There’s something special about a trail. The way they shortcut a corner, connect communties, lead to forts and hide-e-holes. Some have official names, associated maps, icons on kiosks. That sort of thing. Others are simply known as the “sneak route.”
Each represents an invitation to explore. To bring you someplace you want to go, but don’t necessarily need to be.
On either end, regardless of where you start, lies a destination. Along the way, every step connects with the landscape, its smells and sounds. Trails are an experience of motion and meditation with a rhythmic cadence that can only come from the blissfully simple act of placing one foot in front of the other.
More Than a Walk in the Woods
For Lisa Lyons, owner of Morgan Outdoors in Livingston Manor, hiking in the Catskills is all these things. Every one of which is made better with two important things:
- Good Footwear
- A Plan
“It’s one thing to ‘get lost’ in the wonder of the Catskills,” she says. “It’s quite another to get lost with wet feet and no map.”
Sure, Lisa can set you up with a proper pair of hiking boots, a guide book (and guide) and plenty of other quality gear. But to her, the most important product she stocks is the advice that can only come from years and years of walking in, and caring for, her neighborhood woods.
“Hiking is a belief in the inspirational and healing power of nature. It’s about the importance of going outside with the goal of trying something new and coming away with a genuine appreciation, true connection and love for the landscape,” says Lisa.
To her, hiking in the Catskills is a gift. One that is meant to be regifted generation upon generation through the shared awareness of conservation and the deep value in knowing your place among the trees.
As she says, “we are all truly connected.”
Take a Leisurely Stroll on the Milk Train Trail
Here, that includes the mountains, trees, streams and the historic communities that live among them. In Hurleyville, you can start or finish a stroll on the Hurleyville Rail Trail at the Sullivan County Museum where Lisa says she finds a surprise every time she walks in. Built in 1912 and housed in the historic Hurleyville Elementary School, the museum is home to hand-built exhibits that will enhance your knowledge and connection with everything you’ll see on a walk.
Local Tip: The Hurleyville Rail Trail is often called “The Milk Train Trail” because once the O&W Rail Line opened and connected the rural area to the metropolitan market, dairy farming along the line exploded. As late and 1900, there were nearly 4,000 working farms along the railway, most of which had a lot of cows.
Today, the Hurleyville segment of the O&W stretches 6.4 miles, including 3.5 miles of ADA-compliant paved trail, extending in either direction from the heart of the hamlet. Head east toward Fallsburg to experience a gentle stroll on a friendly gravel surface through wetlands home to Kingfishers, Blue Heron and Bald Eagle. Go west for woodlands and a less popular walk through a vibrant Catskills canopy that changes with the seasons.
“The beauty of the Hurleyville Rail Trail is that everyone can experience it,” says Lisa, who regularly leads guided walks on the trail. “It’s a bird watchers dream, but it’s also special in that it’s connected directly to a lovely community filled with the kind of shops and restaurants that give you more just for stepping in the door.”
Make a Modest Meander Up Historic Walnut Mountain
If you’re up for a little more of a challenge but still want the cultural experience of learning about the bones of a place, a hike up Walnut Mountain in Liberty is exactly what you should do.
From 1886-1887, the summit was capped by the Walnut Mountain House. Today, just the foundation remains along with the red shale carriage roads that accessed it. Interpretive signs dot the way, taking you back in time as you climb. Who built the house and what happened to it? You’ll learn both on this moderate Catskills hike.
“Whether it’s a spring, summer or fall hike or winter snowshoe, I always feel like I’m escaping somewhere special when I spend time at Walnut Mountain,” says Lisa. “It’s the kinds of place where you can relax, listen and soak it all in.”
Local Tip: You can hike up the front or backside of the mountain. Each provides a very different experience, but you’ll find most people access the top from the front. If it’s solitude you’re looking for, your personal party is in the back where that chatter of a Red Squirrel may be the loudest sound you hear.
Ascend a Restored Fire Tower for Panoramic Views
Those looking for adventure, a good workout, and some of the most stunning views anywhere in the Catskills should head to Claryville where you can access the trail to the Red Hill Fire Tower.
The 60-foot tower was constructed in 1921 and was fully restored and opened to the public in 2000 by the Catskill Center for Conservation and the New York Department of Environmental Conservation. A new trail completed in 2021 begins in Claryville and ascends two miles and 1,200 feet through multiple biospheres.
“On a clear day, the naked eye can see High Point Monument, which is some 50 plus miles away in New Jersey. You can also take in panoramic views of the Catskills that include numerous bluestone cliffs,” adds Lisa.
Those from nearby metro areas may also recognize the bright bluestone in their home urban ecosphere. It’s that same Catskill stone that was used to build sidewalks and the lower parts of buildings in places like New York City.
Local Tip: In winter, water seeps through the bluestone and forms the most stunning icicles imaginable.
Find Your Sneak Route in the Catskills
Whether you start your hike in Hurleyville, Liberty, Claryville or any Catskill community, what you’ll find is a natural symmetry that simply doesn’t exist anywhere other than here. Here, the experience is personal, immersive and connected to the landscape.
For Lisa, a hike in the Catskills makes her feel like she’s getting away with something. Maybe she is. Maybe you could too. This is the kind of place where sneak routes lead to maple lattes and laughter. They lead to friendly conversations that begin at rooty trailheads and end on hand-hewn barstools before picking it back up again the next day.
“I love hiking,” says Lisa. “But perhaps more than personal adventure and exercise, I love helping people find their own something special by going for a walk in the Catskills. If they connect with this place like I have, I know they’ll care for and love it as much as I do.”
It’s a place that’s graciously humble but stacked with the same boldness of a cord of wood. Classic, with a side of artful curiosity. Cultured, but bristled with a two-day beard. It’s people like Lisa who want you to feel the same earthen hug she gets from the Catskills dirt every time she takes a hike.
It starts right here, one foot in front of the other, with a desire to discover and an openness to trying something new. The trail you hike today will be different tomorrow. You’ll see things on the way down that you missed on the way up.
The Catskills are a place where you secretly never want the game of hide n’ seek to end. And it doesn’t have to.
