Vly and Bearpen Mountain Hike

On Sunday morning, Rich and I broke camp and drove over to the valley north of Fleischmanns and Halcott Center.  We arrived at the trailhead, which was nothing more than a snowplow turn-around at the end of County Road 3, at about 9:20AM.  We were running late due to the distances from the Little Pond Campground, but it didn't matter since noone else had signed up for the hike.  It was another beautiful day and it was already fairly warm out.

We quickly got ready and headed up the jeep trail (the continuation of County Road 3).  This path was an easy grade up to a cabin, which sat at the junction of the two "trails"...for Vly and Bearpen.  We reached this point by 9:45 and it was a little confusing.  I had read that one trail veered off just before the cabin and one just after.  It turned out that the unmaintained trail for Vly Mountain was just off the "road" as it began to descend the other side of the col.  This was fairly easy to follow as it meandered through the woods.  It then began to become a more aggressive climb and there were limited views through the trees over to Bearpen. In fact to get a better view of the other peak, I had to climb a tree.  It wasn't long after this point that we reached the summit (3529'), which was marked by a canister.  It was about 10:30, when we summited Vly Mountain.  This mountaintop was totally in the trees with no views.  We took a break and signed the notebook.  While we were there, a father and daughter showed up and we talked with them...sharing experiences (they were planning a trip to the White Mountains during the summer).  Luckily, he had done these before and gave us some better information about the route to Bearpen (it turned out the side road / snowmobile trail from the cabin was the trail).  

We descended back to the col and continued up the road to the left of the cabin.  This road was modestly steep in sections, as it twisted and turned up the side of Bearpen.  There were a number of side roads/trails and by 11:40 we had found a trail, which cut off some of the jeep paths (just before a wood sign which designated a permit area).  After this, the route was fairly straight-forward to the summit (even though all these roads led to the same place).  By 12:10 we encountered the first of several really nice northward views.  Continuing on there were two other wonderful views from the top of what had been a old ski area.  It was near the second of these open areas, which was probably the summit of Bearpen Mountain (3600').  It appeared to be the height of land, but was not marked in any way.  We proceeded further to where the trail ended at a number of rocky ledges with good views again to the north, but also to the west...with prominent views over the valley, northward to Schoharie Reservoir and over to the Plattekill Mountain Ski Area.  It was 12:20PM and we took an extended break to have lunch and enjoy the views.

At 12:50PM we started back along the same path, we had used for the ascent.  This was an easy return and we got back to our cars and the trailhead by 2PM.

Afterwards, we called it a day.  It had been a nice day out with Bearpen having better than expected views...it definitely made up for the lack of any views on Vly.  Thanks to Rich for joining me.  It was a great chance to get to know a new GO hiker.

Join me for a mostly modest hike out to two of the Catskill 3500 foot peaks...Vly (3529') and Bearpen (3600') Mountains.  While access is primarily over unmaintained logging routes and herd paths, the paths are fairly straightforward.  We'll be hiking into the col between the two peaks and backtracking to the col after hiking each of them.  There are wonderful views off of the summit of Bearpen, which was an old ski area.  There are very limited to no views from Vly.

Total Distance and Elevation Gain:  6.5 miles with approximately 2007 feet in accumulative elevation gain.

Total Time:  4.5 to 5.5 hours depending on breaks and group's speed. 

Rain or harsh weather may postpone to another date or cancel, as appropriate. 

Camping Option:  Contact me, if you're interested in camping Friday and/or Saturday night.  I would be happy to set something up or provide details to share my site.  I may be staying at Little Pond Campground...contact me first.

What to Bring:  Typical spring hiking gear should be appropriate:  convertible hiking pants or shorts, good sturdy hiking boots with thick socks, a windbreaker/raingear.  Also bring along lunch, snacks and plenty of water (at least 2-L).  Optionally, pack sunscreen, bug spray, and anything else that you may require for a day hike.

Carpooling:  Contact other participants or the trip leader to arrange for a rideshare to the trailhead. 

Afterwards:  If there is sufficient interest, we will have drinks and/or dinner in the area.