Hike Catskill Mountain House to North Mountain Trails

We will break this hike into a morning and an afternoon section. Bring a lunch we will stop at the Catskill Mountain House site for lunch before we continue with the afternoon portion. Based on a photo album discovered on-line by Scott Koster, we will follow some of the places visited by these adventuresome young women.

Morning portion South Mountain Trails: We will go from the Mountain House site to Boulder Rock by way of the abandoned trail called the “Circuit of South Mountain”. The young women from communities in New York and beyond were summer workers at the Catskill Mountain House in 1925, the year after the Kaaterskill Hotel burned. They visited the site and stood by a well pump in what had been a courtyard which we visited on our hike to Kaaterskill Hotel in May. They also made friends (based on photos with the boys carrying instrument cases) with boys from the band that performed at South Lake pavilion dances. Meet at 9:00 am at North Lake beach parking area.

Afternoon portion: North Mountain Trails: We will walk from the Mountain House site along the blue trail to Jacob’s Ladder and Bear’s Den. We’d be able to find the site of the ladder based on other photos and one of the girls climbing it. Along the way we will pass the original Artist’s Rock (based on 1860s stereographs) and on to Prospect Rock, Lake View Pinnacle (the original Sunset Rock) and enjoy the iconic view from the top of Bear’s Den. Meet at 12 noon at the Catskill Mountain House site.

• Hike Leader: Bob Gildersleeve co-lead with George Hewitt
• Difficulty: Moderate

Registration is required. For more information or to register, please email mthsdirector@mths.org or call 518-589-6657.