Hike name: 3,610-foot Balsam Mountain

Location: Central Catskills

Length: Six miles round trip

Rating: The middle section of this climb is as steep as a trail gets in the Catskills, or anywhere else, for that matter. It bends up steeply, then steepens, gets steeper yet, then gets, well, almost crazy. The final section is practically a boulder-filled near-vertical wall.

Dogs: Better to leave Fido home watching football. See above.

Map(s): New York-New Jersey Trail Conference (NYNJTC) Catskill Trails mapset, Trail Map 42.

Features: Snow … I often say, “Don’t wish for something, you just might get it,” and I really wouldn’t wish last January’s unrelenting snowstorms on any of us, but it was, honestly, good to see a “normal” January blanket of snow in the woods. And not on the roads.

Once over the top of “the wall,” the blue-blazed Pine Hill-West Branch Trail east toward Belleayre is a really nice walk; a steady climb, with only a few ledges, and plenty of relatively flat sections to catch your breath and get your legs back.

Watch out for: See “Rating.” We brought along our Katoola MICROspikes, but never slipped them on, though we should have on the descent.

Trekking poles used as ski poles were a big plus on the descent.

Hurricanes Irene and Lee hammered the Catskills. McKinley Hollow Road was closed for quite a while, and the trailhead was inaccessible. The trail itself was damaged, and the bridge across the creek right at the beginning of the trail was washed out, and has not been replaced. Carefully cross the stream on a couple of narrow logs.

Further on, a fair amount of scrambling is necessary where the trail is still badly washed out, and the stream crossing just above the lean-to is a mess, but beyond the trail is undamaged, until the very upper part of the steep climb, that was also apparently badly washed out, though the snow cover masked this.

Background: Ralph III has thrown his hat in the ring for a full third round of the 35 Catskill 3,500 footers, and has decided to go all the way and include the four required winter climbs: Balsam, Blackhead, Panther and Slide.

Given this choice, I picked Balsam to start with — Blackhead’s a 3,900-footer, and Slide’s a 4,000-footer. Panther is a long haul, from the north and from the south. I figured the best way to get our “winter legs” in shape was to do the easiest first: Balsam. Ha! We all knew about Balsam’s mid-section wall, but, hey, see “Rating” for part of the fun of this particular climb.

Hike description: It was 3 above zero when we left Stormville; we’d packed our Everest-quality winter gear. Somewhere along Route 28 we started to see snow along the road and in the woods, and we stepped out into a 3- to 4-inch blanket at the trailhead.

The temps were frigid, and we all agreed what we were about to undertake “wasn’t for everybody,” but also agreed we were excited about the winter adventure awaiting us. There were several cars at the trailhead, so we knew we wouldn’t be breaking trail.

We ducked, dodged and scrambled through Irene devastation, passed the lean-to, boulder-hopped across the brook, soldiered across the flats, huffed and puffed up the headwall, finally reached the col, then enjoyed the heck out of the climb up the west slope to the top of Balsam. Next, Blackhead???

How to get there: Thruway or Taconic north to Route 28 west, left on CR 47 at Big Indian, right on McKinley Hollow Road. Park on left, follow trail signs to red plastic DEC disks.

In honor of Valentines Day, bring a chocolate based delectable to pass!

source: Rochester Nordic Ski Club newsletter: Feb 2012 newsletter vol 38 issue 4e

You’ll find Catharine Valley Trail near the scenic Watkins Glen State Park in Watkins Glen, New York, and it really is an experience if you want to take in some gorgeous vistas. Getting higher ground in Catharine Valley, you can look in literally any direction and see a brilliant landscape. In fact, you could photograph the park from just about any angle and hang the results in a museum.

Natural beauty isn’t what New York is known for, but it’s what you’ll find in Watkins Glen State Park, nevertheless, with Catharine Valley Trail providing some of the best sights in the state.

Paved lengths of the trail offer cyclists a place to get some exercise while taking in the view, while other pieces of the trail are traversable only on foot, offering hikers and backpackers some peace and quiet to get closer to nature on their own time. If you only want to spend an afternoon, there are literally thousands of places to pitch a picnic blanket and have a few sandwiches while enjoying the view of the valley from above.

Much of the trail is still being developed as of the time of this writing, but if you want to do some camping, there are spots in Watkins Glen State Park where you can pitch a tent and hit the trail in the morning.

There’s technically no “bad” time of year to visit Catharine Valley, but some times are better than others, as with any park. The two best parts of the year to check the trail out are probably Autumn, where you can watch the leaves change color, and Winter, where you can enjoy a rare sight in New York State: a white Christmas.

Take Your Bike - Finger Lakes

Of course, winter might not be the best time to go on a long hiking trip or to go camping, but if you only want to spend an afternoon, then getting bundled up and visiting the park during the colder months is at least guaranteed to leave you with some beautiful photographs of your visit.

You can find more information at Catharinevalleytrail.org, where you’ll find hours, directions and contact information if you’d like to learn more. A guidebook with maps & details on this trail is “Take Your Bike – Family Rides in new York’s Finger Lakes Region.” All in all, Catharine Valley Trail, or as some call it, CVT, is perhaps your best bet for beautiful scenery and fresh air in New York State.

source: OutdoorBaseCamp