A friend of mine who eats mountains for breakfast described the ascent of Hunter as “relentless.” I agree with that assessment – if you tackle this hike, come prepared for the 2,200’+ vertical ascent, and the steep, rocky terrain. At 4,040’, Hunter Mountain is the second-highest peak in the Catskills and one of the 35 peaks in the Catskill 3500 Club. You shouldn’t feel too deprived if you can’t get all the way up there.īesides the gorgeous tower, which offers one of the finest views in the Catskills, the trail is everything you’d want to find in a mountain hike, assuming you want to be immersed in wilderness while spending a few (thousand) calories clambering your way up very steep inclines.įor all the beauty to be found here, this mountain is not to be tackled lightly. The views are absolutely amazing from the two platforms immediately below that padlock, though, and I can’t imagine they’d be much different from a few feet higher. If you visit at a different time (as I did), you won’t be able to get into the top of the tower – the trap door is locked. If somebody makes it to the fire tower wearing flip-flops, then they earned that view, more painfully than the rest of us.ĭuring the busiest hiking weekends, the awesome folks at the Catskill Center open the top level of the fire tower (thanks, Catskill Center!). This hike is a beautiful wilderness romp from start to finish, complete with a sign at the summit that informs you that the nearest chair lift is 2.1 miles away. (I also got up before the crack of dawn and arrived at the trailhead just before daybreak, so if you wake up at a sane time, you’ll probably have more company up there.)įor the entire hike, I saw zero signs that this hike shared a mountain with a popular ski area, except for the drive through Tannersville, which felt like a cool little ski-town place to hang out (and probably a nice spot to grab a bite before heading home). On the day I visited (a beautiful late-October Sunday), I had the tower to myself for thirty minutes, until I finally forced myself to put down the camera and descend. The reality, though, couldn’t have been any different. I pictured the chair lift dropping off people next to the fire tower all summer long, and having to elbow my way through the flip-flop-wearing masses to get to the view at the top.

One answer to the second question: I’ve always had this notion that Hunter Mountain (the hike) was closely related to Hunter Mountain ( the ski area).

So glad I came here today.Ģ) Dude, why have I never been here before? Background you can feel free to skip: As I stood on the steps of the fire tower at Hunter Mountain, looking at the amazing panorama unfolding in all directions, I had two thoughts:ġ) Duuuuuuuude.

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