The Catskills - Bushwhacking Vly Mountain (3,541') in the Catskills - Part of the Catskill 3500

 At 3,541 feet in elevation, Vly Mountain is part of the Catskills 3500 Challenge. Vly Mountain is considered a trailless peak, although there is a well defined herd path to the summit from the notch between Vly and Bearpen Mountains. The peak can be accessed from the north in Prattsville and from the south in Halcott.

For our hike we began at the paved end of County Route 3 off of Route 23A in Prattsville. A good map comes in handy in this area to identify the start of this hike. We suggest the Trail Conference’s Catskill Trails Map Set and it’s always in our backpack (and on our phone) when we’re hiking in the Catskills.

There is no hiking trail to the notch between Bearpen and Vly, but you are following an old road that is no longer actively maintained for driving (it is an active snowmobile trail in the winter months). At one time, Route 3 used to traverse the notch, creating a connecting from Halcott to Prattsville. Today, the only vehicular access to Halcott is from the south off our Route 28 in Fleischmanns.

There is no parking area at the end of the driveable section of County Route 3. If you are hiking from the north, be sure to pull off the road completely and don’t park where you are blocking access to the homes along the road.

From the end of the pavement of County Route 3, you hike about 1.3 miles up the old road to the notch between Bearpen and Vly Mountains. The road is wide and while a bit rocky and gravely in places, doesn’t require any rock scrambling or difficult hiking. However, the road does not waste any time in its ascent and keep a steady, steep grade going to the notch.

At the notch, old Route 3 continues southward and descends to Halcott. Another woods road enters from your right from Bearpen and just off old Route 3 in the notch is a private hiking camp on a parcel of private land. You are able to walk old Route 3 and follow the old woods road to Bearpen, but be sure to stay away from the hunting camp itself and respect the owner’s wishes of no trespassing around and on the building (ie., don’t sit and have a drink on their porch).

Standing in the notch facing south (the direction you climbed), a well defined herd path heads into the woods on your left. This is the main herd path up Vly. It follows the boundary between public (State owned) lands and private lands, which is marked by blue paint (which is why you may hear this referred to as a blue trail – but that’s just the boundary marking). This means that as you hike, the land to the north (your left as you’re ascending) is private and you should respect that private property and remain on the public lands.

The herd path travels about a mile and a half to the summit of Vly Mountain. The path follows a ridge to the summit that’s a mix of flat, muddy areas, along with short, steep climbs through rocky bands on the mountain. There are a few slippery, muddy areas on the ascent and a few of the steep climbs require a bit of a rock scramble, but nothing is overly difficult.

The herd path reaches the relatively flat summit area of Vly and makes its way to the summit. When there isn’t snow, you can find the USGS elevation marker on the summit itself. The summit is also home to one of the Catskill 3500 canisters. Inside the canister you’ll find a small notebook and you can sign in. These registers help measure the use on the trailless peaks of the Catskills.

Besides the summit itself, and the mountain being part of the Catskill 3500, Vly doesn’t have a lot of other reasons to hike. There are no particularly good views on the way up or at the summit. In the winter months there are some limited views, when there are no leaves on the trees.

For us, it was a misty, foggy day, so we had a few snacks at the summit, changed out of our damp clothes, and then headed back down the way we came up and didn’t spend too much time at the top.

All told it’s about a 5 mile round trip hike with around 1,890 feet of climbing.

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You can find more information about this hike on:

• The NYNJ Trail Conference’s Catskill Trails Map Set
• National Geographic’s Trails Illustrated Map for the Catskill Park

Find additional information about the Catskill Park visit the Catskills Visitor Center – https://catskillsvisitorcenter.org​.

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