Sunset Rock sits above North-South Lake on the Catskill escarpment, and the view is genuinely two views in one: the lake directly below, and then the lower Hudson Valley and the river opening out beyond that. It's one of the better perches in the range for understanding the landscape you're actually standing in. June is a good time to go because the days are long enough to treat this as an after-dinner hike from the campsite, not a plan you have to build your day around.
The hike is short. If you're camping at North-South Lake or spending the day at the lake, Sunset Rock is a natural extension of that trip. Leave the site after dinner, hit the trail, and be back before it's fully dark. You don't need to reorganize the day. The climb earns you one of the cleaner views on the escarpment.
Cell service is spotty but mostly reliable along the trail. The rocks people tend to cluster around -- Artist's Rock, Sunset Rock, Newman's Ledge -- draw a crowd on busy weekends, but the trail between them is rarely congested. If you want the view to yourself, go on a weekday or push past the first lookout.
One date worth noting: on the evening of June 21, the sun sets at its northernmost point on the horizon for the year, and the moon rises close enough behind it that you can watch both from the same spot without moving. It's a short window, worth timing deliberately. I'll be up there for it.
Bring a layer regardless of the afternoon temperature. The ledge catches wind, and the valley air after sundown is cooler than it looks from the trailhead. If you're heading up late enough to watch the light change, bring a headlamp for the descent -- or stop by the shop before you go.
Trail options, parking, and what to expect are on the Sunset Rock destination page.
-- Ryan Penny, Camp Catskill
