The Catskill Park and High Peaks
Catskill Park lands have parking areas at the trailheads with sign in stations. It is always recommended to sign in and out when using the forest preserve. Dogs are allowed to hike with you but are required to be leashed. The Catskills are home to the black bear, white tailed deer, bobcat, coyote, red fox, American Bald Eagle, blue heron, and a plethora of smaller woodland animals and birds. Please respect all nature you encounter and practice the Leave No Trace Behind rules when using park lands.
Both primitive and amenity camping opportunities abound in the Catskills. Primitive camping is allowed in the Wilderness and Wild Forest areas of the Catskill Forest Preserve, so long as you follow certain guidelines designed to protect sensitive summit forest communities and water quality of the streams. Wilderness camping rules include not camping within 150ft of a trail, stream, or pond, and not above 3500ft elevation except in winter. The State also operates campgrounds which can be found here.
Five Catskill peaks, Hunter, Overlook, Tremper, Balsam Lake, and Red Hill, have fire towers on their summits; remnants of an era gone by. The Catskill Fire Tower Restoration Project restored these towers, making them safe so that the excellent views and educational aspects of the towers can now be enjoyed by the public.
The Catskill 3500 Club was founded in 1962, to foster interest in hiking in the Catskills. Membership is open to all persons, who have climbed on foot each of the 35 Catskill peaks above 3500 feet in elevation. The club defines the mountains on their list as those wehre there is at least a 250 foot drop between the peak and any other peak on the list, or the peak must be at least ½ mile away from any other peak on the list. In all there are 35 peaks that meet these criteria with the highest peak being Slide Mountain topping out at 4,180'.
Hiking maps are available at most local bookstores and online. To obtain copies of these free maps, contact the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation at 607.652.7365 (Region 4) or go to their website.
