Overlook Mountain Hike

Overlook Mountain is a very good and beautiful hike that is great for tourists and beginners. The elevation gain is a little bit high so a lot of people that haven’t been exercising will have to take a couple of breaks till they reach the top. Sadly, there are no viewpoints nor anything interesting to see until people get to the top. But once you are on the top, it is very beautiful. Keep in mind that Catskills only open the top of the fire tower during the weekends.

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Overlook Mountain Hike Important Information

Trail Map: Trail Map 1, Trail Map 2
Suggested Phone GPS Apps: Alltrails.com, Avenza Maps, Google Maps

Difficulty: Easy To Moderate
Distance: 4.2 Miles
Elevation Gained: 1,400 ft
Portable Toilet At Parking: None

Trail Breakdown
Red Trail To Ruins- 2 miles
Fire Tower – 0.5 miles

https://www.mapmyhike.com/workout/1804811405

Note: The information is just an approximation.

Parking

42.070899, -74.122594

Parking lot is pretty big but still hard to find parking since this place is very popular.

 

Start Of The Hike

Once upon a time on a bright and sunny day, I found myself on a peculiar road that leads to the top of a mountain. It was a good day to go hiking, with various types of people walking towards the road. There were lots of beginners, tourists and experienced hikers getting ready to climb up the mountain as well. I found myself having one thing in common with all of them which was that we were all smiling. We were all having a good time as we embarked on an exciting adventure.

 

Red Trail

The red trail started out with a gentle incline that was easy on the legs and barely noticeable as well. I heard laughter echoing all around me as everyone walking up the mountain was still in good spirits and in a good mood. Everyone seemed to be enjoying each other’s company and enjoying the gentle footpath that was very welcoming.

 

Red Trail Ascent

The laughter did not lasts long as they were drowned by the heavy breathing that a couple of people were experiencing. The ascent became steeper and it was enough to make a lot of the beginners experience some form of fatigue and hardship. I walked passed everyone and wished them well in my mind. I hope  they make it to the top and enjoy the beautiful views that this mountain was promising.

 

Red Trail Fall Foliage

Falling leaves of different colors brushed against my cheek as the wind blew them out of their branches. In some sort of way, the leaves said goodbye to the beautiful summer while welcoming the season of Fall. They fell beautiful to the Earth, dancing their way downward, so carefree and graceful in their own ways.

 

Red Trail – Cars Going By

Various cars went down the road which surprised everyone. The cars moved slowly, trying to give hikers time to move to the side. Cars were not something I was expecting to see on a trail. There were other trails where I saw vehicles move up and down the footpath and I always wondered if they would give me a lift to the top or bottom of the mountain if I asked.

Would people be that nice or would they just ignore me?

 

Overlook Mountain House Ruins

Hiding behind a few trees and bushes was the remnants of a house. It was a big house with two floors, big doors and various windows. The people who lived here must have been rich to be able to afford a house like this. But they were long gone, and the house was in ruins with floors missing, windows gone, and doors destroyed. It was a fragment of what it used to be, just a broken down place that can’t even shelter nor protect wild animals.

 

Overlook Mountain House Ruins

To my surprised, the inside of the house was actually clean. There weren’t any broken branches, broken pipes, metals, or anything dangerous hanging around. The floor had very little leaves and debris which meant that someone cleaned this place so that people can have a safe time exploring it.

 

Overlook Mountain House Ruins

Various scrawny trees made their home in the middle of the ruin. Even the trees seemed well maintained and the amount of dead leaves on the floor were very few compared to the outside. I was certain that a few men and women would collect these dead leaves every year and thrown them out because if that was not the case, these dead leaves would just accumulate in this place.

 

Overlook Mountain House Ruins

There were other houses or ruins in the vicinity but they weren’t as big as the first one. The first ruin must had been a mansion of some sort and other ones were houses for the workers.

 

Trail To Fire Tower

Various signs of warning people of rattle snakes were scattered through out the footpath. I looked vigorously for snakes and watched my steps carefully but there was none. I couldn’t even find any signs snakes even coming to this place.

The slope to the top was rather easy and I found myself enjoying my hike more and more. As I reached the top, I was greeted by a small house but it seemed to be empty, locked and no way to get inside.

 

Overlook Mountain Fire Tower

I took a left turn and found myself in front of a giant, a monstrous fire tower that seemed to be able to climb all the way to the sky. The sun’s rays glistened the metallic skeleton that the fire tower had as the fire tower shimmered underneath the deep blue sky.

 

Overlook Mountain Fire Tower

Various people were at the top of the fire tower so I sat at a picnic table nearby and waited for my turn. A sign at the base of the tower suggested that only a few people go up at a time and I chose to respect it. The tower looked beautiful, a huge piece of art created by human beings, towering over other structures in the area.

 

Climbing The Fire Tower

The wind was howling as I was climbing the fire tower but the tower held its ground. It trembled a little bit but I was not concerned that it would fall. The tower was very strong, sturdy and it looked like people maintained it all year long. As such, I was not afraid going to the top of it even as the wind blew with all its might.

 

Climbing The Fire Tower

As I got to the top of the fire tower, I realized that it was closed. I couldn’t get inside as it was shut very tightly by a lock. After talking to a few people, I realized that the rangers only open the top during the weekends so I was out of luck.

 

Climbing The Fire Tower

Still, the view was amazing. I sat at the cold stairs while staring at a windowless scenery. The colors of fall scattered themselves through out the landscape as the leaves turned light green, yellow, orange and red. I held the cold steel bars to prevent myself from falling and basked in the scenery of the beautiful scenery down below. As the wind howled and the tower trembled a little, I couldn’t care less as I was drowning in beauty and couldn’t take my eyes off the beautiful landscape that was all around me.

I went down, went to the other side of the mountain, across the tiny house and into another viewpoint.

 

Overlook Mountain Lookout

The cold hard ledge was stable and coarse to the touch with a lot of markings. The markings were names of people carved on the stones by a crude instrument like a knife or sharp stone. I could barely make out the people’s names and I couldn’t care less. Humanity has this fear of being forgotten so they etched their names and create markings hoping they will leave some sort of legacy. Such a faulty way of thinking as no one would care and everyone is meant to be forgotten. Such is our fate yet people who have not found peace still struggle greatly with it.

 

Overlook Mountain Vista

The wind felt nice in this part of the mountain as it smashed against my clothes and my hair, pushing my body backwards with its sheer might. I held my ground as I loved the way the wind felt on my skin and the freshness that it brought to my lungs.

 

Overlook Mountain Views

The colors of the Fall were beautiful with hints of green, yellow, orange and red scattered all over the valley down below. I sat on a rock, just admiring the scenery as I couldn’t move. I was just there enjoying the wind, enjoying the view, and letting all of my worries and problems melt away. It was relaxing as I felt my whole body becoming lighter, and my eyes closing due to the very calming atmosphere I found myself in.

 

Trail Going Back

I passed by lots of people as I was heading down the mountain, they all were smiling and having a good time. The laughter never stopped as I kept seeing one happy person after another. There were so many happy people hiking up the mountain. It is what I love about hiking, it was hard not to have fun when you share it with friends and people you like.

 

End Of The Hike

It was a great day to hike and a great day to spend on a beautiful mountain. The leaves were all changing, giving me a new sense of appreciation with the Earth or nature. It was that one time of the year where nature shows off and reminds everyone how beautiful the land can be. I opened my car door, and drove back to my home as I planned my next adventure in the Catskill Mountains.

 

For More Hikes

For more hikes similar to this one, you can go to my Best Hikes In Catskill, New York page.