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Straight out-and-back. Steep and then very steep. Trailhead info at bottom of this post.

Hiking Trail Description

On Halcott Mountain in the Catskills, the main herd path is so now well-established it has become the de-facto route to the summit.

Big changes on this mountain over the last few years, since the pandemic pushed everyone to explore the great outdoors. We are transitioning out of the era when The Catskills were relatively un-known and un-hiked. Our high peaks are now very well-trod. You’ll see Halcott’s herd path marked clearly on GaiaGPS —and even the main route between Rocky and Lone is now fixed in position and solidified online.

Halcott’s herd path is relatively easy to follow, though there are some forks and options along the way. Good navigation skills are a must before heading out on this (or any other!) mountain route.

I didn’t think too much of Halcott when I first hiked it in the spring of 2019. Subsequent hikes in other seasons changed my mind. There’s a lot to see: the woods are spectacular, particularly the hemlock grove down low, and the ravines are precipitous and beautiful. While lush in summer, a deep winter snow brings out the best of this mountain IMO. In winter, at sunset, the summit is a Catskill photographer’s dream.

Halcott is one of two ‘beginner bushwhack’ peaks in The Catskills; the other one being Rusk . Both mountains make for steep but short hikes — great for practicing your basic backcountry navigation skills without a lot of the risks that come with more technical or more remote terrain.

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Table of Contents

Halcott Hike Time

Halcott Mountain Elevation Gain

Halcott Mountain Hike Notes & Gallery

Nettles in Summer

Hemlock Stand

The Final Incline

Halcott’s Summit

Summit in winter…

Descent

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Hike Halcott Mountain’s Herd Path

There’s nothing tricky to contend with on Halcott: no ledges, cliffs, or scrambles — though a short undercliff diversion just south of the waterfall can provide adventure if you fancy.

The Halcott herd path includes…

A beautiful waterfall

Hemlock grove

Historical stone fences and cairns

Steep inclines

Plus some very steep inclines

A full breakdown is provided in the hike notes below, with 15 photos .

Halcott Hike Time

Allow 3-3½ hours for this hike.

Halcott Mountain Elevation Gain

The elevation gain for this hike is 1,650 feet (apx 500 meters).

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Halcott Mountain Hike Notes & Gallery

After parking your car in Route 42’s aptly-named Deep Notch, head past the notice board to the small-but-pretty waterfall at the base of the mountain. It’s about 200ft from the parking area.

Most of the time, it’s just a trickle, so try to visit in the days after a good rain has passed through…

The safest way up is to the right of the waterfall. When you’re ready, head back, but only 75ft or so. Look for the herd path heading uphill on your left…

Climb up above the waterfall’s rim until the noise from below subsides.

Right above the waterfall

Cross the brook and head south.

There are options above the waterfall. You can see on my GPS track how I mistakenly followed the wrong herd path for a minute before deciding to turn back. Easy to do.

You may pass this cairn on the way, on your right.

Large beautiful cairn, probably for ye olde agricultural land-marking purposes

Nettles in Summer

In summer, Halcott Mountain is absolutely covered in nettles. This used to be a problem but, with the development of the herd path, it’s no longer an issue unless you’re wearing shorts. Just wear long pants and enjoy this short huffer of a hike.

Herd path through the nettles

Nettles? No problem! (Photo by Jenne Skye)

Hemlock Stand

My favorite section of the hike is this wonderful stand of mature hemlock tress that starts just below 2,000’ and extends upwards to 2,250’ or so. These are some of the oldest hemlocks in the Catskills.

The start of a beautiful passage through the hardwood forest

The terrain here is lovely, too, with many undulations, and water gurgling down the deep furrow to your left.

Not far above this section, the track bends left/southwest, crosses the drainage, and the real work begins.

The Final Incline

Starting just below 3,000’, the incline gets really steep; at times, the grade must be 120% or more. Your legs and glutes will feel it, here.

How to Hike this Section: Lean forward more than you’ve ever leaned forward on a steep grade. The weight of a backpack is more than enough to change a person’s center of gravity and, if you lean back here, you can easily tip backwards and start rolling downhill — and there is a lot of hill to roll down. So bend hard at the waist. Use your hands for extra balance and steadiness.

You’ll have plenty of stops to catch your breath. When the leaves are off the trees, you can see Sleeping Lion (on your left) which is connected to Halcott via the col between the two summits. On your right is Mount Sherrill .

The woods in this area look like this…

These trees are younger than the trees lower down, due to a forest fire in 1908

Above the steepest section, the trail winds through hobblebush for a while until, up ahead, you see the obvious summit knob .

Halcott’s Summit

In the spring, when I approached the summit from the northeast, it felt like there were fifty false summits — just one fake-out after the next. But the now-standard approach from the east is a cinch.

You can simply follow the herd path right to the canister.

Halcott Mountain’s Catskill 3500 Club canister

Open sesame…

Summit in winter…

Summit & Canister

Summit & Canister

Canister / winter / 2019

In summer, it took my hiking partner and me about 90 mins to get to the summit. In winter, it can take more like two hours to reach the canister. In 2019, the temperature on the summit was 15°F (-9°C) and I had fun times eating a frozen sandwich . Once the cold started to crush me, I took two swigs of summit whiskey and started back down. What I learned that day: frozen Snickers and whiskey is tasty medicine.

Descent

This is mountain is a great place to think about using trekking poles , especially for the descent. The terrain is so steep near the top that poles really help with steadying for balance, and with taking some of the strain off one’s knees. (And make sure you’re well-prepared for hiking in the dark . )

As it happens, in every season, Halcott is a wonderful mountain to descend. You’ll scoot back down to Route 42 in no time.

Halcott waterfall lit by headlamp

Similar Hikes

If you like steep hills with no blazed trails, Halcott , Rusk and Friday mountains are your new best friends.

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Halcott’s Herd Path Trailhead

This lot is tiny, with enough space for 5-6 cars max. But it’s not a crazy-popular destination. You’ll probably get a spot.

Google Maps Location: 42.184194, -74.414804

The map below shows the exact topographic location of the trailhead

Cell Service

The tiny parking area for Halcott is in a deep notch that’s literally called “Deep Notch”. Expect nothing. Coverage improves as you climb but the signal is weak and intermittent. I was able to text from the summit. My network is Verizon. YMMV.

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The parent mountain for this hike is Halcott .