Catskills’ Sub-3500

Giant Ledge, October 2009

Giant Ledge is a relatively flat hill located on the ridge between Slide Mountain and Panther Mountain. It can be accessed from the Giant Ledge Parking Area, off of hairpin turn on Slide Mountain Road.

When Thanksgiving Falls, 2000 to 2099

Giant Ledge Parking Area

I went hiking on Columbus Day, a little past peak foliage system after spending two nights camping out in Schoharie County. It is a short hike.

Short Hike to the Ledge

Here is cute little bridge that goes over an unamed creek, running down the northern face of Slide Mountain.

Bridge

After a moderately steep 3/4 mile hike, you reach the “pass” that goes between Slide Mountain and Panther Mountain. This portion is relatively flat, until you reach the last 150 feet of elevation gain, to reach the top of Giant Ledge.

Plateau

Here is Slide Mountain, peaking through the trees as your going up to the last bit to Giant Ledge.

Slide Mountain

Looking off Giant Ledge, towards Woodlawn Valley (in the colorful foreground), with Plateau Mountain, Twin Mountain, Indian Head Mountain, and in the middle, Tremper Mountain.

 Colors

Here is the Wittenberg and Cornell Mountains.

Wittenberg and Cornell Mountains

This is the Woodlawn Valley’s beautiful colors.

Part of the trail runs right along the edge.

Trail Along the Edge

Off the main blue trail on Giant Ledge, there are two campsites at are primative, but nice. This also leads to a trail with views of the Big Indian Valley

Camp Here

Here is the second of two designated campsites on Giant Ledge. There are no campsites on Panther Mountain, which is too high to allow camping. There also is camping on the lower portion Slide Mountain, minus the wonderful views.

Campsite 2

After you hike across the trail to the campsites, there is another short little trail that runs over to a viewpoint with views of Big Indian Mountain, and the Big Indian Valley (where Slide Mountain Road runs).

Across the Potamac River to West VIrigina [Expires November 12 2023]

From here, I hiked up Panther Mountain. Here is a map of the hike.


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Palenville Overlook

On Memorial Day 2009, I decided to go on an afternoon hike to the Palenville Overlook, along the old Catskill Mountain House Road, which was used for horse and buggies during the era of that great mountain house prior to the installation of the inclined railroad and later automobile.

Bridge By Halfway House

The first part of the trail is a moderately steep old wagon road that climbs about 1,000 feet to the site of the Halfway House / Rip Van Winkle Hollow. If it wasn’t gated closed, it would be passable by an automobile. When you reach the ruins of the Halfway House, there are horse tie-downs and ruins of the old tavern known as the Half Way House. It’s where passengers could get a good strong drink and so could horses, as they made their way up to the Mountain House.

Little Pine Orchard Pinic Area

After this nice place for resting, the trail climbs a bit more and becomes a lot less steep. You pass by a private hunting cabin, and finally into the forest preserve. You arrive at a pinic area with nice views of the valley, a picnic table, horse tie-downs, and a fireplace full of trash.

Tree

From there the trail gently goes up, with two big switchbacks. The trail to the Palenville Overlook switch-backs down about 100 feet off the old Catskill Mountain House Road, and then winds on a narrow trail about another mile to the Palenville Overlook.

Mount Airy

You then cross the ruins of the old inclined Otis Railroad tracks, in which all that remains are foundations. According to “AMC’s Best Day Hikes in the Catskills”, the rails and other scrap metal was sold to the War Department during World War I. By then the automobile had made this mode of obsolete as the old horse trail up the valley. All that remains is the cut on mountain, where a high-tension power wire runs.

Old Railroad Grade

You eventually reach the Palenville Overlook. The views are amazing, although it was fairly hazy the day I went there. There are awesome stone-built chairs out of old Palenville Mountain House ruins, that provide a great place to sit with a book, as you enjoy views of the Hudson Valley looking south-east. There is another view along the escarpment of the valley somewhat to the north, that gives more due-east views.

NYS Total Education Aid, 2023-24

Seat with a View

From there, I hiked back to the old Catskill Mountain House road, and up to the site of the old Catskill Mountain House ruins. I took some pictures, and then started down the mountain, when I realized I had left my hat up the Catskill Mountain House site. So I ended up backtracking, and ended up missing Memorial Day dinner at my parents house. But so be it.

Nice Day Out


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Burnt Knob and Acra Point

The previous Sunday I hiked up Windham High Peak. This Sunday I parked on Big Hollow Road, went to the second peak west of Burnt Knob via Black Dome/Escarpment trail, then back east over Acra Point, and back down on the Batavia Kill Trail.It was cold and sleet was coming down. It felt kind of strange with a sunburn from the previous day. It was gray out, with a few times with blue sky peaking out between the snow squalls.

Falling Snow

Watching the snow come down on the mountains was cool, as they rolled in and out. On Acra Point I couldn’t see anything at all because it was coming down so hard. Other times, it would just appear hazy from the ice pellets taking away from the clearness of the day.

White Out

I wish the weather bad been nicer for taking photos. There where some real nice views up there, argumentatively nicer then some that you see from Windham High Point, which is several hundred feet higher. I do want to do redo this part of the trail once things green up out there. I plan to continue doing more of the escartment trail, each weekend a new section. My goal is to hike a new mountain every weekend, until it gets too warm out do it comfortably.

Tulip Time!

That feeling at work.