If you do not already own a good Catskill trail map you will want to purchase one of the following:
- Venture Out Catskill Map. The entire Catskill Forest Preserve including the NY City DEP hiking areas on one very large map. Similar in design to the National Geographic maps for the Adirondacks.
- New York / New Jersey Trail Conference Catskill Map Set. 6 smaller section maps with 3 additional inserts covering the marked DEC trailed areas and some NY City DEP areas. Has concise trail descriptions on the back of each map.
Both of these maps show the lean-tos, designated primitive camp sites, water sources, parking areas, major viewpoints, trail distances on the maps. The NY/NJ map set may be easier to use in the field. The Venture Out map is better for the non-trailed areas and for understanding the entire Catskill region; and for planning hikes / backpack trips that span more than one of the NY/NJ maps. I find helpful to own both maps.
If you can spot a car the Long Path between Phoenicia and Platte Clove is 24 miles long and intersects no roads for the entire distance. The section between Tremper Mountain and Plateau Mt is one of the least used trails in the Catskills.
The Escarpment Trail is also about 24 miles long without an actual road crossing, but the southern and northern sections tend to be used heavily. The section between North Point and Blackhead receives much less use.
The Frick Pond, Hodge Pond, and Quick Lake area west of the Mongaup Pond campground has a large network of trails which all receive very light usage. The area east of Mongaup Pond is similarly lightly used, and there are loop possibilities involving Long Pond and trail routes over Mongaup (east summit), Sand Pond, and Willowemoc Mountains.
The Huckleberry Loop is very lightly used could be done either from Huckleberry Brook Road or Ploutz Road. For a longer outing the Huckleberry Loop could be hiked starting from Mill Brook Road using the Dry Brook Ridge Trail. There are a few grassy meadow areas along the southern half of the Huckleberry Loop which could be used for camp sites. The largest of these meadows was the site of an old farm in the col between the 2770' and 2800' summits. The southern portion of the loop have ample supplies of red raspberries (although these may be wine berries) which ripen late July through early August. Whatever they are they are good eating. There are also a few blueberries along the Dry Brook Ridge. But surprisingly there are no huckleberries along the entire loop.
Tunis Pond, a short distance off the Neversink-Hardenburgh Trail is another great remote area for solitude. The unmarked path to the pond is shown on both of the maps noted above.
The Beaver Meadow lean-to on the Millbrook Trail is a very lightly used lean-to and great for solitude. In addition to the trailed access to Millbrook Ridge and Balsam Lake Mountain, this trail also provides access to bushwhack routes to Cradle Rock and Woodpecker Ridges.
