Location – Woodstock, NY 12498
Trail – Out & Back
Trail Length – 4.6 miles
Duration- 2 hours 30 minutes
The Overlook Mountain should not be confused with Stephen King’s ghostly hotel in his novel The Shining. But the mountain is home to some legends and lore of vampires, Dutch ghosts, and possible platform of a Natty Bumppo’s famous speech. Yet for all these tales told as a means for publicity, the Overlook Mountain’s history holds enough weight to promote its own interest even in our time.
The Tale:
History of a Overlook Mountain:
We begin our journey on the great mountain with the construction of the peaks of the Catskills. After the retreat of the great ice sheet, the landscape was left with boulders and heaps of rocks and dirt strewn about. This was followed by a time of flowing rivers. These rivers raced down cutting great valleys and eroding loose shale and sandstone. This created many of the peaks, including Overlook Mountain. Besides the shale and sandstone on Overlook Mountain, there is also a presence of bluestone.
The Saw Kill is responsible for the drainage of the Overlook Mountain. There is a lake near the northern edge called Echo which is also the starting point for the Saw Kill. And on the southern more easterly side are a few creeks that eventually meet up with the Saw Kill at Woodstock.
Overlook Mountain stands at a little over 3,100 feet and was recorded to be at 3,137 feet in 1980 by the United States Geological Survey. According to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), Overlook Mountain is one of the three most visited peaks of the Catskill Forest Preserve. And knowing its history one can see why.
Exploring the Overlook Mountain Peak:
Overlook is not the highest peak in the Catskills, not for a long shot. In fact, the highest peak, Slide Mountain, stands almost 1,000 feet taller than Overlook Mountain. Why is Overlook so popular? I think the answer can be found in its cultural significance and ruins left behind.
According to Alf Evers, in his work The Catskills: From Wilderness to Woodstock, in 1793 a Frenchman by the name of Peter (Pierre) DeLabigarre ascended Overlook Mountain. Delabigarre was a friend of Chancellor Robert R. Livingston, a founding father of the United States who helped draft the declaration of independence. Because of DeLabigarre’s writings about the beauty he experienced while on Overlook and friendship with Livington who lived in Clermont, NY, the peak was popularized and viewed in a new light.
It is worth noting that according to Evers, Delabigarre mentioned the observance of wild grapes on Overlook Mountain and suggested that the vitality of the species there could prove that the region would make an excellent place for “cultivating the grape.” Perhaps Delabigarre could be credited with planting the proverbial seed of much of the Hudson Valley’s many vineyards we now see today.
The Beginnings of an Overlook Mountain Hotel:
A few decades after DeLabigarre’s expeditions to Overlook, another famous member linked to prominent landowning families envisioned a potential for commercialization of Overlook Mountain. His name was Robert Livingston Pell. He was born to the Pells of Pelham Manor. He lived in Esopus and was famous for growing a certain variety of apples and cultivating grapes. You can see more about his connection to the Esopus area and 19th century history in my post about the Black Creek Preserve Trail. But during the 1850s he eyed Overlook Mountain as a possible site for a new hotel that would rival the great Catskill Mountain House.
Pell’s Attempt:
Before Pell, there were a few prospects raised for the construction of a mountain house on Overlook Mountain, but they all failed or were abandoned for one reason or another, usually associated with cost and material transportation issues or material issues. But Pell was believed to be of a different class. He was associated with the great landowners of that day and seemed to be positioned well for fulfilling the promise of constructing a mountain house on Overlook. According to Evers, Overlook started to be known as Pell’s Mountain, before that it was known as South Peak or Woodstock Mountain. But then disaster struck in the late 1850s.
In the mid 19th century, the recession affected many people, including Pell who had to abandon his dream of building a hotel in the great mountain. According to Evers, the peak returned to be called Overlook Mountain.
But in the 1870s, success was made. Lewis B. Van Wagonen of Kingston, designed and constructed the Overlook Mountain House. The conglomerate of owners included businessmen, politicians and hoteliers such as William Brinkerhoff, Charles H. Krack, and Goerge Meade among other local names. George Mead owned a small establishment already in operation on the mountain. The road leading up to the trailhead bears his name and is called Meads Mountain Road.
A Presidential Reception at Overlook Mountain and A Fiery Disaster:
After the completion of the Overlook Mountain House, President Ulysses S. Grant visited in 1873. The visit was remarkable in that it helped bolster the mountain house’s reputation against its rival the Catskill Mountain House. According to Evers, no president, while in office, had visited the Catskill Mountain House. But the Overlook held that reputation.
Following the opening and visit, the hotel became famous for its rivaling views and its clean air. In fact during that time, doctors began prescribing visits to the Catskills as a cure for tuberculosis and the Overlook was among the destinations recommended. At one point it was thought the hotel looked more like a sanatorium than a resort. But the success was short-lived. Like the ill fortune that plagued the prospectors of the mountain house before returning with vengeance.
In 1875, fire came to destroy the established Overlook Mountain House. In 1878, an attempt by the Kiersteds, brothers from Saugerties, was made to re-open the hotel. But by the mid 1880s, the Overlook declined. According to Evers, during this time stories were created by A.E.P. Searing who borrowed from established lore and placed them within the limits of Overlook Mountain. Evers states that Mrs. Searing wrote the The Land of Rip Van Winkle, the stories parsed together lore from Irving, Cooper, and other tales such as vampires and placed them in settings such as that of Echo Lake. But the stories could not lift the mountain house from its ashes like the Phoenix.
A Colony of Artists:
By the 1900s, Overlook began to be eyed by a new kind of prospector, the artist. Since the time the Europeans arrived, the Catskills were thought to be places of great wealth whether they were in the form of rare minerals such as gold, burning material like coal, or the trees themselves. Overlook did not escape these fates of exploration.
During the tanning industry’s height of the 19th century many of the hemlocks (Tsuga canadensis) had been harvested for their tannins. The bluestone was also sought after and quarried for a time. Then the hotels were built. But as long as the industrialist and capitalist have vied to exploit the mountains, the artists have tried to capture it for its beauty.
Finding the Colony:
Artists, like Thomas Cole and the other members of the Hudson River School, painted landscapes of great renown. Their movement romanticized and immortalized the grandeur of the Catskill Mountains. And in the 1900s the arts found resurgence in the eyes of a new leader, Ralph Radcliffe Whitehead.
According to Silverman, in his book The Catskills: Its History and How it Changed America, Whitehead, an artist, along with Hervey White, a social worker with a Harvard education, aimed for the mountains of Virginia for the establishment of their artist colony, but not Bolton Coit Brown, furniture designer and founder of the art department at Stanford University. Brown preferred the Catskills.
Silverman adds that while Brown was allowed to explore the Catskills for a suitable location, he was given an order to find a place without any Jewish residents. This antisemitism may have come back to haunt the last remnants of the Overlook Mountain House.
After Brown found a place in the town of Woodstock, Whitehead, White, and Brown established the artist colony that would be known as Byrdcliffe. The colony became famous for its furnisher. As Silverman put it, the quality rivaled that of the Shakers albeit more expensive. And surprisingly the price was not economical invoking an artistic call back to capitalistic pursuits that haunted the Overlook Mountain. After the founding of the Byrdcliffe Colony, the prejudiced fears of Whitehead were realized when a new proprietor bought the Overlook Mountain House.
The New Owner and the End of a Hotel:
Morris Newgold was a hotel proprietor from New York City. He bought the Overlook Mountain House in 1917. According to Silverman, at about the same time the Ku Klux Klan was establishing itself in Woodstock. After establishing ownership of the hotel, Newgold hosted the International Ladies Garment Workers Union, with a majority of members who were Jewish. Silverman then relates that Newgold added a new property to his holdings within Woodstock called the Irvington. Tensions must have festered.
As Silverman states, in 1922, three men entered Irvington and began disturbing the guests. Gabriel Newgold, the stepson of Morris, was the manager and tried to intervene. Gabriel was beaten by the men. All three men were arrested, one of which was Ralph Whitehead Jr. son of Byrdcliffe Colony founder. Silverman relates that as a result of the incident and its aftermath, the Klan increased in the town of Woodstock. But the next guests of the Overlook Mountain House may have caused its ultimate demise.
Silverman reports that the American Communist Party held a secret meeting at the Overlook Mountain House and that the building burnt down soon after with arson being blamed but no suspect was found.
In the 1940s, New York State took control of the premises and the establishment was shuttered. But the mountain house would not be the only structure on Overlook Mountain that was controlled by the State.
Overlook Mountain Fire Tower:
Just northwest of Kingston sits a hill almost 800 feet tall. Its name is Gallis Hill. In 1927, the DEC constructed a fire tower on top of the hill. In 1950, the fire tower was relocated to Overlook Mountain. During the late 1980s, the fire tower was closed but reopened in 1999. According to the Catskill Visitor Center, it was the first fire tower in the Catskills to reopen to the public. In the summers (Memorial Day to Columbus Day), the cab is open to visitors from 10am to 4pm with volunteers acting as interpreters.
The Fire Tower Challenge:
The fire tower offers spectacular views of the surrounding landscape and states. You can easily see the Overlook Mountain House, Echo Lake, even the Berkshires. But another great reason to visit the fire tower is that it is part of the Catskill Fire Tower Challenge. To complete the challenge, one must visit 6 fire towers which include Overlook, Hunter, Balsam Lake, Upper Esopus, Red Hill, and Mount Tremper. If you would like more information about the Balsam Lake Fire Tower, you can visit my post about Balsam Lake Mountain hike.
With so many wonderful features it’s no wonder Overlook Mountain is a popular destination among hikers. And that brings me to our next segment about the trail.
A Town Anew:
By the 1960s, the mountain house suffered further damage. Pete Seeger had visited the mountain during that time, and the town of Woodstock became an edgier, more loving place. Now the banners of love and acceptance hang from every post and the hippie vibe is strong in that artistic town.
The Overlook Mountain Trail:
Overlook Mountain Trail is a nice easy to follow path that consists of a steady incline. The elevation gained is a little over 1,300 feet. The trailhead begins across the street from a Tibetan Buddhist Monastery called Karma Triyana Dharmachakra, that is worth a visit.
Trailhead:
To get to the parking lot for the trail, follow Mead’s Mountain Road from Woodstock. The parking lot will be on your right. There are port-a-johns at the trailhead if needed. Depending on when you go, you may find a full lot. If you continue on Mead’s Mountain Road, cars park along the sides at times.
Trail Conditions:
The Overlook Trail is wide. It used to be the carriage road to the mountain house. There are points where it’s a tad steeper but generally it is steady. The trail is packed and besides some loose pebbles pretty well groomed. The gravel helps with light flurry hikes but ice may be a factor for winter treks. If you want tips for winter hikes check out my post for picking the right Traction Equipment for Winter Hikes.
In the winter the trees give way to views all the way up, but in the summer, you’ll have to wait till you reach the lookout points, of which there are plenty.
Points of Interest:
The mountain house is a popular stopping point for hikers to take pictures and explore. Be mindful that there are timber rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus) on this mountain.
Ruins –
After spending time at the mountain house and the other structures nearby, the trail continues up to a fork. On the left is the option to take the trail to Echo Lake (2 miles) or a few other trails. But I recommend the fire tower first which is about a half mile up.
There are a few more ruins and look out points before you reach the fire tower that are all worth exploration. Summit Views-
Summit Views –
The fire tower looms over a ledge until you reach the summit. When you get to the summit, there is a privy if needed, a ranger’s cabin, and picnic tables.
The fire tower is very popular and great spot for taking in the views of the surrounding area.
After the fire tower, there is a ledge that is worth a stop before heading back. Follow the trail past the ranger cabin to the scenic overlook. It is wooded and gives a welcoming reprieve from the summer sun or winter winds. When you come to the ledge you may find other people there as well, but if you are lucky this is a spectacular place to enjoy a peaceful respite or a quick bite.
Conclusion:
With all its history, views, and proximity to the groovy town of Woodstock this mountain is a must visit for any hiker searching for a great Catskill experience.