Photo hike

[Wayne W]

Hi I'm new to this site and new to the catskills!!Could anyone point me in the right area for a flat land hike?Looking to take some photos of swamps and hills,I like the way a swamp looks with the fur trees with snow hanging off the trees surrounding it.Plus you might get lucky and photograph some wildlife.One more question is there any snow!!!Thanks Wayne

[mike]

Welcome to the forum Wayne!

The Catskill do not have many flat hikes. Most of the trails are quite rugged when compared to other regions in the United States. But, there are a few good places to go.

For flat lands and swamps, the best place, and maybe the only place, is Colgate Lake Trail. It is about 4.5 miles (one-way) from Colgate Lake to Dutchers Notch. There are quite a few swamps/marshes along the way. In the Winter you can walk out on the marshes to take some good pictures. There is a lot of wildlife out there, but I seem to see little of them. But, if you get out to Dutcher's Notch there is a Barred Owl that has been hanging out all Winter. We hear or see him about 50% of the time we pass thru Dutcher's Notch. You can also get to Dutcher's Notch This Way. But, there is a 2 mile (one-way) climb up the Eastern Escarpment from Stork Nest Road.

You can also try the North-South Lake region. There are some good spots for photos. I would not visit the top of the Kaaterskill Falls this time of year. Very easy to slip off the top of the rim. Climbing up the from the bottom is okay. There are good spots for photos around North and South lake, Pine Orchard, Southern Escarpment, Bear's Den, and North Point. No swamps there, but the like is quite nice. This is a hike we did last Winter from South Lake to Bear's Den: Click Here.

We are also planning a photography hike this Spring. There are about 100-150 waterfalls in the Catskills. Most are unknown to the public. Some are very difficult to access. Some are easy to access. We would be going to the most photogenic of them. We will be listing many of the waterfalls on this site soon.

This years has been mainly a "snowless" Winter. We have had a little bit of snow. But, we have had lots of rain and warm weather. There is snow in many places now, but it is between 1-4" deep. Really not very much. Right now there is NO snow hanging from the trees. Sooner or later we will get a good dump. That would be the time to come if you want to see snow hanging from the trees.

[Wayne W]

Mike,
Much thanks,That where I'll start.
Thanks Wayne

[Jon]

Hi wayne, wish I had seen your post earlier. If you're looking for swamps, I suggest taking a trip to my home state in new jersey. We have plenty of swamps, in all different locations.

http://www.nynjtc.org/map/pochuck-boardwalk-map
pochunk boardwalk famous on the Appalachian Trail, this swamp is in the vernon valley. Excellent hike in the spring or summer when the birds come back

http://www.nynjtc.org/hike/meadowlands- ... korte-park
take a visit to the meadowlands for a tidal marsh. Love sedge? Come to the meadowlands.

http://www.nynjtc.org/hike/surprise-lak ... -highlands
there are surprisingly marshy areas at the top of bearfort mountain, even marshes in rhodedendron forests. It's surpsing because it's on the top of NJ 2nd tallest ridgeline behind the kittatiny

there are numerous other NJ swamps, just google it. Worth a trip.

you get sick of swamps tho in NJ, that's why I drive to the catskills for the Mountains!