Sunset Rock
Worth knowing
There’s another Sunset Rock near Inspiration Point in the Kaaterskill Wild Forest, a completely different hike. This page covers the one at North-South Lake.
At a Glance
- Area: North-South Lake
- Best for: Hudson Valley views, short hike with multiple payoffs
- Difficulty: Easy to moderate
- Distance: About 1–2 miles round trip depending on route
- Time: 1–2 hours
- Day-use fee: Required at North-South Lake during peak season
- Cell service: Spotty in places, generally works along the Escarpment Trail
What You’re Actually Going to See
Sunset Rock is about as much bang for your buck as you can get in the Catskills. The walk from the North Lake parking area follows the escarpment edge, passing Artist’s Rock before reaching Sunset Rock. Artist’s Rock alone is worth the trip, but keep going to find the real payoff.
The ledge at Sunset Rock is mostly flat, with great views of the Hudson Valley along the way. There are a couple of short rock scrambles on the approach from the south. Nothing that requires a technical climb, but enough to let you know this is still the Catskills. From the ledge you can look east and see the Hudson River on a clear day. Climb up on top of the rock itself and the view shifts entirely: north toward North and South Lakes, with Kaaterskill High Peak and Round Top rising in the background.
The Catskill Mountain House stood a bit further south along this escarpment. Visitors making the trip here two hundred years ago were taking in much the same views. The hotel operated for over a century before being intentionally burned in 1963 after the state acquired the land.
Ways to Get There
Via the Escarpment Trail from the North Lake parking lot at North-South Lake (near the campground)
From the North Lake parking area, the Escarpment Trail runs east along the ridge, passing Artist’s Rock before reaching Sunset Rock. The trail is rocky near the ledge edges but straightforward, and the total distance to Sunset Rock is about a mile from the parking area. Newman’s Ledge is further along the trail if you want to keep going.
Via Mary’s Glen (quieter, longer)
A more gradual approach through a wooded ravine below the escarpment. It takes longer to reach the top but is noticeably less busy, and connects well as a loop option. You can also reach Mary’s Glen from Schutt Road, which bypasses the day-use entrance entirely. Parking on Schutt Road is free, but limited, especially on busy weekends.
What to Expect
The Escarpment Trail at North-South Lake is part of the course for two serious trail races: Manitou’s Revenge and the Escarpment Trail Run. The people who race through here aren’t in road shoes. For day hiking this section, the same logic applies. We like the Salomon Genesis for hiking the escarpment. It handles the rocky sections and short scrambles without being overkill for the distance. Any shoe with real grip will work; a road runner won’t.
The views from the escarpment reward magnification. On a clear day there’s a lot to look at in both directions, and a monocular changes what you get from the ledge. The Nocs Zoom Tube packs flat and earns its place in a pocket on a hike like this.
Between viewpoints the trail is mostly open sky, and the ledge itself is fully exposed. In summer the wind helps, but direct sun is real from mid-morning onward. A sun hoodie is the right layer. We like the Cotopaxi Sombra for summer hiking on exposed terrain. It’s UPF 50+ and light enough to stuff in a pack until you need it. In fall, swap it for a midlayer.
From the shop
When to Go
Summer mornings are the best of it: cooler on the exposed ledge, quiet before the day-trippers arrive, and the Hudson Valley light comes up early from this vantage in a way that’s hard to find elsewhere up here.
Fall is another great time to come. The bugs have thinned out, and the escarpment faces east and down into the valley, so the color spreads across a wide range of elevation in a single view. Peak usually lands late September into mid-October up here, ahead of the valley floor below you. Foliage weekends are the busiest this trail gets all year, so an early start matters more in fall than any other time.
Good to Know
- The day-use fee is paid at the North-South Lake entrance gate. Schutt Road parking (Mary’s Glen approach) avoids it, but spaces there are limited.
- Visitors tend to cluster at Artist’s Rock, Sunset Rock, and Newman’s Ledge, but they’re spread across the trail. It rarely piles up the way Kaaterskill Falls can.
- Cell service generally works along the Escarpment Trail near NSL but drops in spots. Download your trail map before leaving the parking area.
- The ledge is flat but the edges are exposed. Watch footing, especially with kids.
- It isn’t a stroller or smooth-path walk. The trail is rocky with a couple of short scrambles, and the ledge edges are open with real drops. Fine for sure-footed kids with you alongside them, wrong for a group that wants flat and easy.
- This is black bear country, though you’re unlikely to see one. Don’t leave food or a pack sitting unattended on the rocks while you wander the ledge.
- Porcupines live up here too, though it’s rare to see one. They’re slow and want nothing to do with you, so give them room and let them go about their business. Keep dogs back, since a dog and a porcupine ends in a vet trip.
If you want to know what else is worth seeing while you’re up here, or want to talk through what to bring before you go, stop into the shop. We’re a few miles down the road in Tannersville.
Get Directions to Camp Catskill →
— Ryan Penny, Camp Catskill