Hiking Rocky, Lone, and Table Mountains: A Wild Catskills 3500 Loop from Denning Trailhead
Rocky, Lone, and Table Mountains Loop: Challenging Catskill 3500 Hike from Denning Trailhead
Tackle a wild Catskills adventure on the Rocky, Lone & Table Mountains loop from the Denning Trailhead—three Catskill 3500 peaks, 12.5 miles of rugged beauty.
Deep in the heart of the Catskills lies one of the region’s most rugged and wild adventures — the Rocky, Lone, and Table Mountains loop from the Denning Trailhead. This 12.5-mile route connects three of the Catskill 3500 peaks through a mix of well-marked trails, faint paths, and true off-trail bushwhacking, offering a day of solitude, challenge, and Catskills wilderness experience. If you’re looking to experience the wild side of the Catskills, this hike delivers.
Rocky, Lone, and Table Mountains Hike Overview
🧭 Trailhead: Denning Trailhead, Denning Road, Claryville, NY (Google Maps)
🥾 Distance: ~12.5 miles (loop)
📈 Elevation Gain: ~2,600 feet
⚠️ Difficulty: Strenuous
🗺️ GPS Information: Trail Route in GPX Format
Terrain: Marked trails, unmaintained paths, and off-trail bushwhacking
Highlights: Catskill 3500 peaks (Rocky, Lone, and Table Mountains), Neversink River crossings, solitude, rugged wilderness
The Hike over Rocky, Lone, and Table Mountains
The hike begins at the remote and generally quiet Denning Trailhead, where we start off on the Phoenicia East Branch Trail, following an old road and winding gently through forest for about 1.2 miles before coming to the trail junction with the Peekamoose–Table Trail. This opening stretch offers an easy warm-up, something you don’t always get on Catskills hikes.
We turned off onto the Peekamoose-Table Trail, descending down to the valley floor of the Neversink River, which is crossed on two bridges. Shortly after the crossing of the second branch of the Neversink, we leave the comfort of maintained trails and follow the Fisherman’s Path along the river’s edge. This unmarked trail/route, meanders beside the river through mixed forests and up and down the river banks. It’s one of the few areas of the Catskills that feel and actually are untouched.
As you follow the Fisherman’s Path, the river valley gets narrower and the route begins less worn in and more bushwhack. There are areas that have been flooded and eroded, blowdowns, and really dense evergreen forest patches. After about 3 miles of climbing with the Neversink you’ll cross a smaller stream that descends off of Rocky Mountain and just after you’ll turn right and start the climb up Rocky.
Climbing Rocky requires solid navigation and patience. There’s no official trail, only fragments of herd paths and clues from previous hikers. The mile-long bushwhack is steep and thick with spruce, but you are rewarded with a great view that’s just past the summit. For us, after a quick visit to the Rocky canister, we pressed on toward Lone Mountain, weaving through the forest on disconnected herd paths.
While there are many herd paths, the ridge between Rocky and Lone can be a challenge to follow and navigate. Make sure you have a map and know how to use it. Lone also has a view near the summit, along with the Catskill 3500 canister.
With two of our three summits down, we followed the more noticable and worn in herd path from Lone toward the marked trail on Table Mountain.
Much like the start of the Fisherman’s Path, the herd path to Table Mountain feels much more trail like than the fainter paths before. You’ll climb the shoulder of Table Mountain on the herd path and then intersect with the Peekamoose-Table Trail just below the summit of Table Mountain.
While there are no views at the summit of Table Mountain, as you continue to follow the Peekamoose-Table Trail back towards Denning, you’ll first pass a short side trail to a view, and then a longer side trail to the Table Mountain Lean-to. Past the lean-to the trail continues to ascend past a fairly reliable spring and then a few other views.
There are two unexpected ups on the way down, which always seem worse than they actually are - since who likes to go up when they are going down?
Once past those two PUDs, the Peekamoose–Table Trail takes us back down to the valley of the Neversink River, where we reach the point where we turned off on the Fisherman’s Path. Then it’s back over the Neversink River and up one more climb before connecting with the Phoenicia East Branch Trail for the final stretch back to the Denning Trailhead.
Tips for the Rocky, Lone, and Table Mountains Hike
Footwear: The hike is challenging - wear sturdy boots or trail shoes.
Navigation: Less than half of this hike is on marked trails, you need to bring bring a map and GPS.
Water: There’s no water available on the hike from the start of the Rocky ascent to the spring on the descent of Table Mountain
Timing: Allow 8-10 hours for the full hike, depending on your pace. Bushwhacks always take longer.
For More Information on Hiking the Rocky, Lone, and Table Mountains Loop in the Catskills
Catskills Visitor Center
Additional Catskill Park information is available at the Catskills Visitor Center located at 5096 Route 28 in Mt. Tremper.
Hire Hike On Guides for the Rocky, Lone, and Table Mountains Loop
Need help on a hike like this? Moe is a NYS licensed hiking and backpacking guide. You can hire him for Hiking, Backpacking and Camping Guide Services at Hike On Guides for hikes in New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachusetts.
Hikes near Rocky, Lone, and Table Mountains
More of our Catskills hikes on YouTube
Gear we used and/or carried on the Rocky, Lone, and Table Mountains Loop hike:
Some product links are affiliate links and we earn from qualifying purchases. Others are links through the Amazon Influencer program and as an Amazon Influencer, we earn from qualifying purchases. Still others, we just want you to know about some good gear we enjoy!
Important Hiking Considerations:
Weather: Check the weather forecast before your hike and be prepared for changes in conditions.
Safety: Some sections of trail can be steep and rocky, others can be muddy, so use caution and always watch your footing.
Leave No Trace: As with any outdoor activity, remember to follow the principles of Leave No Trace. Pack out any trash, stay on the trail, and be respectful of the natural environment.
The Catskills have more than 400 miles of marked hiking trails and many more miles of bushwhacks. Explore all the Catskill Mountains have to offer in our Hiking the Catskills Playlist on YouTube!
