Rock Rift Fire Tower Trail

Park across from the Nature Preserve Kiosk where you can pay to park ($1 for 30 mins) ask an attendant for directions at the entrance of the university for ease of navigation through campus. The lot is clearly marked however and is titled 'Lot M0'Follow trail markers to hike around the Marsh and Harpur Pond for a solid 1-2 hour trip. See wildlife just about everywhere you turn, but be careful o...

Timeline: Weekend, though can easily be done as an overnight trip or just a day hike Summary: Day 1: Hike to camp (0.7 miles, 340' elevation gain) Day 2: Hike to Balsam Mountain and back to camp (4 miles round-trip) Day 3: Relax & hike back to car (0.7 miles) Details: Park the car at McKinley Hollow parking lot (42.070413°N, 74.474029°W). The lot and trailhead will be on your left. Grab yo...

From the parking lot follow the only trail heading downhill, the yellow trail. At the first and second forks in the trail, stay left remaining on the yellow trail. When you reach the creek, I prefer to trek through the creek on a summer day.However the yellow trial crosses the creek and continues to run down the creek's bank and crossing a large stone bridge downstream. If you choose the creek ...

The trail starts across the street from the parking area you will see a sign. After a short walk in you will cross a foot bridge. At approximately 0.75 mile you will reach a junction. You will turn left toward Giant Ledge. The next half mile is fairly flat. At 1.5 miles you will reach a spur trail to your right that is your first lookout. 250 feet past Ledge 1 is the second lookout. At 1....

Giant Ledge is a great hike in the Catskills if you are looking for something short, with incredible views, and camping options. There are not many hikes with better views then this in the Catskills, so why not spend as much time as possible up there? There are a few camping spots you can grab when you get up to the ledge section but you will want the one directly to the right of the first over...

NOTE: There is a new permit system in place: Under the new no-cost permit system, visitors to the Blue Hole are required to obtain a permit on weekends and holidays from May 15 through October 15 every year. DEC will issue up to 40 permits per day and each permit allows entry for up to six individuals, including children, allowing for a maximum of 240 people to access the Blue Hole each day. Pe...