Bearpen Mountain is westernmost of the Catskill 3500 peaks in the Catskill Mountains. Standing tall at 3,587 feet in elevation, the mountain offers several great views of the surrounding region.

For this hike we began at the trailhead on Heisinger Road in Prattsville, NY and followed the snowmobile trail to the summit of the mountain. There are no official hiking trails on Bearpen, just snowmobile trails that double as hiking trails in the non-snow months.

From Heisinger Road, the red mark snowmobile trail follows a wide open, generally well maintained old roadway on its ascent of Bearpen Mountain. The trail/road makes a series of switchbacks . A few sections are a bit eroded, but not overly difficult to walk. There are also a few muddy sections.

The summit of Bearpen is reached a little over 2.5 miles from Heisinger Road. From there you can walk along the summit ridge to its western edge where there are two good views - one to the southwest and one to the northwest. This is also a great spot to capture the sunset if you don’t mind hiking back down with a headlamp.

You can find more information about this hike with:

• The New York New Jersey Trail Conference's Catskill Trails Map Set

• National Geographic’s Trails Illustrated Map for the Catskill Park

• The Catskill Trails Guidebook

For additional information about the Catskill Park and outdoor recreation in the Park, visit the Catskills Visitor Center.

Don’t know where to start with hiking, backpacking, and camping? We can help you! Visit our professional Outdoor Hiking, Backpacking and Camping Guide Services Company at Hike On Guides.

Gear we used on this hike:

• Osprey Talon 22 Pack

• Altra Lone Peak Shoes

• Darn Tough Quarter Midweight Hiking Socks

• Sawyer Squeeze Water Filter

• Nalgene 32-ounce Wide-Mouth Water Bottles

• Energizer LED Headlamp

• NEMO Chipper Reclaimed Closed-Cell Foam Seat Pad

• Garmin Instinct Watches

• Garmin InReach Explorer+ GPS

Hydration and nutrition for this hike:

• The Complete Cookie

• Gatorade Endurance Carb Energy Chews

• NUUN Sport + Caffeine Hydration Tablets

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