Catskill Adventure Challenge Onteora Lake Hike
Did you hear about the Catskill Adventure Challenge? This is a new challenge that anyone can do, whether you’re an amateur or avid hiker. There are eight different hikes on the list but all you have to do is complete six. After you complete the six of the eight hikes, you will fill out the form and receive your patch.
Onteora Lake Hike for Catskill Adventure Challenge
The first Catskill Adventure Challenge on the list was Onteora Lake. We decided to go down the list and do this hike. We’ve also never hiked the trails at this park and wanted to see something different. When we arrived at the location we parked the car and started walking on the snowy path. The trail here was wide and it looks like during the summer it’s open and goes to the lake parking area. Once at the lake, we signed in and started walking the trail, quickly turning left and following the yellow #1 trail.
The trail went up a small incline and deeper into the woods. Once we came to the top, there was another sign-in station. Since I signed us at the lake I did not sign us in again. We continued on the beautiful trail with another hiker and a dog. They quickly disappeared into the woods while we trailed on slowly behind.
Once we reached the intersection we took the yellow trail to the right, instead of going straight. This was a narrow trail through the woods with a few small inclines and declines. Following this trail we met with the hiker and his dog again, and continues on our separate ways.
A short while into the walk we were able to see the lake and the kids playing ice hokey. As we reached the lake closer a group of bikers went down the hill and crossed over the lake. While that looked like fun I would be too terrified to bike on this trail, with plenty of rocks and twigs to trip over on. It may look exhilarating but I can’t afford to break anything.
After watching them all drive off over the lake we continued up the trail. We were back in the woods and back to following the yellow trail. Not too far in we were greeted by an old, wrecked car. It would be nice to know the history behind it but I wasn’t able to find anything yet. This is also the intersection where the trail to the right goes to #2 Turnpike red trail. We continued walking to the left, following the yellow trail.
Once we passed the car and crossed the creek we were at the intersection where we started. We continued straight on and back to the lake. Before leaving the park we decided to walk a bit on the frozen lake. With the peeking blue sky and glorious sunshine, it felt magnificent!
On the Catskill Adventure Challenge website it stated that Onteora Lake trail is a 3 mile loop. Since we parked at the first parking lot and walked a bit on the lake, the trail was a little under 4 miles. There are plenty of other trails you can connect to and enjoy if you’re looking for a longer hike. We will definitely come back here again in the spring and fall and do other trails.
