Oh no! There is parking on the side of the road. A short way down that trail, there’s a nice, spacious campsite. Catskillblogger, I hope you’re all healed up after your tumble! We had a great time, saw a LOT of butterflies enjoying the views and had lunch on the rocks at Panther’s summit before heading down. It took me less than ten minutes to get here from the rock that we clambered up for our first Panther view. Also my 8 year old daughter who played along, but was more than happy to bail out with Mom and her brother. 2. Kind of. Got any good suggestions for hikes that take this into account? Notify me of follow-up comments via e-mail. It’s close to Esopus Creek if you can find that on a map. (Just kidding, Giant Ledge people. Thanks for the guide! Amazing hike. This ascent is rather gradual with a few short, steep areas thrown in. I am not sure how it happened, we felt it was the only possible option, but we were wrong. Just keep heading down the trail and there’ll be another ledge in a few minutes. Over the next .75 miles, you’ll climb another 410 feet on the Blue Trail. It begins with a switchback trail through tall pines and soft soil, then gradually steepens as you near the top. Even though we live in the woods and are hike a lot around Wurtsboro, the Catskills are in another league of their own. Being novice hikers, this hike was not too difficult but it was not a walk in the park either. It was a perfectly challenging hike for a couple of people who are in moderate shape. There’s a bigger campsite a few minutes down the trail, too. Now let’s go home. At a junction turn left onto the blue marked Giant Ledge-Panther Mountain-Fox Hollow Trail. My wife and I like to hike but prefer not to clamber up and down rock quarries where we spend all our time looking at our feet rather than out at the view. Let’s just say we never ate this much or this good on a hike before. I too hate losing altitude just to climb back up…Some of those rock scrambles were quite fun as well. If you are trying to pee in the bushes, make sure you have no one in the front or back of you. I could see the argument for knocking Panther down to an 8 (since we’d have to move to the Spinal Tap scale to make Wittenberg more difficult), but it really just felt more like a 9 to me. https://www.hbtrails.com/hiking-panther-mountain-trail-with-family Now that we know, we plan on doing it again during another season. Here’s the address for the Slide Mountain Forest House: GPS coordinates of parking area: 42.02662, -74.40383 (Clicking will open in Google Maps or the Apple Maps app, depending on your browser/device.). Reviewed August 25, 2019 via mobile . This ascent is rather gradual with a few short, steep areas thrown in. 8. When it becomes full, people do park on the side of the road. From the New York Thruway (I-87) headed north from Poughkeepsie/New Paltz, take exit 19 for the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge, then head west (away from the bridge) on Route 28. My first time. Follow the detour and you end up ON 47…so no need to look fr the turn, you’re already there. The GPS coordinates are N42 01.587 W74 24.213. Slide Mountain Trailhead to Woodland Valley Campground. Oh no, Monica — I’m so sorry to hear that! (As far as the building of the trail, I don’t know the answer there, but maybe someone more knowledgeable than me will stroll through the comments here and share their wisdom with us.). Thank you for writing about watching for the correct trail on the way down, as I can totally see where this can happen, had I not known to keep an eye out! The rocky ascents were tough and we almost turned back, but I’m glad we didnt. 1. with you on this hike. If the Parther part is even difficult than that two, we will definitely reconsider about hiking it this time. Laughter and loud talking echoed through the woods. The trail offers a number of activity options and is accessible year-round. The GPS coordinates are N42 01.587 W74 24.213. ), Hey Mike. Let ye know how it goes. The majority of this change in elevation occurs the … When we arrived at the cross point where the blue trail meets the yellow trail, we took the wrong path down. After grabbing our bags, we started walking the Giant Ledge and Panther Mountain trail. Awesome, Mike – thanks for your responsiveness. Woo hoo! I love your humourous take on it. Use caution when crossing the road to the trailhead as the speed limit on the road is 55 mph. The Panther Mountain trail, also sometimes referred to as Echo Cliff, is a 0.6-mile steep hike to a set of cliffs that offer an excellent view of Piseco Lake and the surrounding landscape. You can continue on the trail for about 2.85 miles to the Slide Mountain parking area on the Frost Valley Road. Advanced features of this website require that you enable JavaScript in your browser. I don’t think I’m seriously advocating doing this, but you COULD use that map to bushwhack your way toward the third ledge from the area beneath the ledges, heading toward the pin marked “Ledge three”. Follow the blue trail from the junction towards Panther. The trail is most easily and frequently accessed from Bradley Pond via the old Tahawus Club Road, and be prepared with a map and GPS if you have one – the Santanonis are out there! Panther Mountain is located in the Saranac Lakes region of the Adirondack Park in NY. If you do climb Panther, though, you’ll be rewarded with some pretty awesome views – similar to Giant Ledge, but with a little more of that “I’m on top of the world” vibe. Panther Mountain is one of the Catskill High Peaks, located in the Town of Shandaken in Ulster County, New York. THE TRAILHEAD: From NY 8 at the south end of Piseco Lake, go north on West Shore Rd for 2.6 miles. On our first visit here many years ago, my wife Kara and I visited Giant Ledge on a Saturday evening. Tents were pitched all over the place. Parking for Panther Mountain Trail is a couple hundred feed down and across the road from the trailhead. Have a great trip, Norm! After reading this guide over again, it’s my opinion that it accurately depicts this hike to the best of my abilities (you know, given what they are). Trails are compared with nearby trails in the same city region with a possible 25 colour shades. The 6 makes me feel a little less tired this morning. Pull off onto the shoulder and get ready to begin your adventure! The hike starts off along the yellow marked Phoenicia-East Branch Trail. Hey — I went a few weeks ago, and most of the leaves are down at this point. Soon after this rock formation, you will reach a junction with the blue trail. If you’re doing that, see you at the next step, crazy person! After turning onto County Road 47, in 7.4 miles, you’ll come to a hairpin turn to the right, heading up a large hill. It took me twenty minutes from the footbridge. Thank you! Trailforks scans ridelogs to determine which trails are ridden the most in the last 9 months. Thanks for your input and follow-up, Jay! Although Panther also offers panoramic views from its summit, they are quite similar to those from Giant Ledge. The expert hikers that were with us brought dried meat sausage, organic and natural candy, dark chocolate, cheese, and wine! Panther Mountain was a great little hike! What a view. Glad you had a great day out there! Meaning once you get to Giant Ledge, Panther is a 5/10 FROM Giant Ledge. The adventure departs from the opposite side of Historic 441 from the Panther Creek picnic area (view maps and driving directions).The hike follows its namesake waterway downstream, traveling under a concrete overpass and diving into a young, mossy hardwood forest. Just did this hike today and I’m really confused as to what mountain Jay hiked below. The hike starts off along the yellow marked Phoenicia-East Branch Trail. Panther Panther Mountain offers excellent hiking trails over varied terrain, an enormous boreal summit, and two wonderful scenic lookouts. Overview The eighteenth highest peak in the Adirondacks Panther is the second highest summit in … One step too far, and this really will be your final destination. Panther is a 100 m moderately popular black singletrack trail located near Cockermouth. Thanks for taking the time to help us out. In just a moment, cross a wooden footbridge that goes over a picturesque stream. For the casual dayhiker, climbing Panther will be overkill. Really appreciate you taking the time to post your comment, and helping to keep others from doing the same thing. O & W Rails to Trails Bike Ride Ends With Eating Pizza in the Woods, Sunset Pictures at the Roosa Gap State Forest, O&W Rail Trail Bike Ride from Stone Ridge NY. There is plenty of climbing up rocks and the incline is steep overall causing us to lose our breath just a little bit. At approximately 3,720 feet (1,130 m) in elevation, it is the 18th highest in the range. Still beautiful, but the foliage is all down. Hang in there and stay safe, everyone! Hike Length: 6.9 miles (11.10 km) Total Ascent: 1,700ft (518m) … Apparently, it’s a common mistake for hikers to accidentally take the Blue Trail from here when they’re coming back down the mountain, rather than retracing their steps on the Yellow Trail back to their car at Giant Ledge Parking Area. Notice the sign telling you that you only have 1.5 miles left until Giant Ledge? Panther Mountain Piseco, New York You will find the Panther Mountain trailhead just off route 8 on Old Piseco Rd. 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