Great Catskills Loop Hike With Views - Snowshoeing Acra Point in the Catskills
Acra Point is located between Blackhead Mountain and Burnt Knob in the northeastern Catskills. The 3,098 foot tall mountain offers a 6 mile loop hike, which is a rarity among Catskills trails. With just over a thousand feet of elevation and moderate grades the entire time, this moderate hike makes a great trip year round, including in the winter - which is when we enjoyed this hike as a snowshoe.
In the winter months, when there's a foot or more of snow on the ground, be sure to wear snowshoes. If there's less, or its especially icy, be sure to wear traction devices such as microspikes.
It's always icy and snow accumulates quickly in the Catskills and trails get packed down very fast. Microspikes are a must all the time in the winter and be sure to have snowshoes when snow gets very deep. If you don't own them, snowshoes and microspikes can be rented at the Catskills Visitor Center (https://catskillsvisitorcenter.org/rentals).
For our hike we began at the Big Hollow Trailhead (don't block the snowplow turnaround in the winter) and followed the unplowed section of Big Hollow Road to the intersection with the Black Dome Range Trail. We turned left onto the Black Dome Range Trail and climbed to the notch between Burnt Knob and Acra Point, which is also where the trail ends at a trail junction with the Escarpment Trail. From here we turned right on the Escarpment Trail towards Acra Point, ascended to the summit of Acra Point, and then descended to the notch between Acra Point and Blackhead Mountain. This notch is also where the Batavia Kill Trail intersects with the Escarpment Trail. At the notch, we turned right on to the Batavia Kill Trail and followed it down, past the Batavia Kill Lean-to, to the trailhead we began at on Big Hollow Road.
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Outdoor Hiking, Backpacking and Camping Guide Services:
In the winter months, when there's a foot or more of snow on the ground, be sure to wear snowshoes. If there's less, or its especially icy, be sure to wear traction devices such as microspikes.
It's always icy and snow accumulates quickly in the Catskills and trails get packed down very fast. Microspikes are a must all the time in the winter and be sure to have snowshoes when snow gets very deep. If you don't own them, snowshoes and microspikes can be rented at the Catskills Visitor Center (https://catskillsvisitorcenter.org/rentals).
For our hike we began at the Big Hollow Trailhead (don't block the snowplow turnaround in the winter) and followed the unplowed section of Big Hollow Road to the intersection with the Black Dome Range Trail. We turned left onto the Black Dome Range Trail and climbed to the notch between Burnt Knob and Acra Point, which is also where the trail ends at a trail junction with the Escarpment Trail. From here we turned right on the Escarpment Trail towards Acra Point, ascended to the summit of Acra Point, and then descended to the notch between Acra Point and Blackhead Mountain. This notch is also where the Batavia Kill Trail intersects with the Escarpment Trail. At the notch, we turned right on to the Batavia Kill Trail and followed it down, past the Batavia Kill Lean-to, to the trailhead we began at on Big Hollow Road.
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You can find more information about this hike on:- The NYNJ Trail Conference's Catskill Trails Map Set
- National Geographic's Trails Illustrated Map for the Catskill Park
Outdoor Hiking, Backpacking and Camping Guide Services:
Advice and Recommended Gear:
Gear we used on this hike:
- Osprey Talon 22 Pack
- Osprey Kestrel 38 Pack
- Merrell Thermo Chill Mid Waterproof Boots
- Salomon X Ultra 3 GTX Hiking Shoes
- Black Diamond Trail Back Trekking Poles
- Darn Tough Socks
- Tubbs Flex TRK Snowshoes
- MSR Evo Ascent Snowshoes
- Microspikes
- Sawyer Squeeze Water Filter
- Nalgene 32-ounce Wide-Mouth Water Bottles
- Energizer LED Headlamp
- Mountain Hardwear Acadia Jacket
- Columbia Titanium Outdry Ex Reign Jacket
- NEMO Chipper Reclaimed Closed-Cell Foam Seat Pad
- Lenny & Larry's The Complete Cookie
- Gatorade Endurance Carb Energy Chews
- GU Energy Roctane Ultra Endurance Energy Drink
- Jelly Belly Sport Beans - Energizing Jelly Beans
- Garmin Instinct Watches
- Garmin inReach Plus GPS
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