After hiking Ticetonyk Mountain, my buddy Jim and I headed north to hike 3100 foot Cave Mountain and its neighbor, 3040 foot West Cave Mountain, a pair of hundred highest Catskill peaks. The usual route most hikers take up the Caves is from the ski slopes at the base of Ski Windham, but we wanted to put a different spin on these peaks. We had seen that there was DEP access from Route 296 to the east, and thought it would be interesting to take this route. Unfortunately, there is almost no shoulder at all to pull off on, so we had to park on the east side of the road, being sure to pull far enough off the road to stay out of the way of traffic. We carefully crossed the road and entered the woods on the west side of Route 296. Elevation at the start was about 1970 feet.
The woods were nearly 100% hardwoods, and laced with gorgeous stone walls throughout.
Here is Jim, ascending through the beautiful hardwood forest, over a carpet of fallen leaves.
A framed autumn view of a nearby peak.
Ascending through the autumn woods.
A break in the clouds provided a glimpse of blue skies, with a breathtaking fall canopy above.
Arriving at the 3100 foot wooded summit of Cave Mountain, just about 20 yards away from the ski slopes.
We pushed our way through the last stretch of woods, emerging at the top of a ski slope, with great views. West Cave's gorgeous foliage was somewhat muted by the overcast, grey conditions.
We quickly decided to move on, with the rain fast approaching. Instead of dropping down on the connecting ski slopes, we opted to stay high on the wooded slopes, only dropping down to the 2800 foot saddle, before arriving at the 3040 foot summit of West Cave Mountain after one mile.
The fall colors were much better than expected and probably the best I've seen so far this year.
We decided to continue a little under .4 of a mile further west to an unnamed 3020 foot bump. There were no views from this wooded summit.
We turned around, heading east, back over West Cave Mountain with its amazing views. Here is a viewpoint far above the village of Windham.
The view back towards Cave Mountain from West Cave.
High atop one of the ski slopes, we found this great view towards Mount Pisgah and Mount Hayden.
Following an access road between the two peaks, nestled among the fall foliage.
Arrived back at the car with a light rain moving in overhead. Total mileage for the two peaks was about 5.5 miles and 1600 feet of elevation gain. Total for the day was roughly 9 miles RT, and over 2800 feet elevation gain. I have now completed 72/102 of the Catskill highest peaks.
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