Catskillmountaineer.com Forum

On Sunday, Alexis and I headed to Huntersfield Mountain. I am still recovering from Plantar Fasciitis, so my hikes have been on the short side. Today, we picked a short little hike to Huntersfield. And, since it was Memorial Day weekend, we wanted to avoid any crowds.

We drove up Jim Cleveland Road and parked at the pass. No one else was there. We then hiked up the trail by the quarry. Part way up we discovered another Mohonk Indian Trail Marker Tree. The Mohonk Indians used to bend trees so that they knew where the trail was. This one was hollowed out at the trunk, so it is older then it looks.

We also saw a lot of baby red admiral butterflies. But, we didn't see or get any deer ticks. When we got to the top, we rested and registered at the DEC Lean-To. Took a couple of pictures and returned back to the car.


the quarry at the pass - start of the hike


Mohonk Indian Trail Marker Tree


View from the DEC Lean-to on Huntersfield Mountain.

I have never been to Huntersfield but have it on my list maybe to do in July. Thanks for pictures.

Think this one (on Bennett Hill in the Helderbergs) is a marker tree? It's right on a very old abandoned road.


Nice sitting tree by Kevin Kenny, on Flickr

Indian marker trees were usually snaped on the 2nd 90 degree turn. The final shoot is usually about 1/2 the size of the trunk. But, this tree looks like somebody did something with it.

I will be doing some sort of hike at Huntersfield on the 15th. Was this the trek of about 1.4 miles to the summit? I saw some similar pictures on a website. Regards Ed

Hey, Ed, I did the trip last year and you can see more pictures and a rough description at http://dftscript.blogspot.com/2014/04/s ... field.html. The walk to the summit is indeed a short one, and quite easy, on an old jeep road with very gradual ascent. The start of the walk is unblazed, but the road is obvious.

I added Ashland Pinnacle because I felt like doing more than the stroll to the lean-to. I would imagine that in July the trail across the ridge toward Ashland Pinnacle would be a sea of nettles. It doesn'''t get very much traffic. The peakbaggers don't bother, because Huntersfield doesn't quite make the 3500 foot cut. and the NY Long Path was relocated off the mountain a few years back because a landowner revoked an easement.

You can make quite a nice short loop by combining the short ascent to the summit (which the DEC map shows as 'Huntersfield access road #7'), the former NY Long Path route (now blazed with red markers, but you can see the aqua paint all over), and access road #9 (a now-closed section of Jim Cleveland Road) back to Jim Cleveland Road and the quarry.

I think that the Long Path now goes over Huntersfield Mtn again. I'll have to check again. They also changed it from the col between Pisgah Mtn and Richmond Mtn. The Long Path now goes over Richmond Mtn.

The Long Path is constantly changing along this range. There are places where private property crosses the trail. Depending upon who owns it at the time depends where the trail goes.

Yes, the path from Richmond to Ashland Pinnacle is known to get prickers real bad. Sometimes someone will keep the trail clear. But, usually in the summer the trail is real rough to Ashland Pinnacle.

Yes, the trail from the Pass to Huntersfield summit is about 1.4 miles. As Kevin said, it's an easy walk. Nice views at the top.

The Long Path does indeed go over Richmond Mountain. Just east of Ashland Pinnacle, it drops off the ridge to the north on an old road. It hits unpaved Ackerley Road and takes that down to the Manor Kill.

At least that's what it did last year. There was a rope across the trail and posters on both sides where the old route came down the west side of Huntersfield. You could still see faded aqua blazes ahead.

On Sunday I will be going from about (400 hunterfield rd google) (parking around there) to take the the aqua blaze long path to the lean to and back. This will be my hike on the 15th. I guess my toughest part will be to find the trail east of the road. Supposed to be a short walk from parking and in. Anyone want to join me? Any suggestions to find the trail. From what I read about 100 ft in off the road and harder to find in the summer. Ed

When you get to the top of the pass, park there. Then walk into the quarry. Stick to the right side, and you will find the trail. Easy hike with good views.