Hi all,

I'm currently looking at a plot of land in Northern Catskills region and found one that has a dilapidated hunting shed/cabin that would need to be torn down and removed. I'm trying to figure out my budgets and need to get a few quotes for what it would cost to remove the structure.

Does anyone have anyone they suggest for this type of work? I'd love to talk to them! Or if there's a company you know who does this type of thing, can you link up their name or website?

Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone,

We are currently looking to purchase a home and are torn between two areas: the Roxbury/Margaretville/Arkville area in Delaware County and the Hunter/Tannersville/Jewett area of Greene County. We're a young family, would not live there full time and don't have interest in renting. We have spent time in both areas and appreciate that they both have a beautiful mountain views, offer plenty of outdoor activities (hiking, skiing, some biking) and have some restaurants / coffee shops while generally maintaining a relatively rural feel. We have also spent time in the greater Woodstock region and like it but are concerned that the community might not be as cohesive.

What we haven't done is make friends in these areas. I'm hoping to get some insight on the general culture, vibe, frequency of community events in the area and community engagement opportunities that we would hope to participate in. How easy / hard is it to get to know people in the area, and how welcoming are the locals to newcomers?

I appreciate any input and thank you so much for your help!

Hi all, wondering if any of you have experience with purchasing a lot and living in a THOW while saving to build?

I know that zoning laws vary, but in general I’m seeing lots of restrictions for permanent living in a THOW unless there’s an existing structure already on the property (which sucks because if I could afford land with a house on it I’d just buy one).

But maybe some of you have already done this or know someone who has? If so? Did they get a variance? Or did the town have amenable laws for such a thing?

Planning a solo weekend getaway from NYC to explore the Catskills region soon for the first time and looking for recommendations for a place to stay and things to do. Enjoy hiking, sight seeing and exploring small towns with nice shops and restaurants. I see many places are for a full cabin for 3-4 people for over $300 night which seems overkill for my needs. Any hotel or cottage recommends where I can rent for a single person for under $200/night?

This Saturday (4/20) we'll be putting on a comedy show. It'll be me, Patrick Holbert, along with Rob Christensen and Gastor Almonte. Gastor and I have a podcast and we've been doing some co-headlining shows around the tristate. Rob is opening up the show even though he's a real deal headliner himself. Check out him and Gastor both on YouTube. You'll find Comedy Central sets they both have done on there. Rob was also a writer on Jon Stewart's show "The Problem." I haven't been on TV yet but if you search my post history I think you can find comedy videos of mine on here. Anyway, I'm just spreading the word in hopes we get a good crowd for the show. It's at the HPAC and their site has tickets and stuff. Thanks for allowing me to use this space to share about this gig!

DEC website says you can camp and start fires anywhere in the Catskills wilderness (as long as you’re 150 ft away from water, trails and roads), but the Catskills Visitor Center website says you can’t venture off from the trail to the falls or start a fire. Would anyone stop me and four other friends from going a couple hundred feet off trail and setting up a tent and fire a half mile from the falls? We’re all experienced campers who have primitive camped in the Catskills before and I’ll post updates if I end up going.

Thanks!

Does anyone know how popular the John Robb leanto will be in month or two? I want to spend a night or two there, but I’m not sure what to expect. Thanks in advance.

We have a camp not too far from Delhi and I could swear I saw an otter this morning swimming in our pond then go down into a stream bed. We had a beaver there years ago but this was much smaller and darker than a beaver. Are there otters in the Catskills?

TIA - Did anyone else hear an emergency siren go off in the Palenville/Kaaterskill falls area? I’m camping nearby and curious to know the reason.

Anyone know of summer camps that do private rentals of cabins in September?

Hi all. Coming up to the Windham area this Saturday and staying at Hotel Lilien. While the hotel has received excellent reviews and we are excited to stay, their dinner menu looks a bit limited. I've been searching around for a nice dinner restaurant. Any recommendations? Looking for the higher end side as we are celebrating. I saw Eastwind had a Saturday night pricefix dinner but haven't been able to find any reviews. Anyone ever been? Thanks!

Does anyone know if there is any snow on the eastern half of the Devil's Path Trail as of today (11 April 2024)? I see snow in the forecast for the weekend, and wondering if there is any snow on the trail right now around Sugarloaf Mountain and/or Plateau Mountain.

Planning to visit Catskill for the first time during Memorial Day weekend and seems like Livingston Manor is recommended a few times here. Is it a good place to stay for 3 nights? Planning to do some intermediate hiking, visiting main st shops and trying good food.

Looking for information of any potentially “ancient” stone structures, megalithic stone sites, cairns, astronomically aligned structures in the Catskill mountain region. I am aware of the structures and mounts in Woodstock NY and near Overlook mountain. I have all of Linda Zimmerman’s books, Glen Kreisberg’s book, Manitou, etc. Looking for info on sites that may not be included in these mainstream publications. I believe I recently found some rock cairns visible from the road near Greenville, NY.

Hi good people of the Catskills, how much do you pay annually for flood insurance and do you have companies you would recommend?

Thank you!

Great view of a fantastic Catskills day-hike.

Had anyone been down to Echo Lake recently? Is it still snowy?

Also, can I park overnight at the Overlook trailhead on Meads Mountain Rd?

I'm looking for a greenhouse, anything less than 20' by 20'. Any style. Hoping I can achieve this with $3500 or less. I can pick up. With or without plastic covering. 🌱 Thank you! PS I'm all over Facebook and Craigslist too!

Picked up a convertible last fall. What are you're favorite little day cruises? The school house restaurant at the bottom of the pepacton is one we really enjoyed, Phoenicia to hunter to Windham to chicken run is another.

Grew up in the Catskills, but have been neglecting the Shawangunks until recently. Took this photo of the Catskill escarpment from the lookout point on route 44/55 near Granite on my way back up. I was so disoriented I cannot tell what I'm looking at! I'm pretty sure this is Ashokan High Point, but I am unsure, as Slide Mt. is so tall and just behind it. Any help identifying these peaks (specifically the right-most peak)?

https://preview.redd.it/eo0hzcmlt3tc1.png?width=2032&format=png&auto=webp&s=19f232dcad48656ca6e7841666712348bf8e2e09

Has anyone been up to Peekamoose or Table since the weather that passed through this past week? Hoping to maybe make it up next weekend without spikes…

Hey all,

This will be my first time visiting the area and honestly I am having a tough time researching where to go for some reason? This area feels a little opaque when researching where to camp ( car camp specifically) or maybe I am just bad at google.com haha... but any help would be greatly appreciated!

Planning to hike Mink Hollow Devil’s Path Loop Trail with a group (6) of experienced hikers. Looking to make it a 2-day trip; completing the hike on the first day, spending the night on a nearby campground, then leave the following morning.

Was wondering if anyone had hiked this trail before and if so; what parking lot and camp ground should we consider using, are there water sources along the trail?

Looking for any other tips or advice as well, please and thank you!

Hello,

Planning a weekend getaway with my wife, 4-year-old, and 1-year-old from the Philadelphia area for April 19-22.

Found a few nice Airbnbs in the Livingston Manor/Jeffersonville area. We’re not really hiking people, just looking to have a relaxing weekend with good food, drink, shopping, and some activities for my oldest kid thrown in.

How will the weather be around that time? I’m reading online it’s mud season, but not sure how much that will impact us on this trip if we’re not seeking out any serious hikes.

Thanks!

It doesn't necessarily have to be a mile but what's the hardest significant stretch of trail in the Catskills. Let's keep it to a half mile (or more) of trail to keep it from getting into individual features.

I'm not talking about an entire trail. Like the Devils path, but just a stretch of trail. Also don't include single obstacles like the Cornell Crack.

My votes would be Sugarloaf from mink hollow (in winter especially), Twin from I think pecoy notch (between sugarloaf) has a really gnarly stretch, and maybe plateau from Stoney Clove. That trail has a lot of ledges and is generally just steep. I think the ascent to Indian Head from Devils Kitchen can be pretty interesting. All trails calls it the stretch of death (my wife read this, I don't use all trails at all). I was like babe you did that as one of your first Catskills hikes. She's like yeah, I thought so, but they were adamant you would probably die. 👀🤔😅

It's been a really long time since I did the Blackheads and it was winter (March 2000, I think) so I don't remember them clearly, but I remember that being some quality steep stuff. I need to do it in summer and it's at the top of my to do list as soon as the ice is gone.

What are your stretches?