Escarpment Trail (East Windham to North-South Lake)
Windham-Blackhead Range Wilderness, Elm Ridge Wild Forest, and Kaaterskill Wild Forest, Catskill Forest Preserve (Greene County)
The Escarpment Trail follows the eastern edge of the northern Catskills, where the mountains drop toward the Hudson Valley. The DEC lists it at 23.9 miles with blue markers, from NYS Route 23 in East Windham over Windham High Peak and the Blackhead Range to Schutt Road at North-South Lake. Much of it is also the Long Path.
Great Northern Catskills, in a September 2026 thru-hike guide, suggests about three days. The two main challenges are water and the 3,500-foot camping limit.
The hike
Catskill Mountaineer and The Outbound both describe the trip north to south, starting at the Route 23 lot at Cross Road in East Windham. Catskill Mountaineer’s three-day plan runs 9.21, 8.32, and 8.55 miles.
The first climb is Windham High Peak, about 3,525 feet with views just off the summit. SectionHiker’s Philip Werner singles out the dense hemlock forest just below Windham as “spectacular and one of the best sights on the trail.” The ridge continues east past Acra Point to the Batavia Kill Trail junction, where the Batavia Kill lean-to and a primitive campsite sit just under a quarter mile downhill, with a stream beside them (Catskill Mountaineer).
Day two climbs Blackhead Mountain, at about 3,940 feet the high point. Hiking Project notes that parts of the climb “are very steep,” and Catskill Mountaineer says the summit itself has no view. The trail drops to Dutcher Notch, the key water stop: a spring about a quarter mile down one side trail can dry up in summer, while a stream about three-quarters of a mile down the other side is more reliable. Catskill Mountaineer’s advice is to leave the notch with a full day’s water.
South of the notch, the trail passes Stoppel Point, where the wreck of a small plane that crashed in 1983 lies beside the trail. Catskill Mountaineer’s second camp is a hidden, waterless site about 450 feet off the trail after the descent past North Mountain. Just beyond is North Point, with views over North-South Lake and the Hudson. A SectionHiker reader found the rock scrambles near North Point harder than expected and had to take off a pack to climb one.
The last day passes Artist’s Rock, Boulder Rock, and Sunset Rock and the site of the Catskill Mountain House, a hotel from the mid-1800s to the early 1900s; Great Northern Catskills notes that only the site remains. North-South Lake is the most reliable water on the route, according to Catskill Mountaineer. The trail ends at the Schutt Road lot; Catskill Mountaineer prefers the nearby Laurel House Road lot, a half mile shorter and close to Kaaterskill Falls.
For a harder ridge walk across the valley to the south, see the Devil’s Path.
Tips
- Hike north to south with a car or taxi shuttle, as several guides suggest.
- Fill up at every chance. Batavia Kill and Dutcher Notch are the main mid-route sources; North-South Lake is the best at the end.
- Camp below 3,500 feet, which rules out Blackhead and Windham High Peak for most of the year.
- Turn back in high wind. Catskill Mountaineer calls the ridge unsafe above 40 to 50 mph.
- Sign the trail registers at the DEC trailheads.
Camping
DEC rules allow at-large camping in the wilderness at least 150 feet from any road, trail, or water, and only below 3,500 feet between late March and late December. A Forest Ranger permit is needed for more than three nights or groups of 10 or more. Lean-tos are first come, first served, must be shared, and can’t be used for tents. The DEC lists a lean-to, primitive campsite, and privy on the Batavia Kill Trail and a second lean-to near the Elm Ridge Trail junction. North-South Lake Campground takes reservations and isn’t backcountry camping (Great Northern Catskills).
Inside Intel: SectionHiker’s Philip Werner camped alone behind the lean-to near the Route 23 end and recommends it for a night before starting if you’re driving in from far away: close to the road, but “not close enough to attract the wrong sort of company.” Catskill Mountaineer’s three-day plan ends day one at the Batavia Kill lean-to, which has a stream beside it.
Trail facts
- Distance: 23.9 miles (DEC); about 24.3 to 26 miles with side trips (Catskill Mountaineer)
- Route type: Point to point
- Difficulty: Strenuous
- Campsites: Elm Ridge lean-to near Route 23; Batavia Kill lean-to and campsite; at-large sites below 3,500 feet
- Water: Scarce; Batavia Kill, Dutcher Notch side trails, North-South Lake
- Permits: None for groups under 10 staying three nights or fewer
- Fires: Existing pits only; none above 3,500 feet
- Trailheads: Route 23 at Cross Road, East Windham (north); Schutt Road or Laurel House Road, Haines Falls (south)
- Last verified: October 11, 2026
Where this comes from
This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.
- NYSDEC: Windham-Blackhead Range Wilderness
- NYSDEC: Primitive camping
- Great Northern Catskills: How to thru-hike the Escarpment Trail
- Catskill Mountaineer: Escarpment Trail backpacking
- SectionHiker: Catskills backpacking, the Escarpment Trail
- NY-NJ Trail Conference: Long Path Section 25
- Hiking Project: Escarpment Trail
- The Outbound: Backpack the Catskills’ Escarpment Trail
- Northeast Explorer: Catskills trail closures (March 2025)
Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.