One of the Catskills very best loop hikes with great views - Acra Point Loop Hike in Winter on Snowshoes
Acra Point is located between Blackhead Mountain and Burnt Knob in the northeastern Catskills. The 3,098 foot tall mountain offers a 6 mile loop hike with great views, which is a rarity among Catskills trails. With just over a thousand feet of elevation and moderate grades the entire time, this moderate hike makes a great trip year round, including in the winter - which is when we enjoyed this hike as a snowshoe.
In the winter months, when there's a foot or more of snow on the ground, be sure to wear snowshoes. If there's less, or its especially icy, be sure to wear traction devices such as microspikes. It's always icy and snow accumulates quickly in the Catskills and trails get packed down very fast. Microspikes are a must all the time in the winter and be sure to have snowshoes when snow gets very deep. If you don't own them, snowshoes and microspikes can be rented at the Catskills Visitor Center.
For our hike we began at the Big Hollow Trailhead (don't block the snowplow turnaround in the winter) and followed the unplowed section of Big Hollow Road to the intersection with the Black Dome Range Trail. We turned left onto the Black Dome Range Trail and climbed that trail to the notch between Burnt Knob and Acra Point, which is also where the trail ends at its trail junction with the Escarpment Trail. From here we turned right on the Escarpment Trail towards Acra Point, ascended to the summit of Acra Point, and then descended to the notch between Acra Point and Blackhead Mountain. This notch is also where the Batavia Kill Trail intersects with the Escarpment Trail. At the notch, we turned right on to the Batavia Kill Trail and followed it down, past the Batavia Kill Lean-to, to the trailhead we began at on Big Hollow Road.
The loop is 6 miles along and it took us a little over 3 1/2 hours to complete.
For more information
You can find this hike on:
Additional Catskill Park information available at the Catskills Visitor Center (5096 Route 28 in Mt. Tremper)
Need help on a hike or a backpack like this? Moe is a NYS licensed hiking and backpacking guide. You can hire him for Outdoor Hiking, Backpacking and Camping Guide Services at Hike On Guides for hikes in New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachusetts.
Gear we used and/or carried on this hike:
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