The Catskills - Southern Escarpment Trail Loop

The roughly 24 mile long Escarpment Trail is located in the northeastern Catskills and is one of our favorite trails in the Catskills - whether in whole or in parts. The trail runs from Schutt Road near North-South Lake State Campground in the south to Route 23 in Windham in the north. Along the way it follows the eastern edge of the Catskill Mountains, where they drop down to the Hudson Valley and Hudson River to the east.

Thanks to the Escarpment Trail intersecting with a number of trails along its way, it is possible to utilize the trail to make several different loops. In this case, we focused on the southern third of the trail and began at the South Lake Dam.

From the South Lake Dam, we followed the yellow trail down to the intersection with the Escarpment Trail. From there, we followed the Escarpment Trail past Layman's Monument, Sunset Rock, Inspiration Point, Boulder Rock, the Catskill Mountain House site, Artists Rock, Lookout Rock, Sunset Rock (yes, there’s two) and ended our trip on the Escarpment Trail at North Point high above North-South Lake.

From North Point we came back down the Escarpment Trail and then followed the Mary’s Glen Trail back to the roads within the North-South Lake State Campground (which is closed this time of the year) and walked back along the shoreline of the lake to our car.

You can find this hike on:

- Map 141 of the NYNJ Trail Conference's Catskill Trails Map Set

- National Geographics Trails Illustrated Map for the Catskill Park

Find additional information about the Catskill Park visit the Catskills Visitor Center​.

Catskill Park Outdoor Hiking, Backpacking and Camping Guide Services:

Hire Hike On Guides for your next Catskills adventure and hike with us!