Vly Mountain – Catskills, NY 1-1-17

[Darkmatter]

Trip report for my recent ski trip up Vly Mountain in the Catskills. Was a good trip on fresh snow, not bad for so early in the season! Everything was great until the snowmobiles showed up to churn up the limited snow pack.

https://operationalaska30.com/2017/01/06/trip-report-vly-mountain-catskills-ny-1-1-17/

 

[Tom Rankin]

Nice TR. I was up there a few days ago, and it looked similar. If you go South 200' from Vly (follow the blazes) there is a nice view rock.

The Blue blazes are a property boundary. You will also see Yellow State blazes along the way. This is what lead to a herd path forming, since the summit is on the dividing line between state/private land.

BearPen can be approached entirely on the old road you started on, or you can take a short cut. I've never had any problems with the snowmobilers or the land owners at the shack. The snow-mo activity is legit BTW, I've seen their permit. They do a lot of trail maintenance up there as well.

 

[Darkmatter]

Nice TR. I was up there a few days ago, and it looked similar. If you go South 200' from Vly (follow the blazes) there is a nice view rock.

The Blue blazes are a property boundary. You will also see Yellow State blazes along the way. This is what lead to a herd path forming, since the summit is on the dividing line between state/private land.

BearPen can be approached entirely on the old road you started on, or you can take a short cut. I've never had any problems with the snowmobilers or the land owners at the shack. The snow-mo activity is legit BTW, I've seen their permit. They do a lot of trail maintenance up there as well.

Hey Tom, thanks for the info on the blazes, didnt realize that! Also I know the snowmobile activity is legit, it wasn't a real issue, just bad luck/timing given the conditions is all. Although I did genuinely worry if they came up on me quickly around a blind corner it may be a safety issue. I don't spend much time on mixed use trails like that so wasn't sure on the proper etiquette. Figured better safe than sorry.