Catskills - Table Mt. and Peekamoose

Catskills - Table Mt. and Peekamoose

Table Mountain and Peekamoose Mountain are the 10th and 11th highest peaks in the Catskill Mountains. Dragon and I headed up to the parking area for the Slide Mountain trailhead to start our overnight backpacking trip. This trailhead connects you to many other trails as well.

The Basics:

    • Map:
    • GPS:
    • Videos:
    • Notes: 
    • Table Mountain is the 10th highest Catskill Peak at 3,847'
    • Peekamoose Mt. is the 11th highest Catskill Peak at 3,843'
    • We did over 2,800 feet of elevation gain on day 1 alone. This included the slight detour we made when we passed our turn, Table Mt., Peekamoose Mt. and the return back to camp at the foot of Table. There seems to be a lot of mice along the river campsites. The maps listed above are the official NY/NJ Trail Conference maps. They cost about $17 but are well worth it if you plan on exploring the Catskills. The NY/NJ TC are a volunteer group that build and maintain the trails in and around the Catskills. I am not associated with them, nor do I make any money pitching their maps... they are just the best Catskill maps around plain and simple. 

The Trip

This trip was done August 29th & 30th, 2020, and I was dealing with some pretty bad sinus headaches from allergies... they get me this time of year, every year. There's not much else I can say about hiking or backpacking in the Catskills except, I absolutely love it. I think a lot of people hear New York and automatically think NYC, but there is so much nature in the state that "the city" is only a very small part of it. 

We base camped at the foot of Table Mountain around 1,500 vertical feet below the summit. Being that it was a Sunday into Monday trip we didn't expect a lot of other people to be out camping, we were right. The climb to the top of Table Mt. is "Catskills Moderate". There is a lot of elevation gain, and some fairly steep sections but there are no big rock or root scrambles. The forest ecosystem changes abruptly in spots as you climb and there are plenty of interesting rock formations along the way. The top of the mountain is relatively flat for about 1/2 mile, hence the name Table Mt., before dropping nearly 200 feet into the col.

The climb back up to Peekamoose, which is only 4 feet lower than Table, is much more gradual and is a nice break from the steep climbs prior. You are greeted by a large boulder at the summit. Both Peekamoose and Table have obscured summits, meaning no views. But both have views with in a few hundred feet of their respective summits.

From March 21 to December 21 camping is not allowed above 3,500' in the Catskills, so plan accordingly. There are official campsites along and near the East Branch of the Neversink River and a Lean-to with some tent sites. Both areas are north of Table Mt.

After returning to camp in the dark, we had our dinner while taking turns defending our food from some very brazen mice. I continued to battle the mice all night as they climbed all over my hammock. They also, found my hanging food bag and chewed a hole into that as well.

The Verdict

The Catskills never disappoints. Even with the mice and the sinus headache it was a great trip. I was glad to be able to check these two mountains off my list, but there's still so much to explore in this area. Can't wait to head back up there!

 

Back to blog

Leave a comment

Please note, comments need to be approved before they are published.