Running in the catskills NY

anyone? is the escarpment trail any good? where do the local teams train?

Go to Levon Helms place and tell him we said hello.

I have never been up to Woodstock but I know that there are trails in the Mohonk Preserve just west of New Paltz.

Don't do it! You'll get f*ing lost and eaten by a bear!

The Mohonk suggestion is good. Minnewaska State Park has a system of carriage trails that would make for very nice running and you can hop in the lake afterwards to cool off. You'll pay a fee to use either of these trail systems but they are maintained as "runnable" trails. There are numerous trail heads in the region. You could pick up a guide to hikes in the Catskills or probably poke around on the internet and find something that sounds appropriate.

Citizen Runner wrote:

The Mohonk suggestion is good. Minnewaska State Park has a system of carriage trails that would make for very nice running and you can hop in the lake afterwards to cool off. You'll pay a fee to use either of these trail systems but they are maintained as "runnable" trails. There are numerous trail heads in the region. You could pick up a guide to hikes in the Catskills or probably poke around on the internet and find something that sounds appropriate.

I have to agree with this post. Both areas are safe trails/carriage roads with nice views and are close to support in case of problems. The Catskills have notoriously rocky soil which makes "trails" a little hazardous.

New Paltz has some good places to refuel after a run. The Guilded Otter brewpub is solid for grub and grog. The Plaza Diner is good all around diner food. There are a couple of veggie places if you are into that kind of thing.

If you want a road run that is nice, check out Rt. 47 from Claryville towards Big Indian. The road runs along the Neversink River for the first 8-9 miles. At 7 miles, you pass Frost Valley YMCA (great place and great people). After 9 miles, the road drops big time (nearly 500ft in 2.5 miles) before leveling back out for the rest of the distance to Big Indian. The annual 100k Catskill Mountain Road Relay uses this road as part of their course.

Hi!!!

There's a great place off of Glasco Turnpike, maybe 6 or 7 miles away from Woodstock itself. The parking lot on Upper Byrdcliffe Rd.

Btw, what brings you to the area? I go to high school around here and am looking for people to run with or hang out with ;)

stop running, start smoking weed like everyone else in hte catskills, man

You can go the the Escarpment trail website for a general description of the trail. It is technical, and pretty hilly in most sections. If you like technical singletrack, it's one of the best trails out there.

Mohonk and Minnewaska have unbelievable trails that go for miles. There is plenty of both carriage road and singletrack. The Ridge trail is one of my favorites. You can park right off a turn heading up to Trapps parking area and not have to pay a day fee. If rangers ask, just tell them you left your season pass in your car. Some suggested runs would the Ridge trail, run towards Lake Mohonk to see the Mountain House and Tower, or head to Minnewaska state park and run a loop out past the Lake.

Have fun!

We ran at minnewaska today, ended up heading up a trail that was good, but very rocky and up a mountain essentially...are there any longer/flatter trails? considering woodstock is in a state park, i would think there would be some good running closer to it...

I've hiked most of the trails in the Catskills. I wouldn't even consider running them unless you are an ultra runner, LOTS of LARGE ups & downs. Very technical. Some trails require hand-over-hand climbing. And I am a trail runner.

GREAT trails for hiking tho.

If you thought the carriage roads in Mohonk/Minnewaska were too hilly and rocky, the Catskills aren't a good place for you.

Right near Woodstock there's a graded jeep road up to the fire tower on Overlook Mountain. Not very long but it's a nice sustained climb.

About three miles west of Woodstock on 212, you could run up Mink Hollow Road, which then turns into an unpaved jeep road/trail. It's a gentle climb up to a saddle between two mountains, where there's a spring and a lean-to. Up and back would be about twelve miles.

I live in Woodstock. Here are the best non-mountainous trails nearby:

1. Onteora Lake off of Route 28 between Woodstock and Kingston. Mostly single-track, pretty flat. Red and yellow marked loops are best (about 7-8 miles total), blue trail is a bit rough. There are other unmarked trails, some of which are private, that you can explore.

2. Jockey Hill trails near Kingston. Access at end of Jockey Hill Road, off of Sawkill Road. There are wider trails and also a ton of single-track. You can run around here for hours and hours.

3. Hurley Rail Trail, off 209, just south of Kingston. Carriage trail, not sure how far it goes. I've done about 8 miles out and back. It probably goes a lot further. One spot that'll likely be flooded, but you can probably figure out a way to skirt it.

A bit further south you can pick up the Wallkill Valley rail trail that runs from Rosendale south through New Paltz. About 14 miles one way, I believe. Again, this is a flat option, but footing is good and runs through some gorgeous farmland with nice views of the mountains.