catskill dayhikes from nyc?

[bruno]

i know i could just look at a roadmap, but i know my fellow vftt'ers will have a good idea of the times and all and best hikes and everything. can you go on good long hikes in the catskills from nyc and back in a day? i mean i do a lot of white mountain hikin' as day trips from boston when i have to be back for work. how does goin' to the catskills compare? i have to be in nyc a lot these days and wanna do some catskill hikin' as i've never been.

thanks!

 

[Jay H]

Hi, I'm in northern NJ and I dayhike the catskills all the time... You're biggest problem (depending on which boro you're in of course) is getting out of the city. Once you get over to Orange/Rockland county, you would be anywhere from 1 hour 45 minutes to say 2 hrs 15 minutes from most places in the catskills. I usually use Woodland Valley in Phoenicia as a standard gauge. I am about 1 hour 45 minutes from Woodland Valley from northern NJ so obviously, you have plenty of opportunities for a dayhike in the catskills. Just add that time to how long it takes to get out of NYC proper.

Isn't the White mountains from Boston a good 2.5-3 hours? If so, then you should easily be able to do a bunch of catskill hikes similarly. Don't forget the Gunks, Harriman, East Hudson, West Hudson, CT, and the parks in northern NJ for dayhikes. Not much in terms of good backpacking sites other than the AT or so, but plenty of dayhikes in and around the lower Hudson and northern NJ.. The Gunks would be about 1/2 hour closer than the catskills... of course, depending on where in the gunks..

Jay

 

[funkyfreddy]

It's a bit of a long drive for a day hike, in my opinion, although I have done it before! I did the classic Slide/Cornell/Wittenberg loop as a dayhike the first time I climbed those, but it took a lot of coffee to get me home that night.......

There are a lot of us VFTTer's in the NYC area who are quite fond of the Catskill's, so maybe you can hook up with some of us. I would be interested in going up there for dayhikes if we shared the driving.

 

[Bob Smith]

Bruno, Both Jay and Fred are correct. I live in North Jersey and work in the City and can make the Black Head Range in under 2 hours. But if you only have a small time space, you may consider Harriman State Park. Not a lot of elevation but a Great place to hike none the less. The AT goes through it and it's less than an hour from the City.

 

[Warren]

I'd say it's doable, it's about 3 hours from the city. You can lessen the time by picking the closer to the interstate trailheads.

For me, I do more local stuff for day hikes, Breakneck Ridge, Harriman, Shawagunks.

 

[MattC]

There's several ways to access the Catskills, depending on which peaks you're after. RT 28 is the main artery running east-west, and it neatly divides the 3500'+ peaks almost exactly in half. Don't assume that the southernmost peaks are the quickest drive though. As Warren mentions, it's really proximity to the NYS Thruway that matters. There is a "short-cut" called Platte Clove Rd. which goes to peaks such as Indian Head, Twin, Sugarloaf and Plateau (all on the Devil's Path) and Kaaterskill High Peak. It's a narrow, twisty, steep, dangerous road, almost as exciting to drive as the peaks are to climb!

Anyhow, it's snowed in and closed every winter, but in a couple months, you'll be able to get these peaks pretty quick off the Thruway. Right now one has to go through Kaaterskill Clove (also magnificent), Tannersville, etc. to get to these trailheads. If you think you're going to spend a significant amount of time hiking here, get a good trail book and the 5-map set from the New York/New Jersey Trail Conference, available online (www.nynjtc.org) or wherever fine outdoors products are sold. Be careful-the Catskills are known to be quite addictive...

Matt

 

[askus3]

I lead AMC hikes to the Catskills from time to time with a public trans option. I pick up hikers at Harriman (actually called Central Valley Park & Ride to get an extra buck by the bus company from the traveler) which is just off exit 16 of the Thruway. Then we drive by car the 2 hours. So your trip from NYC takes 3.5 hours each way, So you are talking usually a 7 hour hike with 7 hours of sleep/traveling. And I do get takers. By the way, the bus you want is the 7:15 Short Line out of the Port Authority getting to CV or Woodbury Commons at 8:17. But maybe you could arrange on this board someone to pick you up there to continue your trip.

 

[Jay H]

I've picked up and dropped off Fred at Willowbrook mall which is a direct route from NYC and only a 1/2 hour. CV or the Woodbury Commons would be the faster method but a longer bus trip.

Don't forget Rt 17 too, if you're say going to do Balsam Lake or going to Bearpen/Vly or so, you might consider taking exit 16 (rt 6/Rt17 Future I-86) all the way west to either Monticello or points further and take Rt 42 to Grahamville and you can pick up Slide Mtn Road (CR47).

The only problem with this is there are a lot of buses that go up and down Rt42 and it's one lane with the occasional dotted line crossing so Rt42 might be slow at peak travel times.

Jay

 

[askus3]

Good points Jay. I have shown Daxs that route after the Panther hike at the "Gathering" via NY 42. (She did not know of the southern approach.) And since I live in Warwick, I have no problem going to Woodbury Commons en route to the Catskills, but for me Willowbrook would be totally ridiculous.

 

[bruno]

thanks for all the great info! one more thing--what if i wanted to stay overnight (i like to hike a lot but like to sleep indoors and drink wine and eat pizza, pasta and burgers so's i don't have to carry a big pack). i'm a big fan of hiker's paradise in gorham as you may know. are there any comparably cheap cool places to stay up in the catskill area? motels and all?

again, thanks!

 

[bruno]

ok ok ok i don't wanna be a pain in the butt about it, but i'm gettin' stoked about hittin' the catskills. can anyone post a few pictures of a summit or two? when you get a chance that is!!

also, ya'll know that book "my side of the mountain" by jean craighead george? doesn't it take place in the catskills? man, that was my favorite book when i was wee.

 

[Jay H]

According to Amazon, it is, doesn't say where in the catskills but it does mention it in the description...

As far as hostels.. I don't know of any in the catskills but there is one in New Paltz (which is the gunks) and would only be about 1/2 hour away.

I'm sure some of the locals might have more info. There are some real cheap motels in the Tannersville/ Hunter Mtn area but some of them are real dives though.

Brios in Phoenicia has some awesome pizza (wood oven fired) so if you like pizza, Phoenicia is a good place. Wouldn't recommend the Phoenicia (black bear) campsite though. Woodland Valley is also closed for winter.

View of the Ashoken Reservoir from Wittenberg

Taken the weekend of Feb 12th on a hike with Daxs, Guinness, and Mcorsar. (not much snow then!)

Jay

 

[cragger]

Photos

You asked for photos- - here's a view from Westkill: www.gregmillerphotography.com/N000102.htm

 

[ken]

i do a lot of white mountain hikin' as day trips from boston when i have to be back for work. how does goin' to the catskills compare?

i have done the whites as a daytrip from n.y.c. (already comitted myself for south kinsman for "flags on the 48" on saturday and something came up for sunday) that was 5 hours each way, the catskills are closer than that - if you take the taconic, kingston is 2 hours, making shandaken about 2 hours 40 minutes - catskill is 2 hours 20 minutes, making windham about 2 hours 45 minutes (another 20 minutes from windham gets you to bearpen & vly) - if you do the southern catskills take the palisades parkway to route 17 - go up through fallsburgh & grahamsville for denning in 2 hours 40 minutes.

 

[Warren]

A quick selection of pics from the Catkills:

http://home.earthlink.net/~donum/CatskillPicks/CatskillPicks.html