Chris Graham is an Assistant Ecologist at the New York Natural Heritage Program

9:00 am – 5:00 pm | Sunday, May 18

The Windham-Blackhead Range, named for its fir-capped summits that appear almost black on the horizon, comprises the northernmost of the Catskills high peaks. Like many of the Catskills high mountains, the peaks here are steep and rugged and offer spectacular rewards of mountain scenery and natural beauty to those who climb them.

Join us for a 6.5-mile loop hike to challenge the wobbly winter legs and admire the abundance of spring wildflowers that carpet these high-mountain trails. We’ll begin along the headwaters of the Batavia Kill before ascending to the Catskill Escarpment, where we’ll walk the ridge from Blackhead to Black Dome Mountains, passing several scenic viewpoints along the route, before reversing and descending though another small stream drainage. We should see copious amounts of such spring pleasantries as blue-bead lilies, violets, trilliums, bellworts, spring beauty, trout lily, rosy twisted-stalk, foam-flower, eastern lousewort, etc. We’ll also be in search of the uncommon, cliff-loving purple clematis, which has been spotted along this route. Hobblebush should be in flower in the cool, dark understory of the balsam fir forest and elsewhere.

This will be a difficult hike on rocky, often steep, and sometimes unrelenting terrain. Sturdy footwear with good traction is a must. We will plan on a long day to allow for going slow and botanizing at times, but we will also have to maintain a decent pace if we hope to finish! Please bring lots of water, snacks, lunch, and sunscreen since there will be few or no leaves on trees to ward off sunburns.

If you have any questions feel free to contact us at catskillpeaks@nyflora.org.

NYFA relies on the generous support of its members to offer free Field Trips and Learn 10 workshops. If you are able, please consider a donation to help support these efforts. Suggested Donation is $10.