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To Mongaup Pond Campground: From Route 17 at Exit 96, take County Roads 81 and 82 east to DeBruce, turn left onto Fish Hatchery Road and drive north 3 miles to the campground. (Open May -December. Day use fee required to enter campground) Black Bear Road Trailhead: In the town of Deming, Ulster County, 2 miles northwest of Claryville. L Long Pond Trailhead: In the town of Neversink, Sullivan County, on Flugertown Road, 3 miles northeast of Willowemoc. Frick Pond Trailhead: In the town of Rockland, Sullivan County. Follow directions to Mongaup Pond Campground. From Fish Hatchery Road, turn left onto Beech Mountain Road then drive 1/4 mile.
General Description: Tucked into the southwest corner of New York's Catskill Park, Willowemoc Wild Forest contains more than 14,800 acres of Forever Wild Forest Preserve. It surrounds the Mongaup Pond Campground and borders the Big Indian Wilderness. With 98 peaks over 3,000 feet, the Catskill Park defines the word mountainous. However, with elevation gains never exceeding 1000 feet, the Willowemoc Wild Forest offers an outstanding variety of trails and terrain for mountain biking. The extensive network of snowmobile trails offer the best cross country experiences for those traveling by mountain bike, but foot trails are also open to bicycles as well. Please use caution and yield the right-of-way to pedestrians or horses, regardless of where you bicycle.
The Trails: The Willowemoc Wild Forest is laced with a network of over forty miles of recreational trails which include 29 miles of orange blazed snowmobile trails. Originating from old logging roads, most trails are suitable for a variety of outdoor recreational activities, including mountain biking. Trails wind through dense Catskill Forest of hardwoods and tall conifers and lead to several ponds. The terrain is generally quite hilly and rocky. For a Catskill adventure, an epic mountain bike ride is possible across the entire length of the Willowemoc Wild Forest, from the Black Bear Road Trailhead in the east to Quick Lake in the west, using the orange blazed snowmobile trail system. Described below are some suggested mountain bike rides that start from each of the four different major trailheads. Note: Although the Willowemoc Wild Forest self-guiding trail system is marked, a good topo map of all the trails in the area is a neccessity. A good map set is offered by the New York/New Jersey Trail Conference.
Black Bear Road : 3 miles (one-way) Much of the land along this well-maintained hard-packed dirt road is owned by hunting camps and you'll see them along the way: Red Horse, Black Bear, and Raccoon to name a few. If you like long steady climbs as much as we do, this one will test your endurance as it climbs steadily, gaining about 500-feet in elevation over the course of 3 miles. We enjoyed biking on this lightly-trafficked country road through stretches of hemlock and northern hardwood forest, and past clearings that allow glimpses of the mountains. To the east you will even be able to see Slide Mountain’s ridgeline and summit, highest peak in the Catskills at 4,190 feet. At around 3 miles, turn around at the sign marking the entry into a Game Preserve owned by a hunting club. Please respect private landowners and turn around at any signs restricting access.
Long Pond Trail (orange blaze) Follow the orange DEC snowmobile trail markers from the Long Pond trailhead on Flugertown Road eastward for one mile to Long Pond. The trail begins near Willowemoc Creek. It starts off with a gradual climb through a mixed hemlock and northern hardwood forest. The trail travels up about 350-feet over a ridge before dropping back down to the lovely 15 acre pond. It then passes along the western edge of the pond and continues another two tenths of a mile north to a Y trail junction. Option 1 : Turn left. You are on the Long Pond-Beaver Kill Ridge Trail which leads to the Mongaup-Willowemoc Trail (west) and the Mongaup Pond Campground. You can turn left onto Flugertown Road after crossing the bridge over Willowemoc Creek and ride back to your car or return the way you came via the Long Pond Trail. Option 2 : Turn right. You are on the Long Pond-Beaver Kill Ridge Trail which leads to the Black Bear Road Trailhead (east). Option 3 : Turn left or right and make a loop ride using Basily Road (snowmobile route). Return to Long Pond Trail and back to the trailhead. Around half-way through the Basily Road section of the loop ride, where it borders a tract of private land, busy beaver activity or wet conditions sometimes creates a pond that will block the way. If shallow, it can be crossed. There is a bridge that leads across but it is private property and off limits. You may have to turn around and make this an out-and-back ride.
Long Pond-Beaver Kill Ridge Trail (red blaze) From east to west, the Long Pond-Beaverkill Ridge Trail runs from the Black Bear Road Trailhead to the Mongaup-Hardenburgh foot trail in the Big Indian Wilderness Area. Cross the road from the trailhead parking area and ride the trail (red blazes), west along Basily Road. This is also a snowmobile trail. At around 2 miles, turn left at a junction leaving Basily Road. The trail heads south to Long Pond. If you want to visit the pond and admire the scenery, at 3.1 miles a short spur trail to the left leads to Long Pond. Back on the main trail continue about 1 mile to a bridge which spans Willowemoc Creek. Turn right onto Flugertown Road and after 250 feet turn left onto the yellow blazed Mongaup-Willowemoc snowmobile trail. The next .4 miles are shared by both trails. At 4.6 miles the Long Pond-Beaverkill Ridge Trail turns north and heads into the Big Indian Wilderness, a rugged, mountainous area cut by steep sided hollows. This section of the trail leads through northern hardwood and pine forest, is at times steep, muddy and overgrown requiring bushwacking. Follow the yellow blazed Mongaup-Willowemoc Trail which continues 2 .8 miles to the Mongaup Pond Campground. You can also combine the Long-Pond-Beaverkill Ridge Trail with the Black Bear Road trip, or with the Mongaup-Willowemoc Trail to the campground for a longer ride.
Mongaup-Willowemoc Trail : 3.2 miles (yellow blaze) This rugged and rocky, relatively flat multi-use snowmobile trail travels 3.2 miles between the Mongaup Pond Campground and Flugertown Road. Because it is a snowmobile trail it is wide and clear of vegetation. You can take the trail from either end. To reach the trail from the campground follow the connector trail behind campsite #38 in Area B, then turn left onto the main snowmobile trail. It turns east ending at the intersection with Flugertown Road and the Long Pond-Beaverkill Ridge Trail (red). There are several stream crossings over bridges along the way, the most notable being the bridge over Butternut Creek.
Karst-Wild Azalea Loop Trail A loop ride of around 7 miles can be made using the Wild Azalea, Karst and Mongaup-Willowemoc snowmobile trails. Good mountain biking…scenic, but no views to write home about. To begin your mountain bike ride, follow the directions above (from the campground) for the Mongaup-Willowemoc Trail. At Butternut Junction, turn south and follow the snowmobile markers. This is the Wild Azalea Trail. It takes you through both hardwood forest and clearings before reaching Hunter Road (3 miles). Turn right onto Hunter Road, ride .75 miles and look for directions to the Karst Trail on your right. Starting out in an open field the trail soon enters the hardwood forest, travels along wetland habitat and ends at the cutoff for the Mongaup Pond Campground on your left (2 miles).
Logger’s Loop Trail : 3.3 miles (yellow blaze) The Logger’s Trail begins at the junction with the Quick Lake Trail (Graveyard Junction) about 0.4 miles west of the Frick Pond parking area. Turn right and head north. The terrain is gently rolling with some level stretches. Reach Times Square Junction at .55 miles. Expect several washed out areas due to water run-off action. At 1.8 miles the Iron Wheel Junction (look for the two old iron wheels!) marks the intersection with the Quick Lake Trail (red). Turn left toward the southeast to return to the trailhead.
Quick Lake Trail : 7.2 miles (red blaze) The route travels through dense forest and over a heavily wooded ridge before descending to Quick Lake. The easiest access is from the Frick Pond Trailhead parking area (see directions above). This long trail offers a remote mountain biking experience. Follow the Red Blazed DEC trail markers from the Frick Pond Trailhead (northwest corner of the parking lot). After passing the Yellow Blazed Loggers Loop Trail on the right, you'll soon arrive at Frick Pond, 0.5 miles into your bike ride. Just past the Iron Wheel Junction at 1.7 miles is a Y intersection. A right takes you along the red blazed trail, a wide path, sometimes eroded and washed out and sometimes grassy. A left turn takes you along the snowmobile trail, meeting up again at Coyote Junction (4.25 miles). The two trails share sections and separate several times on the way to Quick Lake (7.2 miles).
For more Catskill Wild Forest Area mountain bike adventures see Spruceton Trail in the Hunter Mountain Wild Forest and Vernooy Kill Falls Trail in The Sundown Wild Forest.
Where To Stay: You'll need at least a weekend to explore some of the area trails. Do a weekend camp / bike trip at the well-maintained Mongaup Pond Campground. Beautiful, large wooded tent and RV campsites are set around 120 acre Mongaup Pond, the largest body of water in the Catskill Park outside of the New York City reservoirs. We like the camp spots down by the lake. Just jump on your bike after breakfast. Trailheads are easily accessible right from the campground. The campground and day use area offer a sand beach with lifeguard for swimming. Other facilities include a hot showers, picnic area with tables and grills and canoe & rowboat rentals. Environmental and recreational programs are offered from July to September. In the summer it is almost impossible to get a camping spot. The campgrounds fill to capacity most weekends and even during the week it is tough. You can take your chances and see if someone cancels out at the last minute. If you really want to guarantee a campsite consider making reservations three months in advance. (I'm not kidding!). If you can't get a camp spot, there are inns, bed & breakfasts, restaurants and shopping centers nearby in the towns of Liberty, Livingston Manor and surrounding vicinity.
Wildlife Note : The Big Indian Wilderness Area supports a thriving black bear and white-tailed deer population. Other species include beaver, fisher, coyote and wild turkey. All can be spotted in the adjacent Willowemoc Wild Forest. Willowemoc Creek is also an excellent trout stream.
Catskill State Fish Hatchery: The Catskill Hatchery is located just 3 miles from the Mongaup Pond State Park Campground in DeBruce, Sullivan County near the Village of Livingston Manor, and near two of New York State's fabled trout streams, the Beaver Kill and Willowemoc Creek. This facility specializes in rearing brown trout and it maintains a brood stock capable of producing two million eggs. About 115,000 pounds of brown trout are produced annually. Visiting hours are 8:30 am - 4 pm on weekdays and 8:30 - noon on weekends.
For more information: NYSDEC Region 3 Phone: 845-256-3000
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