My good friend TBPDPTI and I got out yesterday for quick and productive outing in the Catskills. The trifecta of both Plattekills and Roundtop made a great loop with some views from the summit of North Plattekill as well as nice screened views throughout the day.
We started at the Plattekill Turnpike trailhead - little tricky to access the ~2ish parking spots just up the hill, but there are some options on the shoulder of the road as a backup. The turnpike was in great shape and we followed it without issue until we were just west of South Plattekill. From there we left the trail and made the short'n'sweet bushwhack up to the summit. Then we followed the ridge to the north until we intersected the turnpike trail again. The trail took us roughly a quarter mile below the summit of North Plattekill and on the bushwhack ascent we crossed a few ski trails. North Plattekill has beautiful views from the top of the ski slope(s) and from the wedding (?) platform. Leaving North Plattekill, we picked up an old road/trail that took in the direction of Roundtop, staying just below the ridge until we bushwhacked downhill to hit the turnpike again. Then we followed the trail to <0.2 miles from the summit of Roundtop. We left the turnpike at one of the hairpin turns and the bushwhack ascent was easy and open.
The descent from Roundtop. was challenging. The forest floor has a lot of rocks covered by a layer of leaves. We were able to stay on DEP land all the way back to the road, although one has to take care to avoid the few residences on the west side of the road. But one can follow DEP signs all the way back to the road, which is comforting. Remarkably, we were back to the cars a hair under 3 hours after having left them. We were on an unintentional rampage.
Overall a great day in the cold November woods of the Catskills! Sitting in the mid-80s for the CHH...