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Balsam
Catskill
· 3608 ft
· cat-balsam
Modeled trail surface — forward-modeled physics, updated hourly
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Trail detail
Trail reports
Reports (30d / total)
0 / 15
Most recent
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Confidence
0.50
Status computed
2h ago
Active tags: blowdownerodedovergrownsteeptrail-improved
Trail maintenance work was completed on Lost Clove trail in fall 2019, including clearing blowdown, pruning overgrown vegetation, and removing debris. The trail is a steep, underutilized woods road suitable for backcountry skiing and offers alternate access to Balsam Mountain.
Activity (last 90 days)
Recent reports (15)
Trail maintenance work was completed on Lost Clove trail in fall 2019, including clearing blowdown, pruning overgrown vegetation, and removing debris. The trail is a steep, underutilized woods road suitable for backcountry skiing and offers alternate access to Balsam Mountain.
blowdownerodedovergrownsteeptrail-improved
A comprehensive peakbagging guide for the Catskill 3500 Club, describing routes, difficulty levels, and strategic pairing of 33 publicly-accessible Catskill peaks above 3,500 ft. The guide covers single peaks, pairs, triplets, and multi-peak challenge routes with no specific trail conditions reported.
adk-balsam-lake, adk-hunter, cat-balsam, cat-balsam-cap, cat-bearpen, cat-big-indian, cat-black-dome, cat-blackhead, cat-cornell, cat-eagle, cat-fir, cat-friday, cat-halcott, cat-indian-head, cat-kaaterskill-high, cat-lone, cat-north-dome, cat-panther, cat-peekamoose, cat-plateau, cat-rocky, cat-rusk, cat-sherrill, cat-slide, cat-sugarloaf, cat-table, cat-thomas-cole, cat-twin, cat-vly, cat-west-kill, cat-windham-high, cat-wittenberg
Multi-year collection of user-submitted Catskill trail conditions reports covering seasonal variations in snow, ice, mud, and water conditions across numerous peaks and routes. Reports span from 2021–2025 and include details on required gear (spikes, snowshoes, crampons) and trail hazards for planning purposes.
adk-balsam-lake, adk-hunter, cat-balsam, cat-balsam-cap, cat-black-dome, cat-blackhead, cat-cornell, cat-eagle, cat-friday, cat-giant-ledge, cat-halcott, cat-indian-head, cat-kaaterskill-high, cat-north-dome, cat-panther, cat-peekamoose, cat-plateau, cat-rusk, cat-sherrill, cat-slide, cat-sugarloaf, cat-thomas-cole, cat-twin, cat-west-kill, cat-windham-high, cat-wittenberg
blowdownbreakable-crustbug-heavycoldcornice-riskcrampons-requireddeep-snowdryerodedfrozen-groundhard-icehigh-waterhigh-windiceloose-rocklow-visibilitymudmud-deeppostholingrainrime-icerotten-snowscramblescreeslabslide-routeslushsnowsnowshoes-requiredspikes-requiredstream-crossing-difficultthunderstorm-riskverglaswater-availablewater-drywater-scarcewater-stagnantwetwet-rock
This is a curated collection of user-submitted trail condition reports for Catskill peaks spanning from late 2021 through April 2025, covering seasonal conditions including snow, ice, mud, trail quality, water availability, and wildlife/bug activity across multiple routes and elevations.
adk-hunter, cat-balsam, cat-balsam-cap, cat-bearpen, cat-big-indian, cat-black-dome, cat-blackhead, cat-cornell, cat-eagle, cat-fir, cat-friday, cat-halcott, cat-indian-head, cat-kaaterskill-high, cat-lone, cat-north-dome, cat-panther, cat-peekamoose, cat-plateau, cat-rocky, cat-rusk, cat-sherrill, cat-slide, cat-sugarloaf, cat-thomas-cole, cat-twin, cat-vly, cat-west-kill, cat-windham-high, cat-wittenberg
blowdownbreakable-crustbug-heavycoldcrampons-requireddeep-snowdryerodedexposedfrozen-groundhard-icehigh-windicelow-visibilitymudmud-deepovergrownparking-fullpostholingrainrime-icerotten-snowslushsnowsnowshoes-requiredspikes-requiredsteepverglaswater-availablewater-drywater-scarcewetwet-rockwhiteout
Hiker completed a Balsam Mountain–Rider Hollow counterclockwise loop in Sunday conditions with 2–3 inches of snow and microspikes, noting that recent rain and warming had melted heavier snowfall from the previous week. The Rider Hollow shelter was encountered in poor condition with roof damage.
snowspikes-required
This is a scenic trail guide for Indian Head Mountain on the Devil's Path featuring rock scrambles, cliff ascents, boreal summit, and varied terrain. User comments describe mid-September conditions with damp ground, wet footing, and rooty sections with steep climbs; another July visit is also briefly mentioned.
exposedscrambleslippery-rootssteepwet
Three hikers completed the Rider Hollow Loop for Balsam on a sunny day after 8–10" of fresh snow, breaking trail above the junction and enjoying plunge-stepping and glissading on the descent through wind-packed drifts and deeper powder.
breakable-crustdeep-snowdrypostholingsnow
Hiker and companion attempted Balsam Mountain via Lost Clove route on a Saturday evening with 4 inches of fresh snow and 30-inch snowshoes. Companion became ill partway up the trail, so they turned around at the Red Trail junction near the former fire tower site after about 3 hours of hiking, returning to the car by 7 p.m.
coldsnowsnowshoes-required
This is an evergreen trail guide to Twin Mountain via Jimmy Dolan Notch describing the route, terrain, and seasonal conditions. The guide notes that winter travel requires microspikes at minimum due to ice-flows and ice-covered boulders on steep sections, and mentions a challenging rock scramble with verglas conditions.
adk-hunter, cat-balsam, cat-eagle, cat-indian-head, cat-panther, cat-plateau, cat-sugarloaf, cat-twin, cat-wittenberg
exposedicerockyscramblespikes-requiredsteepverglas
An evergreen route guide for Belleayre via Lost Clove, featuring a relentlessly steep ascent through Lost Clove followed by a ridge walk with occasional views of surrounding peaks and the Belleayre Ski Resort. The route has no technical challenges but is marked difficult due to the sustained steep grade.
overgrownrockysteep
A detailed trail guide describing the steep but moderately-graded Tremper Mountain fire tower route, featuring consistent 30-35° grades, fire tower views of surrounding Catskill peaks, water availability at a spring, and potential rattlesnake exposure in warmer months. The route is approximately 3 miles with 1,950 feet of elevation gain.
adk-hunter, cat-balsam, cat-balsam-cap, cat-black-dome, cat-blackhead, cat-friday, cat-giant-ledge, cat-halcott, cat-indian-head, cat-north-dome, cat-panther, cat-plateau, cat-sherrill, cat-slide, cat-twin, cat-west-kill, cat-wittenberg
bear-activityrockysteepwater-available
A detailed evergreen trail guide for the Balsam Mountain loop from Rider Hollow, including route description, landmarks, and typical conditions. Includes comments from user visits noting fresh snow with deep postholes requiring snowshoes, and stinging nettles in summer.
cat-balsam, cat-black-dome, cat-blackhead, cat-north-dome, cat-plateau, cat-rusk, cat-slide, cat-sugarloaf, cat-twin
deep-snowovergrownpostholingsnowshoes-requiredstream-crossing-difficultwater-available
Rochester Hollow offers three stacked trail options (3.5–6.1 miles) with mostly flat, ADA-compliant lower sections on an old road, followed by moderate terrain through historically significant farmland with stone fences and ruins. The area is underused and features hemlock, birch, and maple forests with abundant wildlife.</summary>
<parameter name="confidence">Medium
dryrockytrail-improved
A detailed evergreen trail guide for a loop combining Indian Head and Twin mountains via the Devil's Path and Jimmy Dolan Notch. The route features classic Catskill forest, rock scrambles, scenic views, and a treed-in summit on Indian Head with excellent vistas from Twin's lower ledge.
adk-hunter, cat-balsam, cat-black-dome, cat-eagle, cat-indian-head, cat-kaaterskill-high, cat-panther, cat-plateau, cat-sugarloaf, cat-twin
exposedrockyscramblesteep
Detailed route guide for the Balsam-Haynes-Eagle loop featuring two stream crossings (tricky after rain), a steep rugged section with stone steps between 2250–2500 feet, and mostly easy ridge walking through three peak summits. The route offers one scenic overlook with views of Big Indian.
bushwhackerodedrockyslabsteepstream-crossing-difficult
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Balsam Mountain, Mount Balsam, Mt Balsam, Balsam Peak