Snow, Water and Road Conditions in Spring 2012?

[bousquet19]

Hi everybody. This is my first post, although I've been a stalker here for slightly more than a year. First, my thanks to those who organized, maintain and post on the Catskill Mountaineer forums. The information on hiking routes, trail conditions and the like has been quite useful in planning (and just fantasizing about) my own trips to the Catskills.

I've been following the post-Irene news with great concern for those living in the region and then great interest in the restoration of access to the high peaks. Last October, my son and I took the roundabout drive from the northeast via Shandaken to get to the trailhead for our climb up North Dome. The Lexington route was apparently still closed. One of the bridges in the Spruceton Valley looked pretty sketchy -- glad we didn't see that crack until after we'd crossed and re-crossed it!

I hope to be in the Catskills in early May for one or two hikes, perhaps bushwhacks. Three questions:
1. What are the road conditions in the Big Indian Valley and further south past Biscuit Brook to Livingston Manor like? Is the route now passable by regular cars?
2. Any reports on the trail from the Biscuit Brook parking lot up to Big Indian? Or the bushwhack across the ridge to Fir?
3. What about the water levels in the creeks, given the lower-than-usual snowfall this past winter?

Thanks for any information or advice you can provide.

[mike]

Welcome to the forum!

I hope to be in the Catskills in early May for one or two hikes, perhaps bushwhacks. Three questions:
1. What are the road conditions in the Big Indian Valley and further south past Biscuit Brook to Livingston Manor like? Is the route now passable by regular cars?
2. Any reports on the trail from the Biscuit Brook parking lot up to Big Indian? Or the bushwhack across the ridge to Fir?
3. What about the water levels in the creeks, given the lower-than-usual snowfall this past winter?

1. All the roads have been fixed and are passable. Or, fixed as well as they will ever be fixed.
2. The trail from Biscuit Brook is good. People have been hiking it for months.
3. Most of the creeks are low, due to lack of snow and rain. But, they are calling for a possible big storm this coming weekend. Will have to watch the weather.

You can hit both Big Indian and Fir on the same day. Some people do it as a one-way transverse: Fir, Big Indian, Eagle, and Balsam.

[mike]

Thanks Greg for your great weather forecast. It sure is dry out there, and it looks like it might stay that way all summer. Maybe next winter will be a real good one. The Winter this year felt like it never came.

[bousquet19]

Thanks Greg for your great weather forecast. It sure is dry out there, and it looks like it might stay that way all summer. Maybe next winter will be a real good one. The Winter this year felt like it never came.

Mike and Greg, thanks for your helpful answers about roads, trails and weather.

I'm glad to see the rains this weekend (April 21-22) and hope they'll be substantial enough to reduce the fire danger and keep the springs running.

Woody