Peekamoose-Table Trail (Long Path: Peekamoose Road to Denning Road)

Sundown Wild Forest and Slide Mountain Wilderness, Catskill Forest Preserve

The Peekamoose-Table Trail crosses two of the Catskills’ 3,500-foot peaks between Peekamoose Road and Denning Road in the southern Catskills, and it carries the Long Path between them. The Trail Conference’s guide calls it “a rugged trail section that begins with a three-mile, 2,500-foot ascent of Peekamoose Mountain.”

The Bouton Memorial lean-to, tucked just below the 3,500-foot line on Table Mountain, makes it a good one-night trip.

The hike

The Trail Conference’s Long Path guide runs this section northbound from a parking area on Peekamoose Road, in the Sundown Wild Forest, to the Phoenicia-East Branch Trail 7.6 miles later; the Denning Road lot is 1.2 miles beyond. The DEC lists the blue-marked Peekamoose-Table Trail at 7.5 miles with about 2,820 feet of gain from Peekamoose Road, and rates it challenging.

The climb is the main event. The guide notes Reconnoiter Rock at about 2.35 miles, with a partial view, and a wide ledge with “excellent views” at 3.1 miles near a 3,500-foot sign. A spring flows from a small rock cleft at about 3.35 miles. Peekamoose’s summit is marked by a large rock; Catskill Mountaineer puts it at 3,843 feet and says the best view is about 50 feet past the rock, toward Lone, Rocky, Balsam Cap, and Friday Mountains and the Indian Head Wilderness.

The trail then dips through a col and follows a long, flat conifer forest across Table Mountain. An unmarked viewpoint on Table’s ridge looks over the Burroughs Range, Rocky, and Lone Mountains, according to the Trail Conference. Beyond Table’s summit the trail drops past another 3,500-foot sign to the Bouton Memorial lean-to turnoff, at 5.2 miles in the Trail Conference’s count. Catskill Mountaineer puts the lean-to about 200 feet off the trail at about 3,405 feet, with a fire ring.

The descent continues to two DEC campsites marked with yellow tent markers at about 7.15 miles, then two log bridges at Deer Shanty Brook that the Trail Conference says solved earlier high-water crossings. Catskill Mountaineer describes the Denning Road end: bridges over the East Branch of the Neversink, an authorized campsite nearby, and private land along the road to the trail junction, so stay on the road.

To skip the shuttle, go out and back from Denning Road: Catskill Mountaineer measures 3.42 miles to the lean-to and 4.55 to Peekamoose’s view, about 9.1 miles round trip without camping. From the Phoenicia-East Branch junction, the Long Path continues north over the Burroughs Range.

Tips

Check the Peekamoose Valley permit rules before parking on Peekamoose Road between May 15 and September 15.
Start from Denning Road for an out-and-back if you can’t arrange a shuttle.
Top off at the springs, and expect the lower one to run low in drought.
Don’t cross the Neversink in high water. Turn back after big storms.
Register at the Denning Road trail box (Catskill Mountaineer).

Camping

DEC rules allow at-large camping in the Catskill Forest Preserve at least 150 feet from roads, trails, and water, plus camping at designated sites, but not above 3,500 feet from late March to 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 and must be shared. The DEC lists a lean-to on the Peekamoose-Table Trail west of Table Mountain, a designated campsite near the East Branch Neversink, and a site on Peekamoose Road. The Trail Conference also notes the Sundown primitive campsite on Peekamoose Road, 0.4 mile west of the trailhead.

Inside Intel: A VFTT hiker who started from Denning Road on a May afternoon in 2011 made the Bouton Memorial lean-to his first night. He found it “in excellent shape, although there was some garbage in the fire pit,” walked down to a spring “several hundred feet below the lean-to” for water, and called the blackflies “horrendous.” Bring a headnet in late spring.

Trail facts

Distance: About 8.8 miles, Peekamoose Road to Denning Road (Trail Conference); 7.5 for the named trail (DEC)
Route type: Point to point, or about 9.1-mile out-and-back from Denning Road
Difficulty: Strenuous; about 2,820 feet of gain from Peekamoose Road (DEC)
Campsites: Bouton Memorial lean-to (about 3,405 feet); DEC campsites near Denning Road; Sundown campsite on Peekamoose Road
Water: Springs near Peekamoose and the lean-to; streams near Denning Road
Permits: None for groups under 10 staying three nights or fewer; Peekamoose Valley permit rules May 15-Sept. 15
Trailheads: Peekamoose Road lot (south); Denning Road lot (north)
Last verified: October 11, 2026

The Lowdown

A cold night at Bouton Memorial lean-to:

The Table Mountain lean-to sits about 100 feet below the Catskills' 3,500-foot camping line, and an open-front shelter loses heat fast. See the sleeping bags testers rate.

Read the full guide →

Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

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.