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DISTANCE: 5.5 miles TYPE: Lollipop TOTAL ELEVATION GAIN: 900 feet MAXIMUM ELEVATION: 3,100 feet DIFFICULTY: Moderate HIKING TIME: 3.5 hours |
With stunning panoramic views covering 240 degrees of the horizon, North Point may boast one of the best vistas in all of the Catskills. From the large stone outcrop of the point, visitors will quickly see why this section of the mountains was once thick with hotels, and remains—even with the hotels and train lines long vanished—incredibly popular with tourists. Despite its location only a few miles north of the busy North-South Lake Campground, the trails leading to North Point are somewhat less crowded than others in the area, and the hike itself is not particularly challenging.
For those seeking to add on to their hike, Stoppel Point, to the north of North Point, can be reached with an additional 4 miles of hiking along the final stretch of trail, and various other shorter hikes can be explored around the North-South Lake area, including Artist’s Rock and Newman’s Ledge (#10) and Inspiration Point and Layman’s Monument (#11). For all these reasons, North Point is a can’t-miss Catskill hike.
GETTING THERE
Take Exit 20 (Saugerties) from the New York State Thruway, then turn left onto NY-212/NY-32. At the traffic light, take a right onto NY-32 North. In 6 miles, continue straight onto NY-32A. At Palenville, take a slight left onto NY-23A. The road climbs steeply up the mountain to Haines Falls. At Haines Falls, just after the post office, turn right onto North Lake Road. Continue for 3 miles. Just before the entrance to the North-South Lake Campground, turn right onto Scutt Road. Just down the road is a parking area, on the right. Watch for hikers crossing the road to the trailhead. The parking area is large, with two separate tiers, but it still fills up quickly due to the popularity of the hikes in this area.
GPS SHORTCUT
Direct your GPS to navigate to “North/South Lake Campground,” and turn right onto Scutt Road immediately before the campground entrance.
THE TRAIL
From the parking area, turn left and walk up Scutt Road back to North Lake Road. There, turn left, away from the campground. A very short distance beyond, a trail sign indicates the start of the hike. This section of the trail is mostly level, and at the start crosses a series of wooden planks over marshy ground. Continue, following the yellow blazes.
SUNRISE OVER THE HUDSON VALLEY FROM NORTH POINT
After 1.3 miles, arrive at a four-way intersection marked by a wooden sign. Turn left, onto the red-blazed Mary’s Glen Trail. The trail begins to climb more steeply here, but the grade is still fairly moderate. Be careful of your footing as you ascend, as rocks in this area can remain wet even when it has not recently rained.
Soon the grade will level again, and you will hike parallel to a small stream to the right of the trail. About half a mile from the trail intersection, the trail enters a conifer forest. Continue until you reach the intersection with the blue-blazed Escarpment Trail. Go left.
Here, the trail climbs abruptly to North Point, approximately a quarter of a mile from the intersection. Ascending through a forest of white birch trees, with a few short scrambles up rock ledges, you will come to the first viewpoint on a ledge slightly southeast of North Point. The views here may be slightly overgrown during the summer, but this vista is only a preview of the far more dramatic and open views that you will find above.
Pull yourself up the final short scramble, and you will find yourself at North Point—a massive stone plateau with outcroppings mostly unobstructed by foliage, providing a variety of views to the southeast, east toward the Hudson, and even to the north. Enjoy this unique perspective over North-South Lake and the site of the former Catskill Mountain House.
Only a quarter mile past North Point is North Mountain Ledge, which offers a similar vantage to North Point, and thus more stunning views. Between these small areas of ledges, it can seem as if the whole of the Catskills is spread out before you.
When you are ready to head back, return down to the intersection just below North Point. Continue straight, staying on the blue trail. About 0.6 mile from North Point, you will come to another large stone plateau, though the views here are limited due to tree cover. The trail continues to the left.
Shortly after, you will reach a large rock formation known as Badman Cave. (Fortunately, at the time of this writing, there was no man living in the cave, bad or otherwise.) Just beyond the cave is another intersection. Take the yellow-blazed trail heading to the right. In another half mile, you will intersect which the red-blazed Mary’s Glen Trail that you originally took toward North Point.
Stay straight, following the trail as the red and yellow blazes briefly overlap. A short distance beyond, the trail splits once again, as you complete the head of the loop. Follow the yellow blazes to the left to retrace the first leg of the hike and return to North Lake Road and the parking area.
VIEW OF NORTH LAKE FROM NORTH POINT