Catskill Outdoor Recreation Bulletin

August 2021

This bulletin provides only the most recent notices. Check the Catskill Backcountry Information webpage for more detailed information on access, outdoor recreation infrastructure, and conditions.

Emergency Situations: If you get lost or injured; keep calm and stay put. If you have cell service, call 911 or the DEC Dispatch, 833-NYS-Rangers (1-833-697-7264).

Hike Smart by packing the proper gear. See our recommended packing list and safety tips.

Welcome to the Catskills

The Welcome to the Catskills webpage is the place to go if you are interested in learning more about the Catskills. It provides information about the Forest Preserve and conservation easement lands, outdoor recreation opportunities, and Leave No Trace. Be sure to check out the links to additional information and tips for recreating safely and minimizing your impacts on natural resources, recreational infrastructure, and other backcountry users in the Catskill Mountains.

Recreation Highlight: @NYSDECAlerts

Planning an outdoor adventure this weekend? Follow @NYSDECAlerts on Twitter for real-time updates to help you prepare. @NYSDECAlerts provides updates for DEC-managed lands throughout New York State, including the Catskill Mountain Region.

Discover what parking areas are full before you arrive so you can move straight to your back-up location and get on the trail sooner. Check for special advisories or links to alternate hikes. Love our NY Lands by hiking responsibly and planning ahead with the help of the most up-to-date information.

Catskills Visitor Center

The Catskills Visitor Center building is temporarily closed for renovations and will re-open Labor Day Weekend with all new exhibits. In the meantime, staff are set up on the porch, and visitors are welcome to stop by to ask questions, get trip planning advice, or pick up maps and local information. 

Staff is onsite to answer questions in person, via phone or email daily from 9:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. Stop by on your way to the trails for the latest park news, local maps, information, and more!

Contact the Catskills Visitor Center for more information: 845.688.3369 or info@catskillcenter.org.

For local trail conditions, visit the Catskills Visitor Center Trail Conditions webpage

Events

8th Annual Lighting of the Catskills Fire Towers

In the evening on Saturday, September 4th, find a place with a view of your favorite fire tower on the horizon for the 8th Annual Lighting of the Catskills Fire Towers event! Rain date is Sunday, September 5th.

This year, all five historic Catskills fire towers will be lit (Mount Tremper, Hunter, Balsam Lake, Overlook, and Red Hill).

For more information on viewing sites, visit the Catskills Visitor Center website
When: Saturday, September 4th, 2021 9:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.

Hike Smart & Be Prepared

Before you hit the trail, check out DEC’s Hike Smart NY page to learn about safety, best practices, preparedness, and the Hiker Responsibility Code. Discover trails less traveled, and visit when trails may not be as busy.

Check the Weather: Check the National Weather Service for current conditions and forecasts for the locations where you plan to recreate. Check both daytime and nighttime temperatures. Expect conditions to be cooler and more exposed on mountain summits. 

Mountain Summits: Check the National Weather Service to prepare for summit weather conditions.

Stay Dry with a Raincoat: The Catskills have been experiencing many thunderstorms this season. Always remember to pack your raincoat as rain can occur unexpectedly in the mountains, and it is much more comfortable to be dry while on the trail.

Catskill Region Daytime Highs ~ High 70s
Catskill Region Nighttime ~ Low 60's

Manage your time wisely: Be mindful of sunrise and sunset times, and plan accordingly. Start long hikes early to maximize sunlight hours.

Approximate Time of Sunrise: 6:10 a.m.
Approximate Time of Sunset: 7:52 p.m.

Stream crossings can be tricky. They may be impassable altogether. Pay attention to the weather. Low water levels in the morning can make crossing easy but can quickly become treacherous or impassible after thunderstorms. Check conditions and plan alternative routes ahead of time to avoid dangerous crossings.

Ticks: Wear light-colored clothing with a tight weave to spot ticks easily. Wear closed-toe shoes, long pants and a long-sleeved shirt. Tuck pant legs into socks or boots and shirt into pants. Check clothes and any exposed skin frequently for ticks while outdoors. Consider using insect repellent. Stay on cleared, well-traveled trails and walk in the center of trails. Avoid dense woods and bushy areas. Additional tips for tick prevention.

Love Our NY Lands: All of us have a responsibility to protect State lands for future generations. Follow the Hiker Responsibility Code, practice Leave No Trace and consider visiting trails less traveled.

Recent Notices

Stewardship & Adopt-A-Trailhead Program

The Catskill 3500 Club has been diligently volunteering at the Slide Mountain trailhead on weekends and holidays to provide a stewardship presence. Friendly faces are at the trailhead greeting hikers and giving advice on preparedness and Leave No Trace principles and ethics. The volunteers from the Catskill 3500 Club bring a trove of local knowledge of the Catskills to the Adopt-A-Trailhead program. For more information about the Adopt-A-Trailhead program please visit DEC's website.   

SCA Backcountry Stewards: Student Conservation Association Back Country Stewards have been providing bear prevention education to visitors at the primitive campsites in the Peekamoose Valley Riparian Corridor. Recently, this area has been subject to increased bear activity. 

Peekamoose Blue Hole & Riparian Corridor

DEC has issued special regulations for the Blue Hole and Peekamoose Valley because of the huge increase in visitors. The purpose of these regulations is to increase public safety and reduce impacts to environmental resources. The regulations:

• Require visitors to obtain a permit for a $10 fee through Reserve America, consistent with fees for other recreation-oriented Day Use areas in the Forest Preserve;
• Each permit will be linked to a vehicle, and the permit must be displayed on/in the vehicle;
• Limit parking to designated parking areas only. Parking along the shoulder of the road is prohibited by the Town and is a Tow Away Zone;
• Users are required to use portable restroom facilities for human waste disposal and the dumpster for all other waste;
• The following are prohibited at the Blue Hole (limited use will be allowed at the nearby designated camping area only):
  • Except for the nearby designated camping area, the Blue Hole is only open to the public from one half hour before sunrise to one half hour after sunset.
  • Camping
  • All fires (including charcoal fires, wood fires, gas grills, propane stoves or other portable stoves)
  • Use of portable generators
  • Alcohol
  • Glass containers
  • Coolers larger than 12" in any dimension
  • Radios and other audio devices
• Parking is limited to designated parking areas only. Parking along the shoulder of the road is prohibited by the Town and is a Tow Away Zone.

*Doubletop and Graham mountains, located in the town of Hardenburg, Ulster County, are no longer available for public use. This also includes the surrounding private lands. Local landowners have graciously allowed public access to these mountains and private lands for many years, however, they are no longer allowing access.   

If hiking from the Seager Trailhead on Dry Brook Road in the Big Indian Wilderness or the Drybrook Trailhead on Millbrook Road in the Balsam Lake Mountain Wild Forest, only the parking areas and marked trails that traverse private property are accessible to the public until you reach the larger expanse of State Forest Preserve Lands. Please respect private property and stay on the marked trails in these areas until you reach the larger expanse of Forest Preserve Land.  

Catskills Visitor Center

The accessible trails at the Esopus Creek Fishing Access across the street from the Catskills Visitor Center has experienced damage during the recent flooding events. The trails were scoured by the overflowing Esopus Creek which also deposited several inches of thick, sandy mud over several hundred feet of the trail. Due to the damage, the trails at this location no longer meet ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990) standards of accessibility. 

Slide Mountain Wilderness Area and Overlook Mountain Wild Forest

Trail counters are now installed at Giant Ledge and Overlook Mountain trailheads. Data from the counters provide an understanding of the amount of visitation these areas receive as well as help to establish sign-in rates at trail register locations. 

Bluestone Wild Forest & Shandaken Wild Forest

Onteora Lake: DEC will be working with Ulster County Department of Transportation (DOT) to improve road and parking access at both Onteora Lake in the Bluestone Wild Forest and at the Allaben Access in the Shandaken Wild Forest. While DOT performs work at these sites, visitor access will be limited. 

Improvements will begin at Onteora Lake on Tuesday, August 24th, weather permitting. Work may continue through Tuesday, August 31st. During this time, the gate that provides access to the lower parking area at Onteora Lake will be closed and locked prohibiting access to the lower parking area. The main upper parking area at Onteora Lake will remain open as much as possible, but portions of the upper lot, including the entranceway to the upper parking area on NY Route 28, may be blocked off periodically in order to complete the work. Please consider alternative options for recreating in the Forest Preserve during this time. 

Sundown Wild Forest

Trail building work is scheduled to begin in Sundown Wild Forest at the end of August. The much anticipated reroute of the Long Path through Sundown Wild Forest will eliminate a nearly 10-mile portion of road walk from the long distance trail that spans from New York City through Altamont NY.  

Kaaterskill Wild Forest

The Molly Smith parking area on Route 23a in the Town of Hunter has been closed to improve visitor safety. Kaaterskill Falls can still be accessed from Laurel House Road, Schutt Road, or North South Lake Campground. You can find directions to these parking areas on DEC's website.

Hunter-West Kill Wilderness

A bridge replacement project on the Diamond Notch Trail began in late July. DEC Operations staff will be replacing a foot bridge at the southern extent of the Diamond Notch Trail which was damaged during winter storm events in December 2020. The trail will be temporarily rerouted around the work area while the bridge is being replaced.

Leave No Trace

The Leave No Trace principles provide a framework for safe and sustainable recreation. The principles provide guidelines that can be tailored to you. Before heading out to visit State lands, take the time to review and familiarize yourself with these principles ahead of time to help ensure you will be prepared, stay safe, and minimize damage to our shared lands and waterways.

It's easy to Leave No Trace.

1. Plan and Prepare
2. Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
3. Dispose of Waste Properly
4. Leave What You Find
5. Minimize Campfire Impacts
6. Respect Wildlife
7. Be Considerate of Others

Learn more about how you can protect natural spaces when exploring outdoors by visiting the Leave No Trace website.

There are tens of thousands of acres of State lands to visit and thousands of miles of trails across the state for hikers of all abilities, whether you want to hike the Adirondacks or take the family and friends out for a short excursion to a scenic view in the Catskill Park.

All New Yorkers and visitors should be able to access, enjoy, and feel welcome on state lands. These lands belong to all of us, our families, and our neighbors. While enjoying these shared spaces, be respectful of other visitors. Share trails, treat people with kindness, and leave things as you found them for others to enjoy.

All of us have a responsibility to protect State lands for future generations. Follow the Hiker Responsibility Code, practice Leave No Trace principles, and consider visiting trails less traveled.