Spring Fever! With temps soaring through the 60's and any snow or ice disappearing quickly, I decided to head down to the Catskills to do some exploring in Kaaterskill Clove from the bottom up. Started from Harding Road Trailhead along Route 23A(Elevation 695 feet) and was not surprised to see several cars already there on this pleasant spring morning. Started out pretty straightforward, climbing steadily along the old road bed, quickly gaining elevation above the depths of the Clove.
At a sharp bend in the road, just under a mile into my hike, I left the marked trail and headed into the woods, following a good herd path, which is used mostly by rock climbers. Just a few moments into the woods, however, I split from the main herd path and picked up a secondary path which heads east.
The rough herd path quickly dissolved, but the woods remained open and easy to navigate, as I made my way along the edge of the steep slopes of the Clove. Several nice view points opened up along the way down towards Route 23A.
An off trail view down towards Palenville from about 1300 feet.
Circling around the remains of an old quarry, I found some really spectacular views to the east/ southeast.
More off trail views towards Kaaterskill High Peak and Roundtop from an abandoned quarry.
As I made my way up the slopes, the contours lined only grew tighter, as view after view opened up behind me. Here is a large clearing around 1500 feet, with nice views back south across Kaaterskill Clove.
The stone work near the quarry roads is quite impressive and one can only marvel at the hard work and labor put in by these 19th century workers.
A bit further up the mountain, and only a couple hundred feet below Palenville Overlook, I found more spectacular off trail views from more ledges.
A large area of jumbled rocks near another abandoned quarry below Palenville Overlook.
Just below the marked horse trail, I picked up an old quarry road, which was in good shape and lead me right up to Palenville Overlook.
Just prior to the marked trail, I found one more great view from the quarry road. This is the wide open view east to the Hudson Valley.
Just a few strides past the last view, I arrived at the historic Palenville Overlook, with its amazing views. This view encompasses much of Kaaterskill Clove, with Route 23 threading its way down deep and Indian Head to the right. The familiar view of KHP and Roundtop across the Clove.
Killer views southeast across Palenville and much of the Hudson Valley.
After enjoying the views from Palenville Overlook, I followed the marked trail and then herd path over to Indian Head/ Profile Rock, which is just as spectacular. Here is an amazing up close view of the slopes of South Mountain across a nearby drainage.
A dizzying drop off below Indian Head down to Route 23A(A spot historically known as Tremper's Clove) makes this a popular rock climbing destination.
Kaaterskill Clove views from Indian Head.
From Indian Head, looking east at Palenville Overlook and into the Hudson Valley.
After all of the incredible views, I finally decided to turn back and retrace my steps down off the mountain, exploring a bit more off trail below the quarry roads and even found this large vernal pond down low.
An easy bushwhack eventually brought me down to Harding Road, which I followed back down to the car. Covered about 5 miles RT, with over 1200 feet of ascent.
Rough map below. Blue P=Parking Blue X=Indian Head Black X=Palenville Overlook
Numerous unmarked ledges below P.O. and Indian Head
