See the Catskills Like Never Before!
Ready to go for a hike in the Catskills? Check out one of the recommended hikes below to plan your own adventure.
The Catskills include 287,500 acres of state land (Forest Preserve) and are filled with endless opportunities for adventure, including hiking, camping, hunting, fishing, skiing, mountain biking, rock climbing, paddling, and snowmobiling. With a unique mixture of public and private lands, history, culture, art, and proximity to New York City, the Catskills make an ideal mountain escape.
Find more information on:
- Hike Smart NY - Make sure you carry the 10 Hiking Essentials and follow the hiker's responsibility code.
- Leave No Trace - Follow these Seven Principles to learn how to recreate safely and sustainably
- I Love NY for trips and itineraries in the Catskills.
- Previous hikes - For a list of the past guided hikes, for more ways to experience the Catskills on your own
Recommended Hikes
Tremper Mountain Fire Tower
Hike to the Tremper Mountain fire Tower (Town of Shandaken, Ulster County). A moderate hike up to a historic Fire Tower. Trailhead is on Plank Road (County Route 40) 1.5 miles east of the Hamlet of Phoenicia. From the Trailhead, follow Red Markers along a narrow foot trail for about a half mile over rolling terrain, then turn right onto an old wood road through a hemlock-northern hardwood forest ascending gradually at first, then more steeply, passing the Baldwin Memorial Lean-to at 2.2 miles from the trailhead. Continue the ascent on the old wood road, passing another lean-to just before reaching the fire tower at the summit at 3.05 miles. Return to the trailhead by descending the trail you came up to (total distance 6.1 miles). For more to do in Ulster County after your hike, check out I Love New York's guide.
Dibble's Quarry
Parking is found at the Roaring Kill parking area. Begin by hiking .25 miles up the yellow trail from the parking area until the intersection with the blue trail. Take a left on the blue trail toward Pecoy Notch, hiking up a slight incline for .9 miles. Upon reaching Dibble's Quarry, hikers will see remnants of an historic bluestone quarry that provided stone until the late 1800's. Dibbles Quarry contains various stone creations, including chairs and spiral staircases, created after the quarry closed. For more to do in Greene County after your hike, check out I Love New York's guide.
Frick Pond Loop
Hike the Frick Pond Loop, an easy hike around a pond offering plenty of views of birds and other wildlife as one passes through old fields and northern hardwood forests. From the Trailhead, follow the red markers to the pond, then turn north and follow yellow markers to the "Times Square" trail junction. To complete the loop follow yellow markers south along the west side of the pond to the red trail, then turn left and head east back to the trailhead (total distance 2.2 miles). For more to do in Ulster County after your hike, check out I Love New York's guide.
Rochester Hollow
Rochester Hollow Trailhead parking lot is at the end of Matyas Road, 0.5 miles north of it's junction with State Route 28, a mile west of Big Indian. A pleasant, easy hike on an old woods road that follows a babbling brook as it ascends the hollow to a monument to naturalist John Burroughs at 1.9 miles from the trailhead. Continue on to an old farmstead at 2.5 miles, and just beyond that, a lean-to shelter overlooking a sugar maple stand. In addition to the main trail, marked with blue markers, there are two alternative trails that leave and rejoin the main trail, allowing one to explore former farm fields surrounded by laid-up stone walls. For more to do in Ulster County after your hike, check out I Love New York's guide.
Hunter Mountain Fire Tower via Colonel's Chair
Take the Hunter Mountain Scenic Skyride to the 3,200-foot summit to access the Hunter Mountain Fire Tower trail. Follow the yellow Colonels Chair trail up 1.1 miles to the intersection with the blue Spruceton trail. Turn left and follow the Spruceton trail uphill 1 mile to the Hunter Mountain Fire tower. The Hunter Mountain Fire tower is New York's highest elevation fire tower, offering spectacular views of the Catskill Mountains. For more to do in Greene County after your hike, check out I Love New York's guide. **Please note: There is a fee for accessing this hike via the Hunter Mountain Scenic Skyride. To find out more details, please visit Hunter Mountain's website.
Burnt Knob and Acra Point
Parking is located at the Big Hollow parking area. Follow the red trail 1.1 miles north of the parking area towards Burnt Knob and Acra Point. At the intersection with the blue Escarpment Trail turn left to hike to Burnt Knob and/or right to hike to Acra Point. Both vistas are located along the Escarpment Trail and offer great views of the Hudson Valley and the Blackhead mountains. The trip should take around 3 hours. For more to do in Greene County after your hike, check out I Love New York's guide.
Kelly Hollow
Trailhead parking lot is located on Mill Brook Road, 5.5 miles east of the junction of Mill Brook Road and the NY City Road (south side of Pepacton Reservoir). From this trailhead, you can take a short loop, 2.0 miles/1.5 hours or extend the hike to the longer loop, 3.8 miles/3 hours, passing by a lean-to and a beaver pond. For more to do in Ulster County after your hike, check out I Love New York's guide.
Cabot Mountain Lookout
Trailhead parking is found within Little Pond Campground (day use fee at entrance). Follow the yellow trail out of Little Pond 1.6 miles to the intersection with the red Touch-Me-Not trail. Turn left onto the red Touch-Me-Not trail and climb .5 miles to the Cabot Mountain Lookout, offering spectacular views of Little Pond and the Catskills. For more to do in Delaware County after your hike, check out I Love New York's guide.
Alder Lake
Trailhead parking lot is at the end of Alder Creek Road, 2 miles north of Beaverkill Road in Turnwood. This is a scenic 1.6 mile/1.5 hour easy hike encircling Alder Lake over gently rolling terrain. Look for eagles, osprey, red-winged blackbirds, and other wildlife that are frequent visitors to the Lake. For more to do in Ulster County after your hike, check out I Love New York's guide.
North-South Lake Ashley Falls Loop
Hike to the North South Lake Ashley Falls Loop, an easy hike along the Escarpment Trail with breathtaking views. The Mary's Glen trailhead is located on North Lake Road within North South Lake campground just outside the town of Haines Falls and Tannersville. From the trailhead, follow the red trail .5 miles up a slight grade to the intersection of the yellow Rock Shelter trail, stopping to enjoy Ashley Falls along the way. For more to do in Greene County after your hike, check out I Love New York's guide.
Onteora Lake
Trailhead parking lot is on Route 28, 3 miles west of Thruway Exit 19 (Kingston). Explore the Bluestone Wild Forest, with several historic bluestone mines that provided bluestone for sidewalks for many cities, including nearby Kingston and New York City. An easy trail runs along picturesque Onteora Lake on the western shore, then loops around, passing old quarries and the eastern shore of the lake before returning to the trailhead 2.4 miles/2 hours. Extend your hike by adding on the red loop 1.1 miles, or the blue loop 1.3 miles. For more to do in Ulster County after your hike, check out I Love New York's guide.
Vernooy Kill Falls
Trailhead parking is on Upper Cherrytown Road north of Kerhonkson (take County Route 3 north from State Route 209). The trail, marked with red markers, follows an old wood road, gradually ascending Cherrytown Mountain to a series of picturesque waterfalls near the site of an old mill, 1.8 miles from the trailhead. Round trip distance 3.6 miles, 3 hours. For more to do in Ulster County after your hike, check out I Love New York's guide.
North Point
Parking is located at the Scutt Road parking area. From the trailhead, cross North lake Road and hike 1.3 miles along the Rock Shelter Trail over rolling terrain to the intersection of the Mary's Glen trail. Start climbing uphill (north) for .8 miles along the red Mary's Glen trail until the intersection with the blue Escarpment trail. Turn left and follow the Escarpment Trail .2 miles to North Point. North Point offers remarkable views of North-South Lake, Kaaterskill High Peak, and the Devil's Path. For more to do in Greene County after your hike, check out I Love New York's guide.
Overlook - Meads Meadow Loop
To get to the trailhead parking lot from Woodstock, take Rock City Road north, then continue on Meads Mountain Road, passing the Overlook Trailhead parking lot at the height of land and descend on what is now McDaniel Road 0.5 miles to the Meads Meadow Trailhead Parking Lot. The Meads Meadow Loop (0.5 miles) and Overlook Trail Loop (1.3 miles) offer easy, short family friendly style hikes (1.5 hours). Alternatively, extend your hike by climbing Overlook Mountain (2.4 miles, moderate) and take in the view (elevation 3140 feet) from the Fire Tower. Round trip distance for the fire tower from Meads Meadow is 6 miles, 4 hours. For more to do in Ulster County after your hike, check out I Love New York's guide.
Trout Pond
Park At the trailhead parking area located on Russell Brook Road. From the trailhead, hike 1.4 miles down the Trout Pond trail passing Russell Brook Falls on the east side of the trail. Trout Pond is bordered by 2 lean-tos and is a great location to view Cherry Ridge and take advantage of wonderful backcountry fishing opportunities (fishing license required). For more to do in Delaware County after your hike, check out I Love New York's guide.