Catskill Mountains - Catskill Trails, Catskill Hikes, Catskill Adventures and Catskill Advice

Posted by Adventures In The Outdoors February 24, 2012

Catskill Mountains - Catskill Trails, Catskill Hikes, Catskill Adventures and Catskill Advice

On one of the Catskill Park's five
Fire Towers

Enjoying the Outdoors in the Catskills

One of the home bases for those of us at Adventures in the Outdoors is the Catskill Mountains of New York State. This mountainous region is not quite as well known as many of the Northeast's other areas like the Adirondacks or the White Mountains, but the Catskill Mountains offers a variety of hiking and trekking opportunities for all different levels of abilities. Trails visit majestic overlooks, climb steep mountains and visit waterfalls tucked deep into the mountain cloves.

Not only that, but the Catskill Mountains are less than three hours from New York City and the rest of the New York metropolitan region. The mountains offer just about anyone a chance to get out and enjoy the outdoors.

The majority of the Catskill Mountains are within the Catskill Park, inside of which land owned by the State of New York is part of the Forest Preserve that exists in the Catskill Park and the Adirondack Park. The Forest Preserve is protected by the New York State Constitution to be "forever wild." There is just over 300,000 acres of Forest Preserve in the Catskill Park along with thousands of other acres that are available to the public for outdoor recreation.

Near the John Robb Lean-to on Hunter Mountain

Trails crisscross the Forest Preserve and climb many of the mountain peaks. There are also a number of trailless peaks throughout the Catskill Mountains where you can practice your bushwhacking skills. Official hiking trails on the Forest Preserve are marked with Yellow, Red and Blue Trail Markers, which are plastic, round tags that are placed at regular intervals along trails. Trailheads are marked with Signage that identify the public access and at times list the locations reachable by trail from that point. Sign-in registers are located on each trailhead and you should always sign in. Should something unexpected happen, these are the first place that Forest Rangers look to help find you.

As many of our trips and adventures are in the Catskill Mountains, we have put together this page as a source for everything Catskill related on Adventures in the Outdoors. Guides, advice, hiking, skiing, boating and more. If we have done it in the Catskill Mountains, you will find it on this page.

Catskill Mountains - Trail Conditions

Trail Conditions page for Catskill Park and Catskill Mountains Region

Catskill Park Visitor Center

Visit the Congressman Maurice D. Hinchey Catskills Visitor Center

Catskill Hiking Videos on YouTube

The Catskills

Catskill Mountains - General Guides

Catskill Mountains - Hiking Guides

Crossing Plattekill Creek in Platte Clove

Catskill Mountains - Hikes and Trails

Devil's Path Region

Platte Clove Region

Northeastern Catskills

Central Catskills

Vista to the north on Cross Mountain

Southern Catskills

Wittenberg-Cornell-Slide (Burroughs Range) Trail from Woodland Valley

Western Catskills

Catskill Mountains - Map and Guidebook Reviews

Catskill Mountains - Trail Work

Catskill Mountains - Trail News

If you are interested in the Catskill Mountains and the Catskill Park, make sure you bookmark this page, as we will keep it updated with new trips and guides as we continue to enjoy the outdoors in the Catskill Mountains.

MORE CATSKILL PARK, HIKING, PLANNING AND VISITOR INFO

We have a Guide to Hiking in the Catskills available.

Need a hiking map for your hikes in the Catskills? We recommend the Trail Conference's Catskills Trails 6-Map Set. These maps are the best available for hiking and outdoor adventures in the Catskills and the Catskill Park. The Catskill Center offers a regional map of the Catskills that provides an excellent overview of the region, it's roadways, attractions and trails. National Geographic Trails Illustrated also produces a map for the region that is useful for trip planning and road navigation. How about a guidebook? Both AMC and ADK publish trail guides to the Catskill Region .

If you are looking for more information about the extensive history of the Catskill Mountains and the Catskill Park, we would suggest reading The Catskills, From Wilderness to Woodstock and The Catskill Park, Inside the Blue Line. For the most comprehensive natural history of the Catskill Park and the Forests of the Catskill region, we recommend reading The Catskill Forest, a History by Michael Kudish.