Walking Man 24 7: Delaware County Bushwhacks(Catskills)

Anyone who has followed my blog or knows me, should know that rural Delaware County in the western Catskills is my favorite place in the world to visit. The pretty farmland, peaceful dirt roads and rolling peaks have so much to offer, yet seem to go unnoticed by the masses. That's okay with me though. I'll peacefully enjoy strolling along a quiet country lane or checking out the many NYC watershed lands that are open to the public for exploring. A few free hours and a picture perfect fall day with peak foliage was just what I needed.
My first stop was the DEP's two part 126 acre McArthur Hill parcel in the town of Kortright, initially checking out the open hillside located at the junction of Kiff Brook Road and McArthur Hill Road. Within moments of being away from the car, I found myself roaming in a high meadow, with an apple tree full of ripe apples nearby.

Perfect conditions...low humidity, fall colors, temps in the mid 60's, clear skies...I could go on...

SW facing views from a high spot in the meadow.

Peace and serenity isn't hard to find on these rural Delaware County backroads. Kiff Brook Road, seen here, wanders through the high hills and open farmland in the town of Kortright.

A short road walk away brought me over to the west side of the parcel. When the roads offer up these kinds of views, its hard to not feel the stress melt away.

Upon entering the woods, I dropped down into a gorgeous open hardwood forest laced with old stone walls.

The public land extends all the way up to the summit of this 2245 foot peak, with open slopes such as this the entire way.

Beautiful fall colors with a deep blue sky as the backdrop...doesn't get much better than that.

A 400 foot climb brought me up to the summit ridge, which is a bushwhackers paradise and a real pleasure to explore.

On the descent, crossing over pretty Kiff Brook, the road's namesake, as it makes its way south to the West Branch of the Delaware River.

The DEP map for 126 acre McArthur Hill.

My second stop was at the 200 acre Gregory Hill parcel along the east side of Bloomville-West Harpersfield Road, one of the main arteries between the Route 23 and 10 corridors. The open fields are great for exploring up and away from the Wright Brook Valley below.

A gorgeous shot of a typical day on this Kortright farm.

From a little higher up, a look back down at the farmland along Wright Brook, with Roberts Road threading its way to the NW.

South facing views down towards Bloomville from the open slopes.

The last of the summer wildflowers.

The DEP map for Gregory Hill.

My third and final stop for the day was at the 345 acre Kiff Brook Parcel, which is easily accessed from the end of gravel Shaw Road, which sits just east of my first stop of the day earlier along Kiff Brook Road. A gate ends at the driveable portion of the road and begins the DEP access, which follows a continuation of the old road north. Waist high rock walls, beautifully crafted, line old Shaw Road.

Just a few yards off the old road, I spotted what looked to be the remains of an old homestead and farm.

I wandered around the remains of whatever structures were here, but time has taken its toll, making it hard to distinguish just what I was looking at.

The wide open meadows beside the structural remains seem to hint that this may have been some kind of farmland many years ago. Either way, the views are quite nice from this high 2000 foot plateau, with the nearby woodline drenched in fall foliage and Bovina Mountain poking out in the distance.

From the old road, a short but steep 400 foot bushwhack brought me up to the summit ridge, which was covered in thick prickers, making for painfully slow going. Public access does go all the way up to the 2403 foot summit, as well as a 2392 foot southern summit bump.