Life advice: always stop and smell… the coyote poop. The formation looks like a dolmen, or the entrance to a Neolithic tomb… Super-fun boulder tunnel at 2700’īend and twist your way through this goodness… Boulder tunnel - the only way up is through Probably, these boulders have been sitting in this configuration for 13,000 years, since the end of the last ice-age. This large diamond-shaped boulder, whose profile reminds me of Groot, is on the right side of the trail, not long before the rock tunnel at 2700’. The fun starts right away on Arizona Tree party Right away, the terrain changes and becomes what I think of as classic Catskills mountain terrain: large exposed sedimentary boulders, moss, mixed woods of hemlock and birch, and winding trails. Dutcher Notch signpost Climbing Arizona Mountain The signposts will give you distances - more or less accurate - to Stoppel Point, Colgate Lake and Blackhead. Upper Dutcher Notch Trail, view of Arizona Mountain ColĪfter 1.9 miles you arrive at the col. This is not Arizona’s summit, just its eastern ridge. Upper Dutcher Notch Trail with thick escarpment iceĪ little higher, and you’ll be able to see Arizona Mountain on your right. The first mile is pretty dull but the second mile, once the trail turns and heads northwest, is high enough on the Catskill Escarpment that there are some nice views to the east.Īnd there are a lot of dramatic boulders on the other side of the trail. Trail register and footbridgeįollow the yellow blazes, staying mostly on the left side of the trail. The trail crosses a small brook and heads gently uphill over very lumpy terrain. Trailhead signpostĪfter a short hike, you come to the trail register. A private road runs away from the lot to the east buy, if you stand looking at the trailhead signpost, the Dutcher Notch Trail is to your left, heading SSW past a white house.īelow you can see the gate, the home, and the public easement road heading uphill. In the photo below, my car is parked out of frame in a small lot to the left. 700’ of elevation gain per mile makes it a long steep climb, though not crushingly so. The parking lot on Stork’s Nest makes for one of the lowest elevation starts in the Catskills. Twice as short as the Colgate Trail, but seven times steeper. The hike up to the notch gains 1400’ over 1.9 miles. I’m looking forward to doing this very pleasant hike in the spring and summer.įrom Stork’s Nest Rd on the eastern side of the Catskill escarpment, the Dutcher’s Notch Trail starts around 1100’. There are two very different ways to get to this charming col.įrom East Jewett in the west, the Colgate Lake Trail starts around 2300’ and glides calmly up the remaining 200’ of elevation to the notch over 4.3 miles. Two Great Routes (from the South)ĭutcher’s Notch sits at 2500’ between Arizona Mountain and Stoppel Point. So many people will never climb this wonderful peak because, “It’s not on the list”. I’d climb it any day over the likes of Bearpen. It’s great example of how blindly following a list based on arbitrary statistics will, at some point, rob you of a much better time.Īrizona is just 93’ short of making the Catskills 3500 List yet, in terms of quality hiking experience, it towers over many of the classic peaks. Hiking Trail DescriptionĪrizona Mountain is a first-rate Catskill mountain that’s ridiculously under-hiked.
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