Ginseng Mountain(Catskills)

Headed south to hike 2813 foot Ginseng Mountain in the far northern Catskills on a cold and very blustery late winter day.  After spending much of the morning doing storm cleanup from a fallen tree in my yard, it felt good to get out in the early afternoon to hike this (mostly)trailed peak.  I parked at the Elm Ridge parking area at the corner of Cross Road and Route 23 in East Windham, best known as the trailhead for Windham High Peak and the Escarpment.  After getting layered up, I headed to the other side of Cross Road, where the Long Path enters the woods.  Elevation to start the hike was about 1770 feet.

This section of trail seems to see far fewer hikers than many other Catskill trails and as suspected the last person to sign into the trail register was well over a week ago.  I signed in and continued along through about an inch or so of snow, passing by a picturesque old stone wall.

A long boardwalk helps keep feet dry through a damp area, with the sounds of rushing traffic on Route 23 nearby.

Within a few moments, and under half a mile into the hike, the sounds of the road quickly disappear as the trail winds its way through a conifer forest.

After leaving the conifers, the trail soon  comes to a quiet road crossing north to Jennie Notch Road.  This is not your normal road walk, as you pass by pleasant Mary's Hill Farm, soaking in the wonderful surroundings.

Across the fields and a small pond, I enjoyed the view of nearby Mount Zoar, with abandoned old farm equipment below.

I am usually not much of a fan of road walks, but I found the walk up gravel Jennie Notch Road quite agreeable.  Beyond the last house on the road is a gate and a small DEP parking area, where one could conceivably park to start this hike if they so chose.  As I mentioned though, I actually enjoyed this mostly flat 1.3 mile hike in.

Once on DEP land, the Long Path follows an old continuation of Jennie Notch Road, which was actually a 19th century turnpike connecting the mountains to the valleys to the east.

Just over 2 miles in, the trail passes through another old gate and enters into the notch.  The small cliffs and rock formations just off trail are quite impressive here.

Once in the notch, the trail turns sharply left, becoming quite steep on its way towards Ginseng's summit.

The Long Path actually hugs the north side of the summit area, with filtered views down into the Durham Valley plentiful.

While there are no wide open, unobstructed views, the valley views from this lofty elevation are still quite nice.

The Long Path completely passes by Ginseng's summit on its way towards Barlow Notch and Mount Hayden, so I decided to leave the trail here and bushwhack onto DEP land, up towards the top of the mountain.

I emerged into a large, open field at the 2813 foot summit of the Ginseng, which is located on DEP land.  While this was a neat area, there unfortunately were no views to be had from here.

Instead of heading back via the trail, I decided to continue my bushwhack SE off the summit, finding my way over to several nice sets of ledges. 

A zoom view towards the Blackhead Range, with Windham High Peak's ridge just in front of it.  Mount Zoar's ridge is the ridge in the foreground.

My favorite ledge was the open rock just above Jennie Notch, where a bit of a broader south view opens up. 

I dropped off the ledges soon picking up Long Path again, just below Jennie Notch.  A nice and easy descent brought me back down to a small stream crossing.

Sometimes the unexpected surprises are the very best part of these hikes and today was no exception. Just about 20 yards off trail, and slightly downhill,  I came to a quiet shoreline on a frozen beaver pond.  To the north, towering above the frozen water, is Ginseng Mountain.

The road walk out was just as nice as I remembered on the way in, with a spectacular view of Windham High Peak to the south across Mary's Hill Farm.

Mount Zoar to the NE from Jennie Notch Road,

Arrived back at the car with daylight to spare.  I'm really starting to love these lengthening late winter days, as sunsets near 6pm.  An easy 6 miles RT, with over 1300 feet of ascent.  Mostly trail, with a little bushwhack mixed in.

With the extra daylight, I opted to take the back roads home, dropping down into Cornwallville, in the shadow of the Catskills.

Windham High Peak towering above the Durham Valley. 

A bit further north, the tiny hamlet of Medusa provides an incredible, panoramic view of the northern Catskills.