Phoenicia East Branch Trail. Catskills NY

Phoenicia East Branch Trail. Catskills NY

The Phoenicia East Branch Trail runs from Lane Street in Phoenicia, NY to the Denning Trailhead on Oliverea Rd. Although I've hike the entirety of this trail, I only went as far as Terrace Mountain on this trip. Trip took place between 02/26/2018 - 02/28/18. 

The Basics:

The Trip

With a couple short solo backpacking trips under my belt I was ready for a bigger challenge. The Phoenicia East Branch Trail had been on my radar for a couple years, but either weather or time always made me fall back to an alternate plan.

My first day on trail was rough, my recording equipment was acting up, I almost broke a toe, I dropped my GPS, my filter seized up just to name a few issues. After setting up camp I ate some no cook things I had and was in the hammock by 6pm.

The second day greeted me with a gorgeous sunrise, my water filter started working and my spirits were lifted. I decided to leave my gear set up as a basecamp and spent the day exploring around the base of Wittenberg Mountain and heading to Terrace Mountain. I hung out at the shelter for a while, ate my lunch and just laid out in the unusually warm February sun before heading back to camp.

Day three arrived with another beautiful sunrise and the prospect of an approaching winter storm. I packed up camp and headed back towards Phoenicia. I made it back to town about 45 minutes before it started to rain, over the next few days the temperature dropped and I saw reports of up to four feet of snow falling in the area. I planned that trip with impeccable timing.

The Verdict

I am never disappointed by a trip to the Catskills. Even with the struggles on the first day I enjoyed myself immensely. I was looking for a little solitude and that is exactly what I found. Great trip!   

Back to blog

Leave a comment

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