Here are some of the best hikes that I know of in Catskills, New York. Catskills has a lot of trails and very good hikes that people should experience. The fall foliage is also very beautiful in this area during October. I highly recommend to travel here for some fall foliage leaf peeping. I often drive for 2-3 hours just to be able to hike the trails in Catskills and they are worth it. If you love to go camping, there are plenty of beautiful areas to visit. North South lake campground is very beautiful and offer a lot of trails for beginners to enjoy. Catskills also have The Devil’s Path which is one of the most dangerous and challenging hikes that you can do in this region. Here are some of the best hikes that I have done, hopefully, these guides can help you out.
1. North South Lake Escarpment Trail Loop
One of the easiest and most beautiful hikes in Catskills. You can also stay at the campgrounds in North South Lake if you love to go camping. This hike offers a lot of beautiful views and the trail is mostly flat. There are not a lot of rock scrambles. This is one of the best hikes for fall foliage in Catskills. I see a lot of amateur photographers with their DSLR cameras whenever I go here in the fall. This may not give people a good workout though. This hike is somewhat easy but long.
| Miles: 8 | Elevation Gain: 1100 | Loop: Yes |
| Difficulty: 6 | Rock Scramble: None | Notes: Beautiful |
| State: Hunter, NY | Park: Kaaterskill Wild Forest | Parking: Spacious |
2. Giant Ledge And Panther Mountain
This is another very beautiful hike and somewhat popular. This is great for fall foliage as well. The cell phone reception or transmission is kind of weak in this area though so make sure that you communicate with your group before you come to the parking lot. There are various ledges and they all offer amazing views. It can get pretty crowded in the weekends though. There is often a line for picture taking during the peak of the leaf peeping season in the fall. It is best to go to this place during the morning on October, if you go during the afternoon, the sun splits the lighting in half. One part of the valley will lit up due to the sun’s rays and the other half will be in the shadows.
| Miles: 6.3 | Elevation Gain: 2000 | Loop: No |
| Difficulty: 7 | Rock Scramble: Low | Notes: Fall foliage hike |
| State: Shandaken, NY | Park: Slide Mountain Wilderness | Parking: Limited |
3. Overlook Mountain
This is another very beautiful hike that you can go to. The elevation is a little high but I see a lot of beginners hike this place. The trail is basically a road so it is not that hard on the feet and legs. It is very easy to follow so it is pretty hard to get lost. There are some ruins of houses, a fire tower and a cliff view. The fire tower was closed when I went here. I can still go up but the top of the fire tower was closed. I could still see amazing views at the stairs though. There is a ledge at the opposite side. You can just go there after you are done with the tower.
| Miles: 4.6 | Elevation Gain: 1,400 | Loop: No |
| Difficulty: 5 | Rock Scramble: Low | Notes: |
| State: Woodstock, NY | Park: Overlook Mountain Wild Forest | Parking: Limited |
4. Huckleberry Point
This is another very beautiful place in the Catskills and it is not that hard to hike this place. There is only one viewpoint but it is pretty big and it is pretty beautiful. I could do this hike in 2 hours. I see a lot of children and their parents doing this hike as well. If you need more exercise then I recommend the Kaaterskill High Peak which is next to this. In the fall, if this place is still green, there is a possibility that the Kaaterskill high peak is at its peak but be warned, Kaaterskill high peak is a very tough hike and not marked very well.
| Miles: 4.5 | Elevation Gain: 1,200 | Loop: No |
| Difficulty: 5 | Rock Scramble: None | Notes: |
| State: Elka Park, NY | Park: Kaaterskill Wild Forest | Parking: Spaceous |
5. Kaaterskill Falls
There are not a lot of beautiful waterfalls near where I live. I am pretty sure that this is most likely the most beautiful waterfall that is closest to where I live. The problem with this waterfall is that this is very dry during the fall. The time I went to this place, it was raining all night and there was still a little bit of shower while I was hiking this place. So the waterfall was flowing and it was very beautiful. I recommend going to this place during May. Be careful hiking this place as a lot of people have already died in this waterfall.
| Miles: 2.6 | Elevation Gain: 800 | Loop: No |
| Difficulty: 4 | Rock Scramble: None | Notes: |
| State: Hunter, NY | Park: Kaaterskill Wild Forest | Parking: Limited |
6. Twin Mountain
If I want a good workout and exercise then I will go to this hike. I usually will travel to the Indian Head peak then go to Twin mountain. There are not a lot of views but the trail is somewhat challenging that this hike is actually very fun to do. There are a few views in between each other, some are blocked by trees, but they will still allow people to take a 2-3 minute rest just to see if there is a view. Overall, the hike is tough but a lot of fun. The parking lot is often full during the morning in the weekends. I suggest getting to the parking lot rather early.
| Miles: 8 | Elevation Gain: 2100 | Loop: Yes |
| Difficulty: 8 | Rock Scramble: Some | Notes: |
| State: Hunter, NY | Park: Indian Head Wilderness | Parking: Spacious |
7. Indian Head Mountain
This is a shorter version of the hike Twin Mountain. If you feel that you are already too tired and you have ascended and descended way too much already, then you do not have to finish the Twin Mountain and instead pick this shorter hike instead. After the Indian head mountain view point, there will be an intersection. One path will take you to Twin mountain and other path will take you to the parking lot. You can choose to go to the parking lot if you are already very tired.
| Miles: 6 | Elevation Gain: 1,700 | Loop: Yes |
| Difficulty: 8 | Rock Scramble: Some | Notes: |
| State: Hunter, NY | Park: Indian Head Wilderness | Parking: Spacious |
8. Wittenberg Mountain And Cornell
This hike is very tough because of the high elevation gain. This is definitely not for beginners and there is only one view point. The view point is actually pretty beautiful. I love it. This is a tough hike. You are just going up and up and up. It is like hiking through a bunch of stairs that are made out of rocks. When I did this hike, it was in the fall. The trail was very beautiful. I love the trail of this hike during the fall. There were so many colors and the hike was just so beautiful.
| Miles: 8.5 | Elevation Gain: 3,200 | Loop: No |
| Difficulty: 10 | Rock Scramble: Lots | Notes: |
| State: Shandaken, NY | Park: Slide Mountain Wilderness | Parking: Spacious |
9. Hunter Mountain Loop
This is a pretty good hike with a good view at the fire tower at the top. This is a pretty good hike in the Fall and a pretty good hike during Spring as well. The only problem is that the fire tower only opens during the weekends. It stays locked during the weekdays so it is better to do this hike during Saturday and Sunday.
| Miles: 8 | Elevation Gain: 2,200 | Loop: Yes |
| Difficulty: 8 | Rock Scramble: Some | Notes: |
| State: Hunter, NY | Park: Hunter-west-Kill Wilderness | Parking: Spacious |
10. Kaaterskill Highpeak And Hurricane Ledge
The view near the top of Kaaterskill Highpeak is very beautiful. There are a couple of ledges so that groups of people can enjoy the view. The problem with this is that it is unmarked. The trails are not marked. I remember, a lot of people passed me by and I was still in the middle. They were moving at a very fast paced. It seems that they got lost. I met them before I reached the top. I met them again at the top when I was about to leave. So they got lost for 2 hours, and another hour before they reached the top. You need to have some sort of GPS here or an experienced hiker. I realized I can track based on subtle terrain differences which allowed me to reach the top easily. I don’t recommend this for beginners.
| Miles: 8 | Elevation Gain: 2000 | Loop: No |
| Difficulty: 9 | Rock Scramble: Lots | Notes: |
| State: Elka Park, NY | Park: Kaaterskill Wild Forest | Parking: Spacious |
11. Sugarloaf Mountain
This is another fun and tough hike. There are these strange chairs in the hiking trails. The chairs are made out of stone which makes them look like thrones. I’m pretty sure a couple of people just stacked them up together but the chairs are still pretty cool. The hike features a lot of steep trails which means you will go up the trails and do some rock scrambles. Going down is a little bit tough also but doable. This is a challenging hike but fun as well.
| Miles: 6.8 | Elevation Gain: 2,200 | Loop: Yes |
| Difficulty: 9 | Rock Scramble: Lots | Notes: |
| State: Hunter, NY | Park: Slide Mountain Wilderness | Parking: Limited |
12. Plateau Mountain
This is another tough hike because it has a lot of ups and downs. However, there is a part where it is just straight and flat. It is kind of boring but when I did this, I was actually glad that the trail was pretty easy. There is not a lot you can see and the view isn’t that amazing. The trails are narrow and not a lot of people hike this place.
| Miles: 6 | Elevation Gain: 2000 | Loop: No |
| Difficulty: 9 | Rock Scramble: Lots | Notes: |
| State: Hunter, NY | Park: Slide Mountain Wilderness | Parking: Spacious |
13. Plattekill Falls
A very short hike towards a waterfall. If you are doing Huckleberry Point or Kaaterskill high peak or even Sugarloaf or Twin Mountain, you can go to this place to check out the waterfall rather quickly. This is a short hike and very easy. You can relax while looking at the waterfall before you drive towards your home.
| Miles: 0.5 | Elevation Gain: 200 | Loop: No |
| Difficulty: 1 | Rock Scramble: None | Notes: |
| State: Elka Park, NY | Park: Indian Head Wilderness | Parking: Small |
14. Inspiration Point and Boulder Rock
This is an easy hike with very beautiful views. There is not a lot of views because this is pretty short as well. However, the views are pretty good and one of the best short hikes you can do in the Catskills.
| Miles: 5 | Elevation Gain: 1000 | Loop: Yes |
| Difficulty: 5 | Rock Scramble: Low | Notes: |
| State: Tannersville, New York | Park: Kaaterskill Wild Forest | Parking: Spacious |
15. North Point
This is basically the same as the first one which is North South Lake Escarpment Loop. North Point is the view at the highest point in the hike. You can basically skip a lot of view points and just go here. I don’t recommend skipping the other views because they are beautiful but you can do it if just want to get to this place.
| Miles: 8 | Elevation Gain: 1100 | Loop: Yes |
| Difficulty: 6 | Rock Scramble: None | Notes: Good for fall foliage |
| State: Hunter, NY | Park: Kaaterskill Wild Forest | Parking: Spacious |
16. Artist’s Rock, And Sunset Rock
This is a part of the first hike I recommended which is North South Lake Escarpment Loop. This is a short hike if you just want to get to this two view point. Sunset rock is very beautiful and it is worth a 1-2 mile walk.
| Miles: 1.8 | Elevation Gain: 300 | Loop: No |
| Difficulty: 3 | Rock Scramble: None | Notes: |
| State: Hunter, NY | Park: Kaaterskill Wild Forest | Parking: Spacious |
17. Newman’s Ledge
This is another hike that is part of the first one that I recommended which is North South Lake Escarpment Loop. This is the last view point before North Point. This a protruding rock but it is rather small. So it looks good in photographs but it is still rather small.
| Miles: 2 | Elevation Gain: 300 | Loop: No |
| Difficulty: 3 | Rock Scramble: None | Notes: |
| State: Hunter, NY | Park: Kaaterskill Wild Forest | Parking: Spacious |
18. West Kill Mountain And Buck Ridge Lookout
This is a challenging hike that you can do in Catskills. There are not a lot of views but still a fun hike. Good workout for a 6.5 mile hike.
| Miles: 6.5 | Elevation Gain: 1800 | Loop: Yes |
| Difficulty: 8 | Rock Scramble: | Notes: |
| State: West Kill, NY | Park: Hunter-west-Kill Wilderness | Parking: Spacious |
19. Blackhead, Black Dome, and Thomas Cole Mountain
This is a pretty tough hike due to the elevation. There are a lot of ups and downs which will put a lot of pressure on your knees and lower legs. There are some great views and viewpoints as well which makes this hike very good.
| Miles: 8.2 | Elevation Gain: 1,800 | Loop: Yes |
| Difficulty: 8 | Rock Scramble: Lots | Notes: Lots of deer and ticks |
| State: Windham, NY | Park: Windham-blackhead Range Wilderness | Parking: Spacious |
20. Windham High Peak
This hike is pretty good with a lot of decent viewpoints. A great hike that is also very near the Blackhead range. The first mile is the toughest because of the ascent. After that, the hike is not that hard with just a few ups and downs.
| Miles: 7 | Elevation Gain: 1,600 | Loop: Yes |
| Difficulty: 8 | Rock Scramble: Low | Notes: First mile is the toughest |
| State: Windham, NY | Park: Windham-blackhead Range Wilderness | Parking: Spacious |
21. Vroman’s Nose
This is a beautiful hike for less than 2 miles. This is pretty good for beginners. I highly recommend this for people who do not have a lot of stamina. The downside is that the trail head is pretty far from the other hikes I mentioned. The trail head is very up north of Catskills.
| Miles: 1.7 | Elevation Gain: 500 | Loop: Yes |
| Difficulty: 5 | Rock Scramble: Low | Notes: Beautiful Views |
| State: Middleburgh, NY | Park: Patria State Forest | Parking: Spacious |
22. Peakamoose Mountain And Table Mountain
This is one of the most challenging hikes that I have ever done in the Catskill. There are a lot of ups and downs or ascents and descents. The hike is somewhat long and the elevation gain is pretty high.
| Miles: 10 | Elevation Gain: 2400 | Loop: No |
| Difficulty: 9 | Rock Scramble: | Notes: |
| State: Grahamsville, NY | Park: Sundown Wild Forest | Parking: Spacious |
23. Red Hill Fire Tower Trail
This is a pretty easy hike. A good short hike and good for beginners as well. Keep in mind that the fire tower only opens during the weekends. It will stay locked and not accessible during the weekdays.
| Miles: 2.5 | Elevation Gain: 800 | Loop: No |
| Difficulty: 5 | Rock Scramble: | Notes: |
| State: Claryville, NY | Park: Sundown Wild Forest | Parking: Spacious |
24. Eastern Devil’s Path
This is a pretty hard hike. I did the Eastern Devil’s path in one whole day. It is rather hard with lots of steep and deep descents and ascents. There was so much ups and downs. If you are not careful, you may end up hurting yourself. Lots of rock scrambles as well. You will meet a lot of people along the way if you do this in a weekend.
| Miles: | Elevation Gain: | Loop: No |
| Difficulty: 11 | Rock Scramble: Lots | Notes: |
| State: Hancock, NY | Park: Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River | Parking: Spacious |
25. Western Devil’s Path
Not as tough as the Eastern Devil’s Path. This one does not have a lot of descents as the Eastern one. You will still go up and down but not as much. I liked this one. I may do the whole devil’s path trail in one day. I don’t know when though.
| Miles: | Elevation Gain: 750 | Loop: No |
| Difficulty: 9 | Rock Scramble: | Notes: |
| State: Hancock, NY | Park: Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River | Parking: Spacious |