Harriman Hiker: Harriman State Park and Beyond: Overlook Mountain and Overlook Mountain House, Catskills

Overlook Mountain Wild Forest,
Catskills Park,
near Woodstock,
Ulster Co.,
New York

Hiking Trails:
Overlook Mountain Trail: Red blaze

Total Time: 2:25 hour
Estimated Distance: 4.8 Miles

Pros: Impressive historical ruins, great views
Cons: Trail up is wide and boring with telephone lines
Hike Type: Out and Back
Level of Difficulty: Slightly difficult

Map of Route:
https://goo.gl/maps/w7wrN7994MwxkZNQ8

Overlook Mountain is one of the more famous hikes in the Catskills. It involves a very doable hike to a massive, abandoned hotel ruins, an excellent view, and a fire tower with views on all sides. The mountain peak is at 3,140 feet above sea level, which leaves it somewhat short of the higher 3,500+ foot mountains in the Catskills. However, it is still a popular peak due to its great views and points of interest along the southernmost part of the Catskills Escarpment.

The hike is a good climb, with an elevation gain of over 1,300 feet on a very easy wide path that used to be a road. The very wide trail with the power lines lacks the more natural feel of some of the other popular Catskill hikes. But despite the boring path up, it all becomes worth it near the end at the Overlook Mountain House and subsequent view and fire tower.

The weather was very pleasant, and was in the mid-50's. In fact, it was a cloudy day but as I drove up to the parking trailhead the clouds had cleared and I was above the clouds with a bright sun and blue sky. The trail was completely covered with ice at the beginning, and as I climbed it became covered with snow and the entire area was fully covered with snow. I had snow crampons for the hike which proved to be a very wide choice to bring despite the warm weather.

I parked at the trailhead at Meads Mountain Road. There is a large Tibetan Buddhist Temple across the parking trailhead which looks like its out of the Himalayas. The parking lot is not big so I assume this fills up pretty quickly on nice weekends, though there is an overflow lot a half mile further west. I took the Overlook Mountain Trail up the mountain, and was amazed upon reaching the Overlook Mountain Trail at it's sheet size. I explored the abandoned structure, and passed by the smaller building across from it, and then continued along the trail to the view. I then went to the fire tower and climbed up catching some more good views. I then turned around and headed down the mountain back along the same trail.