This is the piece that makes the eastern half of the Hunter Regional Trails make sense.

About a mile and a quarter of it runs through the woods. From there it picks up the Cortina Mountain Estates road, which carries you over to the Huckleberry Rail Trail at Clum Hill. Before this existed, the Kaaterskill Rail Trail and the Huckleberry were two unrelated walks. Now they are two halves of something.

It is not officially open, and we would rather say so

Two things still have to happen. There need to be more sidewalks, and there needs to be some kind of crossing over Route 23A at Peace Village. 23A is not a road anyone wants to send families across on faith. Until that crossing exists, calling this open would be putting a ribbon on something unfinished.

So: it is walkable, people are walking it, and the last piece of work is a road crossing rather than a trail. Which is the strange thing about trail building that nobody warns you about. The woods are usually the easy part.

What to expect

Mostly woods trail, then a section of dirt and gravel road. Strollers will not work here. If you are pushing something, the Huckleberry is the segment that takes wheels.

About that road. The Cortina Mountain Estates road is private, and walkers are welcome on it. Worth knowing both halves of that. You are not trespassing, and you are also on somebody's road, so behave like a guest: keep to the side, keep dogs close, do not block anything.

Good to know

• Parking is still being sorted. We would rather tell you that than send you somewhere wrong. Most people currently walk in from one of the neighbouring segments.
• 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.
• Winter: nothing is plowed or maintained, but these stay walkable when the high peaks turn into an ice problem. Good for snowshoes or cross-country skis. When it is icy, microspikes make the difference between a nice flat walk and a careful shuffle.
• Apps are not gospel. The system is on AllTrails as a list of the Hunter Regional Trails, which is a fine starting point, though the tracks are not always exact. We carry the NY-NJ Trail Conference Catskill Trails Map ($17.95, printed on Tyvek) and we are happy to help you find a route on it.
• Official info: the Town of Hunter keeps it at townofhunterny.gov/hunter-regional-trails.

Nearby

East of here is the Kaaterskill Rail Trail. West is Huckleberry Rail Trail East. The whole system is mapped on the Hunter Regional Trails page.

We are on Main Street in Tannersville, minutes from most of these trailheads. If you are not sure which segment fits your group, stop in and ask.