Slide Mountain Loop

Hike Name: Slide Mountain Loop Location: southeast NY Length: 16 Submitted by: Todd Lewis Date Submitted: 0/0/00 Rating:	more New York trail reviews New York national parks New York state parks
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Description
Slide mountain is the highest peak in the Catskill Mountains. It doesn't have to be done as a loop. You can make a 5 mile up and down trip from the Slide mountain parking area off Slide Mtn Rd. (NY47). But I hate backtracking and, truth be told, the best views on this loop aren't from the top of Slide Mtn. The loop hike is made up of several different trails and I would suggest using a map to keep track of them. I recommend the Catskill Trails 5th edition 5 map set available from the New York- New Jersey Trail Conference (you only use one of the 5 maps for this hike but I don't think it's available separate). I usually begin at the Woodland Valley Camp Ground , on Woodland Valley Road just outside of Phonecia, NY. I begin on the Phonecia East Trail and head up Fork Ridge. A nice side trip is to Giant Ledge on the Giant Ledge-Panther Fox Hollow Trail. The ~ 1 mile it adds to the trip is calculated in the 16 miles I listed as the hike's total distance. But it's worth it for what is probably the second best view of the day, looking south at the ridge made up by Slide, Cornell and Wittenberg mountains that you will later traverse. One thing I don't like about this hike is that it includes about a mile of paved road between coming down from the Giant ledge and heading up Slide Mountain. That's the only reason it scores a 4 and not a 5. Shortly after getting off the paved road you leave the Phonecia-East trail and pick up the Wittenberg-Cornell-Slide Trail. You'll stay on this trail all the way back to the beginning point. The peak of Slide Mountain is probably the halfway point. From the peak of Slide Mountain, across Cornell and Wittenberg Mountains the trail gets a lot more primitive and the going gets a bit tougher but along that trail is the nicest view of the day, from Cornell Mtn. You may notice a side trip toward the end to Terrace Mtn. I have never taken it because by the time I get that far along I'm pretty knackered. This is a pretty good hike for a day hike. You want to be in reasonably good shape if you're going to attempt it. But there is a sense of having done something with your day when you complete this loop.

Directions to Hike
The Trail head is 29 miles off I-87, the NY Thruway. Take the Kingston exit and pick up route 28 to Phonecia. From Phonecia pick up Woodland Valley Road and take it to the Woodland Valley Campground area. The trail head is on the right just brfore the campground.

Contact Information
New York-New Jersey Trail Conference
156 Ramapo Valley Rd
Mahwah, NJ 07430
(201)512-9348
info@nynjtc.org

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