.

Matt

 

[Steve-o]

That was fast.
If only I could get that kind of customer service from Sprint!

Thanks for the great ideas!
My mind is on mapquest overload right now.
New mountains...A whole new set of options. Very cool.

I'm leaning towards blackhead and indian head, just because I'd rather be hiking than driving. Much homework to do.

 

[the_swede]

You should get yourself the Catskills Trails mapset from the NYNJTC. You can't beat 'em.

 

[Jay H]

That was fast.
If only I could get that kind of customer service from Sprint!

Yeah, we're a bunch of freaks down here!

Always look on the bright side of life...<insert whistle>



Jay

 

[adirobdack46r]

I was with Viewseeker last Memorial Day weekend on the hike he spoke of. We hooked up with a local college, had 8 people, was a lot of fun.

Camped at a cool spot. When hiking up from Woodland valley campground and you take that left in the trail, go approx .75 miles till the trail opens up and pretty much ends. You are now on Terrace Mtn, a wide open area for tents and a lean-to. About 2.5-3 miles from the campground.

As he mentioned water was very scarce. The closest water we found was 1.75 miles away from where we were camped on Terrace, a little tiny run of water on the trail we came up. We were able to share water to get us through the night, then the next day when we headed for Wittenberg, Cornel and Slide Mtns we went as far as the intersection and then the 4 fastest of us took everyone's bottles and backtracked almost a mile down the mtn to get water then back up to meet the rest and distribute the water bottles. There was a great water supply at Slide Mtn just past where you would turn left to head up the stairs. That was all the water we saw for 3days/2 nights.

The second night on terrace we could here music, I'm assuming there was a band or something playing at the nearest town. Sound sure can travel at night.

 

[smh444]

Try Echo Lake....Park at Mead Rd., hike up to Overlook then down to Echo lake (about 5 miles total). Great camping spot, especially in the Fall. Next day hike to Indian Head - long but fairly easy hike (you can do some bushwacking to shorten the trip). Back to the lake for some rest (and swimming if you want) and a big 'ole campfire. Last day hike back up to Overlook (check out the fire tower!) then down to your car.