First Snow: Pakatakan Trail

  The Pakatakan Trail is part of the Dry Brook Ridge. The trail head sits just outside Margaretville, NY. The first snows in the Catskills usually fall mid-October. By December it is not unusual to find a couple of inches on the ground. By late fall, a hiker should be wearing ice capons on their hiking … Read more

HIke Up Hunter Mountain

Joe Goldman On his way upDevil's path to the summit of Hunter Mountain.
Joe Goldman On his way upDevil’s path to the summit of Hunter Mountain.

Hunter Mountain is at the end of Devil’s Path. It is 7 mile hike with a 2000 ft. vertical rise.  The snow is on the ground until May. Hiking  from December to April requires

Root system of tree on rock out cropping on Hunter Mountain
Root system of tree on rock out cropping on Hunter Mountain

 ice capons on your shoes. During the winter you may elect to hike in snow shoes depending on the depth of the snow. The trail is too rocky for back country skiing. During the summer the hike should take 4-6 hours. There are two trail heads along rt 214.  this leg of the trail is considered very rough rated at a 9/10. There are some small  rock scrambles as you hike above the 3500 ft elevation  mark. There is no water once you leave the streams at the bottom of the mountain. This is a popular hike. The Hunter Mountain Fire tower is on a side trail at the summit. The fire towers offer the best views of the Catskills. On weekends in the summer the fire towers are open so that hikers have the joy of standing on a flat solid platform to view the mountains