Another trip to the Catskills! I was counting the days until we could get back up. I’ve really fallen in love with these mountains. Every time we go, they become more and more familiar. This time we stayed in Phoenicia in a rustic cabin. The cabin had a warm, glowing fire, and the main lodge was decorated for the holidays, which really set the mood perfectly. The town of Phoenicia is centrally located in the Catskills, so it was a great base with plenty of options for different hiking trails.

There was already snow on the ground from a few days earlier, so I wasn’t sure how my low-clearance car was going to manage. I went with no expectations and decided that if worse came to worst and we didn’t get out on the trail, we’d still have a nice place to stay and relax.

Our original plan was to hike to Balsam Lake Fire Tower. This trip was more of a recon trip to reacquaint ourselves with our winter gear and get a feel for hiking upstate. We’re experienced with snow hiking on the West Coast, but the East Coast is a completely different beast. The cold and wind come at much lower elevations, and as with any mountain, temperatures and weather conditions can change in an instant.

As we drove along Route 28 and up and over Belleayre Mountain, the temperature dropped, the winds picked up, and the snow started coming down fast. We decided to turn around, just in case conditions got worse. If we had an AWD vehicle, that might have been a different story, but I didn’t want to spend the weekend waiting for a tow truck to pull us out of a snow drift.

It was already late in the day, so we decided to head over to the trailhead for Hunter Mountain on Spruceton Road and see what the driving was like over there. I was more worried about the car than the hiking, because once we’re on the trail, we’re good to go.

The afternoon was very quiet and still, and the only sound I heard was the flow of Hunter Brook. The trail was doable in either spikes or snowshoes; however, if we’d had time to go farther up the mountain, we definitely would have switched to snowshoes.

We were able to get in a few miles before the short winter day started to fade and the sun began to set behind the mountain. We headed back to the cabin, checked in, and then went out for a bite to eat before settling in for a warm, cozy evening.

The night was so quiet and peaceful. We woke up Sunday morning to a few more inches of snow. It was nice to look out the window and see towering pine trees instead of towering skyscrapers for a change. We had a light breakfast and took our time in the morning, hoping the DEC might have the trailhead plowed out so we could get in another hike on Hunter before heading back to the city. Spruceton Road was plowed just fine, but unfortunately the parking area at the trailhead wasn’t, and my car just can’t handle snow like that. We headed back to the cabin to enjoy the rest of the day in the beauty of the Catskills, with a cozy fire and each other’s company, before making our way back to the city.

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Our adventures this weekend took us to Hunter Mountain in the Catskills’ Hunter-West Kill Wilderness. We parked at the trailhead on Spruceton Road and began with a short hike along the Diamond Notch Trail, which follows West Kill Brook to a lovely waterfall. From there, the trail splits east along the Devil’s Path or across a bridge over the West Kill toward Diamond Notch or the Devil’s Path West. We chose to backtrack to the parking area and start our ascent of Hunter via the Spruceton Trail.

The Spruceton Trail is a wide carriage road open to both hikers and horses, though I didn’t see any recent signs of equestrian use, just the hitching rails along the way. True to Catskill form, the trail climbs steadily and with little mercy. It begins with a moderate grade through hardwood forest on a rocky but easy path. Around 3,500 feet the landscape shifts into stands of fragrant red spruce and balsam fir. The trail was muddy in places, so waterproof boots were necessary.

We passed a clear mountain spring flowing into a barrel, the spur to the John Robb Lean-to, and later the junction with the Colonel’s Chair Trail, which leads toward the Hunter Mountain Ski Lodge and chairlift.

Eventually the trail leveled out a bit before climbing again at a more moderate grade, finally reaching the Hunter Mountain Fire Tower and Observer’s Cabin. Hunter tops out at 4,040 feet, and there are picnic tables at the summit too. We climbed as high as we could up the 60-foot tower, stopping just below the locked cab, which was unattended. The views were spectacular! The Hunter Mountain Fire Tower, built in 1917 and relocated to its current location in 1953, stands at the highest elevation of any fire tower in New York State. It was windy at the top, and I could feel the tower sway in the gusts, but it felt sturdy and well-built. I wished I could have stayed up there longer, but others were coming and going, eager to take in the same breathtaking views.

By the time we started back down it was around 2 p.m. Through the leafless trees, we had clear views of Rusk and East Rusk Mountains. As we descended back into the hardwood forest, tiny moths fluttered along the trail, something I’d noticed on the way up as well. It was a really great hike, and next time I’d like to start earlier and make it a loop hiking the Devil’s Path and Hunter Mountain Trail.

Note that the photos are all I was able to capture with my phone. They are both photos and video stills. Unfortunately, the SD card on my camera corrupted and I lost all photos from this weekend except for these phone pics.

Click “Read More” below for more photos from this hike.

First Winter Hike in the Catskills & a Cozy Cabin, December 13 & 14, 2025

Catskills, Diamond Notch Falls via Spruceton Road + Hunter Mountain via Spruceton Trail out and back, 9.61 Miles RT, 2,194’ +/-, Max Elevation 4,040’, November 8, 2025