Wittenberg mountain and Cornell hike is somewhat hard since the climb is rather steep so this hike puts a lot of pressure on the legs and knees. The ascent and descent will make your lower legs work hard. There were no switchbacks, just a somewhat straight incline to the top. The viewpoint at Wittenberg mountain is beautiful but Cornell’s lookout is blocked by trees. Overall, a very good hike to do if you are ever in the Catskills.
Wittenberg Mountain And Cornell Hike Important Information
Trail Map: Trail Map 1, Trail Map 2
Suggested Phone GPS Apps: Alltrails.com, Avenza Maps, Google Maps
Difficulty: Strenuous
Distance: 8.5 Miles
Elevation Gained: 3,200 ft
Portable Toilet At Parking: None
Trail Breakdown
Red Trail
Mount Wittenberg Views
Red Trail
Cornell
Red Trail Going Back
Parking Lot
https://www.mapmyhike.com/workout/1812639020
Note: The information is just an approximation.
Parking
Start Of The Hike
Nature in its simplest form had all the dreams of men. There was an abundance of trees for shelter, enough food to lasts more than one lifetime, adventure in its depths, and comradery and companionship tends to form to all the people who shared this simple love for the Earth. The morning sun rose from its slumber, it illuminated the colorful trees surrounding me, as I walked around the parking lot while waiting for my group members to arrive. My skin felt the warmth of the morning rays like a comfortable blanket on this cold October day.
Red Trail
The sun hid behind the clouds as my group members and I approached a very peculiar bridge. I traced my fingers on the wooden rails, it was coarse, rough and wet as we all crossed it while stomping on the yellow and brown leaves that was scattered everywhere. It was obviously made by people and it was sturdy, strong and safe, as if it would lasts for a hundred years or maybe even more. The colors of Fall was in full bloom, and even without the sun, all I could do was appreciate the beautiful colors that this hike and this place had provided.
Red Trail Going Up
The cold dank forest sent chills to my skin as I zipped my jacket to prevent cold air from getting in. It was the start of a never ending series of steps upwards with very little flat terrain, just an unforgiving upward footpath going to the top of the mountain. Still with high spirits, faces full of smiles and bodies full of vigor, we kept climbing to the top, one step at a time. I paused for a second, tightening the hip belt of my backpack to my hips, making my body more comfortable as I mentally readied myself to conquer this mountain. I had hoped I was ready for this hike as the elevation gain was very high but it was too late to condition my body any further. I was either fit or not, time could only tell.
Red Trail Ascending
As the morning sun shone its light on the forest, it glowed in hints of gold, green, red, yellow and amber. In that moment, I just wanted to stop and stay still, just admire the colorful leaves falling down to my face. Not move at all, let time passed me by and just appreciate nature and how beautiful it can be. But I know that was not possible as I was leading a group of people to the top of this mountain so I hiked on.
Red Trail Fall
Difficult and demanding, the steep trail went on and on upwards without any hint of an end nor could we see the beginning anymore. Stuck in the middle, we kept moving as it was our only choice… too high to go back and too little and too late to stop moving forward. I could hear the heavy breathing of my groupmates and saw sweat glistening on their necks and face as we kept moving. The footpath was narrow and was not a good place to rest as if we would just block people that were going up or going down so we kept moving with each step becoming heavier and more strenuous than the last one.
Red Trail Fall Foliage
I wiped the sweat off my forehead and looked at my surroundings. The light that illuminated the trunk and leaves of the trees while creating a shadow underneath made a very picturesque scene. It was a beautiful scene like some sort of Christmas light decoration around the trees. I hurried a little bit as my group members were leaving me behind but if I could, I would have stayed a few more minutes just admiring and appreciating my surroundings.
Red Trail Red Carpet
The ground was a blood bath, a sea of red as far as the eye could see. A multitude of red leaves made their peace here and each time I moved, I could here the leaves crackling and breaking from the weight of my body. The tree trunks were bald enough to let the light in, illuminating our way and pushing the shadows away.
Red Trail Yellow Butterflies
It was like a million yellow butterflies flapping around as we got higher and higher up the mountain. The yellow leaves surrounded us from all sides. Left and right, up and down, they were everywhere. I stretched out both of my hands to touch a few, my fingertips felt the wetness and moistness of the leaves as they were still watery from the morning dew.
Red Trail Barren Trees
A peculiar tree stood out among others as the trail became a little steeper and more difficult. The tree was barren but seemed strong and alive. It stood in front of us, standing tall and proud as if it welcomed the coming winter and was always ready to let go of all of its leaves.
Red Trail Getting Lost
I made a wrong turn and went to the right but the correct path was a narrow crevice that was going straight.
Red Trail Almost At The Top
The trees were very few in this part of the trail with big rocks and monstrous roots scattered everywhere along the footpath. There were gigantic trees at the corners of the trail, like towers of might or strength, welcoming us and urging us to come in. As the morning sun brightened my surroundings and illuminated the path that I was on, it was a clear sign that we were near the top of the mountain. It was as if we were coming out of the darkness and into the light. We laid down our backpacks and sat on top of the rocks to take a short rest, just to catch up to our breaths and give our bodies a little bit of reprieve.
Red Trail Still Going Up
The incline was composed of a few series of stairs made out of stone that was arranged together to make the journey a little bit easier for the people coming here. Even in this place, away from civilization, the handiwork of human beings could be seen. While such unnatural rock formations detract people from nature, it was a welcomed sight for my body as I was struggling already to keep moving upward. The distance between each of my members were huge as the people who had a lot of stamina were already up ahead while the ones who weren’t fit were slow and falling behind.
Mount Wittenberg Vista
We finally arrived at the vista with a handful of people already there enjoying the view. I took off the backpack I was carrying and lay it on the smooth ground. I felt the heaviness of the bag with my arms and the lightness that my shoulders felt after the backpack was gone. I sat down looking at the view as I opened a bottle of water and drank it to quench the thirst that my throat was feeling. I took a deep breath in then exhaled out as I prepare to have a relaxing moment for some time.
Mount Wittenberg Lookout
The clouds dissipated slowly right in front of us, leaving the clear blue sky for us to see. The blue sky was the epitome of nature’s beauty. Naked and vivid with a few streaks of white clouds here and there, the sky was beautiful and gave lustrous to the colorful valley below. Every corner as far as the eye could see had a sense of peace and harmony, and such feelings went straight to my heart then slowly spread all over my body, creating peace and tranquility in my mind and to every single piece of me.
Mount Wittenberg Viewpoint
I sat near the edge, enjoying the wind coming in from the silver horizon. I gazed in silence at the valley that was slowly changing and marveled at how beautiful nature could be. In here, nothing was asked of me. I had no responsibilities, nothing I needed to do, nothing I have to do. All I had to do was relax and let my body rejuvenate. In doing so, I could feel all of my worries fading away, all the expectations of the world slowly melting until there was nothing left. Where all the baggage and all the burden that the world had given me was gone.
Mount Wittenberg Fall Foliage
I sat one last time near the edge of the vista before taking my group further up the mountain. The top of the hills were burnt amber in color with yellow and green leaves the further down. It is expected as the trees at the top would feel the coldness of the weather first before the bottom. This type of beauty was fleeting which made me appreciate it even more. In 2-3 days, the trees will become barren and most of the colors will be gone. What would be left will be dark black trees that no longer have leaves. It was as if the forest was dying in order to be reborn again, and I find such phenomenon to not only be beautiful but also amazing.
Red Trail To Cornell
The path to Cornell Mountain started out flat with tall trees along the side of the trail. It was a narrow footpath with plenty of shade and barely any incline. The type of dirt footpath that I like as it required very little energy to traverse and very pleasant to walk onto.
Red Trail To Cornell Rock Scramble
My hands felt numb as I gripped an outcrop from this almost vertical wall that we had to surpass. The stones were hard, and cold with the frosty winter wind blowing onto my hands. I clasped my hands together and blew onto them to give them warmth with a puff of smoke coming out of my mouth, a true testament to how cold the mountain had become. I extended a hand to my group mates having problems getting up, just trying to make sure that everyone got up safe and sound.
Cornell View
The view at Cornell Mountain was blocked by trees.
Lookout View Going Back
At the top of the rock scramble, a view could be seen. Not the best but it was decent. I was too busy looking at my group members going down to appreciate the view as I wanted to make sure everyone made it down safe and sound.
Wittenberg Lookout Going Back
We took one last look at the viewpoint before heading back down the mountain.
Red Trail Going Back
The descent to the bottom proved to be rather taxing and destructive to my lower legs as they were at their limit by this point in time. Each step created a little bit of pressure that I could no longer move fast nor walk downward in a normal way. Slowly but surely, I tried my best to hike and move forward while watching out for my group members. Still, the steepness of the trail made my knees hurt as each step created a little bit of pressure to the point where if I don’t rest every few minutes, my knees would be in pain.
Red Trail Descending
As the light dropped down on the cracks between the leaves of the forest, it illuminated the colorful leaves surrounding me. It was as if time stopped for a few seconds, and I was enveloped in stillness for one moment where everything I saw became vibrant and vivid, as if I was seeing nature for the first time. As if everything was new and as if I was seeing these leaves for the first time in my life.
Red Trail Afternoon Sun
The hike downwards was really painful to the knees that every time the terrain became flat, I was extremely grateful. I was walking rather slow and even if I wanted to walk fast, it would be futile as my legs were already at their limit. All I could do was keep moving slowly and hopefully I get back down before dusk begins.
Red Trail Alone
At this point, I was all alone. There were a few people behind me but most of my group members were very far ahead. I couldn’t leave the slow ones nor could I walk very fast at this point.
Red Trail Solitude
The light was starting to wane and my time was getting shorter. Fear and worry kept entering my mind. I wanted all of us to get down as fast as possible but at the same time, I didn’t want to force anyone to keep moving. All I could do was watch over the slow ones and hopefully, we make it down in time.
Red Trail Red Leaves
I passed by another area filled with red leaves and in here I saw a few of my group members that were very agile and fast. They waited for us before heading down to the parking lot. It was very nice of them or maybe they were just waiting for the people in their carpool as they cannot leave without them. Whatever it was, I was just grateful that I know that people were safe and not lost or missing.
End Of The Hike
“I made it!!” I thought to myself as I gazed through the road covered in brown leaves. Most of my group members had already left and went back home. I didn’t mind as the drive to get back to NY and NJ would take 2 hours or more. It was a great hike filled with beautiful scenery while also providing a great source of exercise to those who love to feel the burn in their bodies. I opened the car door, and said goodbye to everyone. “Until we all meet again in the next hike or next adventure”, I thought to myself. I turned on my car and went on my way back home.
For more hikes similar to this one, you can go to my Best Hikes In Catskill, New York page.