Slide Mnt. via the slide (Catskills)

[snowshoe]

Indianchris I think you are right. I thought the same when I first looked at it. It is definently a ridge plus there is too much color on the tops rather then the green from the spruce. I have hundreds of Catskill pictures and none show the cliffs like that in one line and that color, unless i am focusing on a ledge from up close. I would think leges would not show up any different in an arial. I could be wrong though. It is a great shot.

 

[mink319]

I dont know where that shot was taken, once this thread started I did an image search and that was the best one I found. I thought that it didnt look like the Catskills too.

 

[Rob S]

Check this out - - -

http://www.maxho.com/Tiger/

The photo that was posted comes from this website.
This guy flies planes and takes pictures of the places he goes. There are a few pictures that are labeled "CatskillsFall", "CatskillsRed", "CatskillsWing", and "CatskillsWingZoom". But as IndianChris and Snowshoe have pointed out, it doesn't appear to be Slide. My first reaction when looking at the photo was the same (doesn't look like Slide) but I thought maybe it was just me. I also thought the cliffs in the front center were Giant Ledge, but the ridgeline behind the cliffs just didn't make sense. I have an idea, how about we take one of those scenic tours in a Cessna and scout the area for ourselves? Maybe in the spring? We did that in the Dacks a few years ago from Lake Placid. It was really cool seeing all the places you've hiked from a different perspective. Just a thought.

 

[mink319]

Look in the center of the picture. It looks like you can see a few slides. Where is this?

 

[Mark Schaefer]

Mink, that is definitely the Shawangunks. In the glare at the top of the picture it appears to be Skytop with Eagle Cliff to the left. If that is correct I believe we may be seeing the Near Trapps in the foreground. The curved line may be Routes 44/55. The Coxing valley on the left. The small lake on the right may be the fairly recently created lakes on Sparkling Ridge Rd. But I am not totally convinced of all of that. But it is definitely somewhere on the Shawangunk Ridge, perhaps further south. I only see cliff in this picture, no slides.

Many people lump the Shawangunks into the Catskills, although, as we know they are very different geologically.

If you look at the website the i12climbup mentioned. The first, Catskills Fall picture bears a resemblance to Lake Maratanza at Sam's Point, but again this could be further south on the Shawangunk Ridge. The Catskills Red picture is the one Mink posted.

In the Catskills Wings picture you can see the Rondout Reservoir on the left, Slide Mt in the distance, along with Ashokan High Point. The Catskills Wings Zoom picture is just zoomed in on Slide Mt to Ashokan High Point. It appears the plane flew along the Shawangunk Ridge and took a couple of pictures toward the Catskills before flying back over the Hudson Valley. The Galeville Army Field (now a Nature Conservancy Preserve) in one of the other photos is also just east of the Shawangunk Ridge.

 

[Papa Bear]

There was an aerial photo of Slide Mountain I posted from the Terraserver above. Although it's black and white, there is virtually no similarity. There would be no way to hide that line of cliffs in mink's picture no matter what angle the shot ws taken from.

Here'san idea: scan all Terraserver pictures of the Catskills for a match with the mystery picture.

 

[mink319]

I would have to agree with Mark that its the Shawagunks. The white cliffs are something common in the Shawagunks, white the cliffs in the Catskills are a more grey color. Many people often lump togethor the Catskills and Shawagunks, which is a big mistake. They are very different.

 

[snowshoe]

I figured it was the Shawangunks as well. Probably the traps area. It is not further south because there are no long stretches of cliffs like in the picture, the further south one goes.

 

[Bob Smith]

Mink, you asked about other slides in the Catskills, If your going east on rt 23c just past Twilight Park there is a slide (very large, southeast direction) above The Catskills Creek and past Wildcat and Hillyer Ravine's
I always thought it would be a great place to ski

 

[mink319]

Bob, are you sure that slide near Twilight Park is not visible from the Rip Van Winkle Trail, and not 23C? I think I noticed last time I went up that way. Thanks anyway for the reminder.
I think there is a slide up near Huntersfield Mtn. I remember that its up pretty high and has a series of ledges at the top and bottom. I know its in the vicinity of Huntersfield Mtn, but its a big territory with lots of small mountains and old logging roads. I cant remember where exactly it is, but its up there. I think I remember seeing it from a logging road that I was driving on, and went to see what it was, and it was a decent sized slide. That logging road is grown over now, so the only way to find it again would be to explore. This area is quite wild, it often gets overlooked because its not in the Catskill Park. The only time I have ever seen people there is in hunting season. There is also a very nice seasonal waterfall over that way.If anyone wants more info on this area, such as access points, roads, and descriptions just send me a PM.

 

[Bob Smith]

Mink, I have not been on the Rip trail in 20 years, but the slide can be seen from Rt 23 C. You can get a real good view of it after you pass the falls that go under Rt 23C when your heading east.
There is a small parking area that a lot of ice climbers use and right past that is the view (looking up in the 2 oclock direction).

 

[Mark Schaefer]

Bob, you do mean Route 23A (aka Rip Van Winkle Trail) in regards to slide east of Hillyer Ravine in the Kaaterskill Clove. I have seen that slide and know the parking lot. That is also the parking lot for the Naiad's Bath swimming hole - across the road and down a short path to the creek. There are many slides in the Kaaterskill Clove. It was a minor landslide that permanently closed the Malden Turnpike near 23A in Palenville. FYI County Route 23C starts at the traffic light in Tannersville and goes north past Camp Tri-mount in East Jewett, before turning west.

Arm, The Wittenberg-Slide loop offers some of the best views in the Catskills. It is a 15.1 mile loop according to the trail descriptions on the back of the New York New Jersey Trail Conference map. You can shave a little off that distance by following the old trail from the north end of Winnisook Lake over to the current trail. There is an easement across the privately owned start of that old trail, and it is still in excellent shape. Also there is an easement on the old road at the end of the Woodland Valley Road. There are signs on that old section of the trail that scare most people into using the official trail over the bottom of Fork Ridge. If you are short on time you can still legally hike that section of old road. It saves some distance and elevation gain at the end of the loop.

If you want a shorter hike the hike over the Giant Ledge to Panther provides some great view. For that hike you need to use the trailhead at the hairpin curve on County Route 47, as there is no parking at the north end of Winnisook Lake at the start of the easement that I mentioned above.

Or you could do the other 4K mountain, Hunter. The 2.3 mile hike up Becker Hollow is the shortest and fastest approach, . Or there is a nice 7.85 mile loop from the end of the Spruceton Road.

 

[Bob Smith]

Mark, Your correct 23A. Good pick up

 

[mink319]

Platte Clove

Try goin to Platte Clove Mtn Road, but not this time of the year. Its a very nice road with many great views and gets almost no traffic. Its unplowed so its a great place to snowshoe, but I wouldnt ski down it because there are no guard rails, and if you fell it would be a long drop. There are also a few slides here, but not as big as the ones in Kaaterskill Clove.
To get there just keep going on Platte Clove Rd past Prediger Rd. If you want to drive it please wait until early May, there are shady spots that have snow very late, and if you had to turn around it would be very hard because its narrow.