It’s fun to poke around these Catskill hamlets on foot and see any number of historical layers exposed in the landscape. Like a geologist you can date and piece together various strata, establish a rough sequence of events, and then try to put the story in motion to envision how it unfolded. Yet, you’d really have to poke around Livingston Manor to find the trail to Round Top. Chances are you’d be looking for it because someone mentioned it to you, or you happened to see it online.
Although I hiked this trail with my two sons, somehow four years had elapsed, so finding it the other day was a bit of a refresher course. But once we started hiking up the steep climb behind the Presbyterian Church and into the Orchard Street Cemetery, it all came back to me. Reaching the trailhead and looking to the right over the cemetery, I reflect upon how these eternal resting places also offer peace and quiet to those that venture into them as part of a walk. And how cemeteries were the places people originally went to in some of the big cities to relax and step into nature. Looking to our left, the short loop trail begins with new-looking sign and a very old set of stone steps that lead directly into the young forest.
After a light ascent, the steeper path on the left goes up past the bone of the ridge to the ledges. My friend Chris and I go right and climb gradually past an assortment of outcrops, then take the extension to the summit of Round Top. Yes, another Round Top. There are at several others across the Catskills, along with Cator Round Top and Cairo Round Top, with the latter above the hamlet of Round Top in Greene County. Seems like a lot. But if we consider all the mountains in the Catskills that could’ve been named Round Top, we’re doing just fine. Still, beyond just naming these bumps for their shape, the term does seem to be part of a regional vernacular. Perhaps even to the point of being a common name to replace ‘mountain’ or ‘hill’ in certain instances. Can it keep company with other Catskill vocabulary – clove, vly, or binnekill? If you were able to ask Rip Van Winkle for directions back in the day, might he have replied, “The best huntin’ grounds are up past that thar round top.”
Dropping down the trail in the wet snow we reach the south facing ledge that overlooks the Manor. From this vantage point, the compact size of the built environment is well defined as it is cradled largely by natural surroundings. This relationship is encapsulated on the welcome sign in the center of the hamlet: Small Town - Big Backyard. The phrase also efficiently captures much of the town of Rockland’s history and sense of place. With Livingston Manor and Roscoe being destinations long renowned for world-class trout fishing, mountain resorts, campgrounds, and miles of hiking trails, the town resides at a key gateway to the Catskill Park – and has about 80% of its area inside the blue line. Both Round Top, as a hamlet hike, and the Catskill Park as a regional backyard are part of an unfolding story that can be guided by visions of the future.
In 2019, the Sullivan O&W Rail Trail Feasibility Study was completed to help envision how a continuous recreational trail from Summitville to Livingston Manor can be created. Within this span of more than 30 miles, there are currently four sections of trail completed and anchored in hamlets: Parksville (1.3 mi.); Liberty (2.5 mi.); Hurleyville to South Fallsburg (5.4 mi./ 3.5 ADA compliant); and Woodridge to Mountaindale (4.4 mi.). These linked hamlets are also known as Trail Towns, a name developed by the Progress Fund, which was part of a 2022 conference hosted by the Sullivan O&W Rail Trail Alliance and Sullivan Renaissance to advance the regional vision. Just as these separate pieces of completed trail strengthen the possibility of fully realizing the vision, the study is quick to point out how adjacent resources, including the trail to Round Top, can complement and be connected to the main datum (needed signage notwithstanding).
Though Trail Towns are often affiliated with rail trails, the term is part of the larger family of similar planning and regional economic development concepts that revolve around reinforcing destinations and nearby resources through common themes and physical linkages, e.g. greenways, water trails, hut-to-hut hiking trails, and inn-to-inn cycling tours. The Greater Catskill Region Comprehensive Recreation Plan (2020) envisions and begins to set forth scenarios for creating trail towns across the Catskills by improving connections to the regional hiking trail system. The plan identifies potential trail town networks, including Livingston Manor and Roscoe, and it suggests criteria for the formation of these networks. The plan also promotes the suitability of the “base camp” model for the Catskills, meaning that hikers would complete a loop, returning to the starting hamlet and possibly including other hamlets along the way.
Long-distance routes across the region are also possible, and some overlay trails already traverse the region. With so many trails already established, we are looking at the maps to see how the trails and the hamlets fit into the larger concept of regional connectivity. Much like looking back into the past and trying to figure out what happened in a landscape, envisioning the future calls upon similar interpolation and imagination to see what can be. While plans help us outline the chapters, it’s up to us to guide the narrative together and be the story to realize the whole vision.
Peter Manning is the executive director of the Catskill Mountain Club. To learn about CMC events, membership, and projects visit catskillmountainclub.org.
