THE CATSKILLS

Guides

McAllister, Lee & Ochman, Myron Steven. Hiking the Catskills: A Guide for Exploring the Natural Beauty of America's Romantic and Magical Mountains on the Trail and Off the Beaten Path. New York-New Jersey Trail Conference, last printing 1995. 377 pp., illustrated.
A good candidate for the laurels as "Best Guide to the Catskills." Superbly detailed and full of interesting observations, keyed to the well-nigh essential Trail Conference maps (many of which are reproduced in part within), there is much information here not to be found in any other guide. The coverage of bushwhack approaches is remarkably thorough. Unfortunately, this is out of print and unlikely to be reprinted, according to the NYNJTC, but used copies can be found with some frequency (try www.addall.com/used). Still listed on Amazon, for what it's worth--perhaps they have stock.

Wadsworth, Bruce C. and the Schenectady Chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club (with revisions by the estimable Bill Rudge). Guide to Catskill Trails. ADK, 2nd ed. 1994, revised 2002. 332 pp., largely unillustrated.
A fine piece of work, prepared with the thoroughness of all the ADK series of guides. Bushwhacks are covered, as are the vast majority of trails. This is in some ways a superior guide to the previous, but it lacks the enthusiasm and personality, as well as the discussions of flora, fauna and history, that the Mcallister guide possesses in abundance. For all that, an essential book for the Catskill enthusiast. Purchase via the ADK, discount for members. In revision, new edition in preparation.

Kick, Peter W. Catskill Mountain Guide. AMC, 2002. 320 pages, with a GPS rendered map.
Peter Kick is a respected Catskill guide and this is a thorough, sound and readable guide, with many interesting insights on the mountains. Your editor reviewed this work for the NYNJTC magazine and was pleased with many aspects. It is the first Catskill guide to provide GPS co-ordinates for crucial turns and locations and it is well-written, with easily followed instructions.
Unfortunately, it suffers from two major drawbacks. First, due to AMC conservation policy, it does not discuss bushwhack approaches. While the rationale for this may be laudable, it limits this to a trail guide solely and for most of the trails discussed, which are easily followed and well-marked, the guide serves a purely interpretive function. A far more severe weakness is the quality of the accompanying map itself, which lacks indications for parking areas, bus stops and many other features that are essential to the hiker. The map is printed on flimsy paper (though a waterproof version is available at extra cost). Well worth owning, but with limitations. Purchase via the AMC.

White, David & Carol. Catskill Day Hikes for All Seasons. ADK, 2002. 176 pp., illustrated.
A very detailed selective trail guide (listing fifty outings in all) by two very experienced hikers, extremely well written and documented. While the scope of this work is less extensive than the three guides above, as a selective guide it is an admirable addition to the literature, with considerable interpretive detail. Maps are included. This is an excellent book for anyone just starting to explore the Catskills, though a number of demanding hikes are listed (all are carefully and accurately graded by difficulty). Available via the ADK. The Whites are currently working on the revision of the ADK Catskill Guide (see above).

Henry, Edward G. Catskill Trails. A Ranger's Guide to the High Peaks. The Northern Catskills. The Central Catskills. (two volumes). 184; 184 pp. , illustrated.
Two good interpretive guides, focussed largely (but not exclusively) on trail hikes. The great Burroughs Range bushwhack is listed as "not recommended" by the author (one of two hikes with that designation). This is indeed a difficult hike, particularly if one were to go over the summit of the small peak between Friday & Cornell as Henry suggests. I have done this route (once) and I believe this to be the most brutal stretch in the Catskills owing to the density of small spruce. There are alternate, far easier routes along the ledges to the east that Henry does not discuss (perhaps rightly so), as they are only for the experienced bushwhacker who is knowledgeable of the terrain and has good navigating skills. Purchase via the NYNJTC.

Catskill Forest Preserve. New York-New Jersey Trail Conference map five map set. Seventh edition, 2001. Available through the NYNJTC.
Although for bushwhacks this editor prefers USGS sheets, a copy of the appropriate map from this set is always present in his map-case, on or off-trail. These are the best hiking maps of the Catskills and have the added advantage of being nearly indestructible. They are frequently revised by Trail Conference volunteers.

Interpretation

Kudish, Michael. The Catskill Forest. A History. Purple Mountain Press, Fleischmanns NY, 2000. 217 pp., illustrated, with a large folding map at rear.
The distillation of the research of a lifetime. Michael Kudish is the foremost scholar on Catskill forestry, and this book discusses the distribution of tree species and how this reflects the variegated history of the land on which they grow. Beyond that, the various regional sections have an unparalleled wealth of information on human impacts and the surviving evidence of these (e.g. charcoal kilns, quarries, woods roads), issues of land acquisition into the park system and a wealth of other facts, all carefully and clearly presented and documented. For the Catskill hiker interested in their surroundings, this is the single best book known to the editor. Available from Amazon and The Catskill Center.

Bierhorst, John & others. The Ashokan Catskills. A Natural History. Purple Mountain Press, Fleischmanns NY, 1995. 116 pp., profusely illustrated.
An exemplary and highly unusual work, this book was put together by the Olive Natural Heritage Society. Although the region discussed is Olive alone (at the foot of the Burroughs Range), the inventory of species and plant communities makes for fascinating reading (the work is technical but accessible) and gives a rich overview of the biological diversity of the region. For example, the listing of orchids notes seventeen species within this one town, although the rarest of these, the Whorled Pogonia, is known only from voucher specimens (it may still be here: the plant disappears underground for many years with no external presence and is not especially showy when it does appear). Purchase from The Catskill Center, a source of many wonderful works on the region.

Evers, Alf. The Catskills from Wilderness to Woodstock. The Overlook Press, Woodstock, 1982, but revised and reprinted. 832 pp., illustrated.
"The monumental, definitive history of the Catskills. In this revised and updated edition taking us up to the present are the lore, legends, superstitions, violence and scandal, art and commerce, flora and fauna, natural and un-natural wonders that have made the Catskills one of America's most historically rich and romantic regions." An enjoyable book to read, although as a history marred somewhat by Evers' somewhat non-linear narrative style. Purchase from The Catskill Center.

Titus, Robert. The Catskills. A Geological Guide. (AND) The Catskills in the Ice Age. Purple Mountain Press, Fleischmanns NY. 127 pp. 123 pp.
Two lay-accessible works on the complex geology of the Catskills, in part drawn from a series of magazine articles. In order to understand the Catskills it is essential to understand the forces that gave rise to the mountains. These books provide the basics for the interested reader. Widely available.