Hiking: Huckleberry Loop Trail/Dry Brook Trail | Catskill Mountains, NY | 5/20/11
The Huckleberry Loop Trail is located in the western Catskills near the village of Margaretville. It forms a roughly 12 mile loop over the Huckleberry Ridge and the Dry Brook Ridge. The section of the trail we hiked was from Hill Road up to the Dry Brook Ridge Trail. This section is roughly 2 miles in length.
This was a working hike for me and I have to say that unless I was using the trail as part of a hike over the Dry Brook Ridge (or doing the entire Huckleberry Loop), there's no particular reason to hike this trail. There are no real views along the trail (though it does provide fairly easy access to the open ledges on the Dry Brook Ridge Trail to the south), except for a few vies to the east as you climb the Huckleberry Trail.
The weather mostly cooperated for our trip, though we did have some drizzle and the thunderstorms were getting progressively closer throughout the afternoon. Not a big surprise considering the long, wet spring we have been having this year. The trail itself was fairly dry with only a few muddy areas that looked like they would dry out for the most part when we don't have rain every day.
The trail leaves a small parking area on Hill Road and follows an old roadway steeply up the ridge to its crest. This steep climb lasts about a half of a mile and is one long, steady grade. Once the trail gets onto the crest of the ridge, the steepness of the trail drops off noticeably and climbs gently and also features several long, almost level sections. The trail crosses two old roadways on its way to the Dry Brook Ridge Trail, makes one final climb to the Dry Brook Ridge. Then it follows along the ridge for a short distance before intersecting the Dry Brook Ridge Trail.
That's where our trip ended, but the Huckleberry Loop Trail continues south along the Dry Brook Ridge Trail and then leaves that trail and travels along the Huckleberry Ridge, drops down and eventually makes its way back to the Hill Road. We ended up heading back down the way we came.
Hike Details
NYNJTC Catskill Trails Map #142
Mileage - Hill Road to Dry Brook Ridge Trail - 2 miles (4 round trip)
This was a working hike for me and I have to say that unless I was using the trail as part of a hike over the Dry Brook Ridge (or doing the entire Huckleberry Loop), there's no particular reason to hike this trail. There are no real views along the trail (though it does provide fairly easy access to the open ledges on the Dry Brook Ridge Trail to the south), except for a few vies to the east as you climb the Huckleberry Trail.
The weather mostly cooperated for our trip, though we did have some drizzle and the thunderstorms were getting progressively closer throughout the afternoon. Not a big surprise considering the long, wet spring we have been having this year. The trail itself was fairly dry with only a few muddy areas that looked like they would dry out for the most part when we don't have rain every day.
The trail leaves a small parking area on Hill Road and follows an old roadway steeply up the ridge to its crest. This steep climb lasts about a half of a mile and is one long, steady grade. Once the trail gets onto the crest of the ridge, the steepness of the trail drops off noticeably and climbs gently and also features several long, almost level sections. The trail crosses two old roadways on its way to the Dry Brook Ridge Trail, makes one final climb to the Dry Brook Ridge. Then it follows along the ridge for a short distance before intersecting the Dry Brook Ridge Trail.
That's where our trip ended, but the Huckleberry Loop Trail continues south along the Dry Brook Ridge Trail and then leaves that trail and travels along the Huckleberry Ridge, drops down and eventually makes its way back to the Hill Road. We ended up heading back down the way we came.
Hike Details
NYNJTC Catskill Trails Map #142
Mileage - Hill Road to Dry Brook Ridge Trail - 2 miles (4 round trip)
For More Information on Catskills Hiking and Outdoors
Check out our Catskill Mountain Information Page for hikes, advice and planning information. Need a hiking map for the Catskills? The Trail Conference publishes the Catskills Trails Map Set, which is the best set of maps available for hiking in the Catskills. 
How about a guidebook? Both AMC
and ADK
publish Trail Guides to the Catskill Region
Check out our Catskill Mountain Information Page for hikes, advice and planning information. Need a hiking map for the Catskills? The Trail Conference publishes the Catskills Trails Map Set
, which is the best set of maps available for hiking in the Catskills. How about a guidebook? Both AMC and ADK publish Trail Guides to the Catskill Region
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