Mount Utsayantha(Catskills)

After visiting Griffin Hill in Hobart in the early morning, our second stop of the day was Mount Utsayantha, where a rough road leads all the way up to the 3214 foot summit.  In winter, however, the road is only plowed to the last house on the road(which is actually quite high) at 2600 feet.  I had previously hiked this peak, but never in true winter conditions, so was really looking forward to it.  We once again, strapped up our snowshoes and set out, hiking up the road.

Surprisingly, other than select animals, we were the first set of tracks in the snow.

Climbing above 3000 feet, the world took on a much different, wintry appearance. 

From the first viewpoint, the south facing view towards Narrow Notch is absolutely breathtaking. 

A vanilla world high up on Utsayantha. 

Above the frosty trees, the views stretch far and wide into the heart of the Catskills to the SE.

A short distance beyond the first view, and slightly higher up, is a north facing view stretching all the way to the southern Adirondacks on the horizon.

Farmland along Route 23, nearly 1400 feet below.

The final approach to the summit is marred by a multitude of towers(cell, radio, etc) hovering above.  Despite that, the summit is still spectacular.

A bench with a view!  With easy vehicle access to the top, this mountain is a very popular summertime destination.  On this bitter winter day, with over a foot of fresh snow on the ground, however, we had the place to ourselves.

The sweeping north view from the summit area.  I could run out of superlatives to describe these views.

The view directly down into Stamford.

At the summit, there is a fire tower with an open cab to explore.  We climbed the icy steps and almost immediately could feel the harsh winter winds battering us from the north.  The views from here have a decidedly wintry look and feel.

To the west sits Churchill Mountain, well over 3000 feet in its own right.

 

The east ridge of Utsayantha leading to McGregor Mountain, which doesn't have enough prominence to count as a separate peak.

The south view beyond the towers is truly remarkable.

After enjoying the summit views, we decided to explore a bit of the north slopes of the peak, wandering down through a wintry wonderland. 

The north slopes are very steep and were blanketed in a very deep snow.  Still, the woods were very open and inviting.

All the world is white. We enjoyed the perfect winter conditions as we hiked back down to our car.

A nice and easy 2.5 miles RT, with over 700 feet of ascent.