Catskill 3500 Club
Section: Northern Peaks | Central Peaks | Southern Peaks | Off Trail & Winter | Hiking Resources
Slide Mountain (4180')
The upper reaches comprise a beautiful walk through thick conifers...The vistas are magnificent.”
Slide Mountain and Giant Ledge
USGS Map: Peekamoose Mountain
NY-NJ Trail Conference Map: #43
Order of Height: 1
Access: From Slide Mountain Road in west....From Woodland Valley in east.
Description: Slide Mountain is the highest mountain in the Catskills. From the summit of Slide, you can glimpse views of many of the surrounding mountains The climb from the west via the yellow trail from Slide Mountain Road and the red-blazed Slide Mountain Trail is one of the easier climbs in the Catskills.
Log Steps up North Face of Slide Mountain
The climb from the east is one of the most challenging in the Catskills, as the red-blazed Slide Mountain Trail climbs over 3000 feet from Woodland Valley, passing over the summits of Wittenberg Mountain and Cornell Mountain.
Another approach is the Curtis - Ormsbee Trail. Just below the summit view ledge is a plaque memorializing John Burroughs.
Naming of Slide
Slide's name is owed to a land slide that occurred sometime in the 1820s or 1830s.
Past Lean-tos on Slide
The summit was home to two lean-tos. The first built in 1927 and the second constructed sometime after 1954. Both were removed after 1975 when the state introduced a regulation prohibiting camping above 3,500' (except in winter). See state camping guidelines
Past Towers on Slide
First
Tower on Slide Mountain
A wooden tower was constructed in 1880 by James Dutcher a local guide who would take parties from his Panther Mountain House on tours of Slide up a personally constructed trail which became known as the Dutcher Steps Trail.
A second wooden tower was constructed by the state in 1911 with an
observers cabin it was only in service for a year. Finally the state constructed a
metal tower possibly in 1936 which was dismantled in 1968. The footing can
still be seen today.
- Map for Slide Mountain
- Trail Description
- Links related to Slide
- DEC Resources
- Red Tape
Area Map
Map not to scale & should be used as general overview not navigation
Parking | 
Campsite | 
Campsites
Purple/Thicker Line = Trails | Colored circles = Trail Blazes
Slide Mountain Road Trailhead
The shortest, most direct route up Slide Mountain is from the Slide Mountain Trailhead parking area. Follow the yellow marked Woodland Valley-Denning Trail southwest .70 miles to its juncture with the red-marked Burroughs Range Trail. Turn left, heading east 2.0 miles to the summit rock and Burroughs's Plaque. Total distance: 2.7 miles (5.4 miles round-trip). Elevation gain: 1,780 ft.
The Burroughs Range Trail via Woodland Valley Campground
Accessed from the Woodland Valley Campground this trail provides a challenging route through the heart of the Slide Mountain Wilderness, ascending Wittenberg, Cornell and Slide Mountain. The eastern approach is notably more difficult, often requiring the use of one's hands to negotiate several rock ledges. At higher elevations, thick stands of balsam fir channel the hiker upwards, adding an element of surprise to the beautiful panorama that unfolds on the various summits. (9.75 miles, red markers, challenging-3,620 feet elevation gain.)
Links for Slide Mountain 
Slide Mountain Wilderness - NYSDEC
Slide Mountain Wilderness - Wikipedia
Report in NY Times of the deaths of Curtis & Ormsbee on MT Washington, NH (PDF)
For further assistance
NYS DEC Region 3, 21 South Putt Corners Road, New Paltz, NY 12561
Telephone: (845) 256-3000
Prerecorded Trail Conditions Report: (845) 256-3188, ext. 4182
Forest Preserve Management: (845) 256-3083
Fishing: (845) 256-3161
Law Enforcement: (845) 256-3013
Forest Rangers: (845) 256-3026
Hunting: (845) 256-3098
Woodland Valley Campground: (845) 688-7647 (mid-May thru mid-October)
Red Tape
Red tape: A parking fee is charged at the trail head parking area at Woodland Valley State Campground during the campgrounds camping season.
Photo credit: Top: Scott Larson | Middle: Kevin Morgan | Bottom: Wikipedia