This is the half that ends at a playground, which if you are walking with small children is the entire review.

The trail runs from Cortina Valley west into Tannersville, flat and forested the whole way, and delivers you to the park by Lake Rip Van Winkle. Kids who have run out of enthusiasm for walking tend to rediscover it once you tell them there is a playground at the end.

It also means this is a trail you can genuinely combine with the village. Coffee on Main Street, a mile of old railroad, let everyone run around at the lake, walk back. That is a morning, and it does not require a trailhead drive or a summit.

What to expect

Flat, shaded, straightforward. It is officially a multi-use bike path: packed, but not paved. A sturdy stroller handles it fine. A flimsy umbrella stroller will fight you.

This and the western half are the only parts of the Hunter Regional Trails that work for wheels at all. The other segments are gravel with leftover railroad ties, woods trail, or dirt road.

The trail continues through the park to the western half, so you can walk the whole Huckleberry end to end at roughly 2.7 miles if you want more.

Getting there

Coming from the shop on Main Street in Tannersville, the trail is a few minutes away. Park in either of the two lots on either side of Railroad Ave near the bridge, or along Lake Rd near the pickleball courts.

Good to know

• Bikes are welcome on the Huckleberry.
• Leashed dogs are welcome along the whole system.
• No day-use fee.
• Cell service is mostly good out here, though it goes spotty in places.
• Snowmobiles are allowed on this half in winter, once there is snow. They are prohibited on most of the rest of the system, so if you are out here on foot in February, know you may not have it to yourself.
• Winter: nothing is plowed or maintained, but this stays walkable when the high peaks turn into an ice problem. Good for snowshoes or cross-country skis. When it is icy, microspikes help.
• Apps are not gospel. The system is on AllTrails as a list of the Hunter Regional Trails, though the tracks are not always exact. We carry the NY-NJ Trail Conference Catskill Trails Map ($17.95, printed on Tyvek).
• Official info: the Town of Hunter keeps it at townofhunterny.gov/hunter-regional-trails.

Nearby

East of here is the Cortina Connector. West, through the park, is Huckleberry Rail Trail West. The whole system is mapped on the Hunter Regional Trails page.

We are on Main Street in Tannersville, a few minutes from this trailhead. If you are not sure which segment fits your group, stop in and ask.