Favorite Roads in the Cats and Daks

[mountainmeijin]

Something a little different, I suppose. We're always talking about this trail, that trail and such. But what about the roads we drive to get to those trails?

What are some of your favorite scenic routes in the mountains? Any drives that you'd recommend as a little icing on the cake after a hard day's hike? Any roads with an interesting local history?

I'm more well versed in the Catskills, so my suggestions will trend down that way.

1. Cross Mountain Road, from Millbrook Road to Alder Creek Road. Starts along beautiful shaded woods and dripping mossy ledges. Climbs up a huge open valley to reach a high isolated col, with a real back-country middle-of-nowhere feel.

2. Sugarloaf Road, from Red Hill Road to Rt. 53 Because going downhill on it is like an amusement park ride for your car, and going uphill, you have the odd experience of seeing a ridge promontory towering over you at the start, and then climbing until you're towering several hundred feet over it.

3. Lundy Road, from Rt. 209 to ????. Very beautiful and very creepy. Goes along with the "interesting local history."

4. Platte Clove Road. 'Nuff said.

5. Hunter Road, from Claryville Road to Willowemoc Road. Another roller coaster type road, alternating deep wooded valleys and high, open, ridge top meadows with great vistas.

6. Black Bear Road. Killer views of the Wildcat Range and the Peek-Bushwhack-Burroughs cluster beyond.

What are your favorite car-hikes?

[CatskillKev]

1. Platte Clove Road

2. Peekamoose Road

3. Tower Mountain Road, Stamford

4. Meads Mountain Road, Woodstock

5. Barley Road, off of High Mount Route 28, go to the power line, take a look at the great one, Slide Mountain, "head and shoulders of a giant horse" (what the naturalist John Burroughs said about Slide Mountain).

[Rockledge]

Passing through the toll both on my way back to Saugerties on any given weekday.

After that, probably Platte Clove and Mead's Mountain because they bring back so many memories. Oh the nights on Overlook.

214 is always a great ride too.

[mountainmeijin]

Originally Posted by Rockledge

Passing through the toll both on my way back to Saugerties on any given weekday.

I'll happen to be at the northbound Saugerties station 3-11 pm tomorrow if you come through looking for the patch.

[Hiker41]

I like to drive on RT 10 from the junction with RT 21 to Prattsville.
There is a ultimate hairpin turn and a scenic drive through the forest.
Also the drive on RT 23A from Palenville to Tannersville. Love the turn pass the trail head to Kaaterskill Falls.

[rockysummit]

Route 47 Slide Mtn Road through Frost Valley. I always remember one early morning in low angle sunlight, I saw a couple on horses crossing the stream. Looked like a picture from out west.

[Jay H]

Cats:

Slide Mtn Road

Platte Clove Road

Reservoir Road through the Ashoken Reservoir



ADK

Rt 30 between Long Lake and Tupper Lake....

Blue Ridge Parkway....

Just to name a few for both..

Jay

[Jay H]

I think every post on this forum should be here, I mean everything is under "Fun stuff"? maybe just leave the flame wars in the other sections..

[mountainmeijin]

Originally Posted by rockysummit

Route 47 Slide Mtn Road through Frost Valley. I always remember one early morning in low angle sunlight, I saw a couple on horses crossing the stream. Looked like a picture from out west.

I'll second that as a beautiful area. There's also one spot just south of there, during winter the icicles pick up sediments from the rocks, and you wind up with a ten foot high red and green streaked curtain of ice. Lovely.

[rockysummit]

You are right Cannonball. That road all the way through is just beautiful.

[Gerard01]

I'd have to say Rt 30 leading up to Northville from Amsterdam. Seeing the Great Sacandaga lake through the trees, passing through Mayfield makes me feel like I am coming home. Driving up to Wells, and then into Speculator is another great ride. Then, on to Blue Mountain.....

[anddidthosefeet.]

Just the drive in on Route 28 is one of my favorite roads. It's usually about an hour or so from Kingston to whatever trailhead, about half of my trip. But that half never feels like "oh no, another hour to go," it always feels like, "oh, i'm here."

The best roadwalk I've done is from Pecoy Notch trailhead back to Prediger Road trailhead on whatever Platte Clove road turns into. Being shadowed the whole way by KHP made the road walk seem almost like a trail!