Mt. Wittenberg

Looking for a great day hike in the Catskill region of NY? Then you should definitely look into and consider tackling Mt. Wittenberg then. A challenging climb up but a very rewarding summit view.

Starting at Woodland Valley Campgrounds visitor registration house (where you can pay for parking for the day) follow the small road to the left through the campgrounds. You will reach a roundabout section at the end where you will want to look for the big boulder to your right. Walk around the boulder and pick up the trail which will lead you to a bridge crossing the stream. This is where the red trail begins, which you will follow the entire way up.

The trail starts off pretty steep and stays that way until you get to the sign in kiosk (I always suggest signing in before you do any long hike). After about .2 miles it levels out a little but it is still an upward climb. The first real flat section is where there are some ledges you can stand on and look out into the valley (limited views with trees). The ledges make you realize how much you have climbed in such a short period of time. Be on the lookout for the red trail markers as some of them have faded and are hard to find. For the next few miles you will continue to gradually climb passing a number of areas where streams flow down the mountain when the snow melts. Just wish they were flowing when my group went in mid august.

When you finally come to the trail junction you will want to continue to the right on the red trail. This is where the hike starts to really climb and becomes a little more challenging and adventurous. You will come to sections where you will need to grab on to surrounding trees, or a friend, to help pull yourself up. There are also a few sections where you will be rock scrambling so watch your footing. (Be sure to turn around every once in a while to see the view)

After the few tricky sections you are basically at the top, except you won’t know it. The best part of this hike in my opinion is walking around and coming out of the woods to an amazing view. You get a great sense of accomplishment when you finally arrive at the top and see how high up you are, 3785'. It is a great place for lunch and I suggest sitting on the ledge and taking your time up on top, you'd be crazy not to.