Overview
Table is a mountain in the Southern part of the Catskill Range of New York. It is a fun hike, and is often done along with it's neighbor mountain,
Peekamoose. Along the way you'll encounter different trees in the forest such as beech, sugar maple, and birch, also wildflowers, mushrooms, and some nice overlooks await you.
The summit doesn't provide any views, but this is a mountain to be enjoyed for it's way to the summit, not the actual summit itself, though you'll enjoy yourself on the summit. You know what I mean!
Hikers who wish to be a member of the Catskill-3500 club will visit Table for it's elevation of 3847 ft. With it's fairly steady gain of elevation, not overly long distance, easy to follow trail, and easy to get to trail head, Table is really a mountain for anyone wishing to enjoy a day in the Catskills. Like many Catskill mountains you get to see many aspects of the forest on the way, so the whole hike is interesting and fun.
The best way to reach Table is to go over
Peekamoose on the Peekamoose-Table trail. The distance stated in a book I like to use,
Catskill Mountain Guide, is 4.3 miles. It is also possible to reach Table coming from the other direction going a short ways first on the Phoenicia East Branch trail from Denning. Why not get two mountains for the price of one though! Peekamoose is a fun hike, and you get some good views off a ledge up high on that mountain. The col between the two doesn't drop a great deal at all, and the distance apart is only about a mile. The summit of Table isn't marked exactly, so you're left to sort of figure it out on your own. The map has the trail going over the summit, so just follow the trail until it starts to go downhill again, and you'll know you reached the summit. That's just the way it is sometimes in the Catskills.
Table has some overlooks on both it's sides on the Peekamoose-Table trail. There is a spur trail to a spring that may or may not have a good amount of water. There is a lean-to not that far from the summit. It's a mountain that can be enjoyed by all, and if you live by the Catskills, you too should pay it a visit.
Getting There
Take I-87 to Exit 19. Follow Rt. 28 W. As you approach Boiceville look for 28A on the left. You turn left onto 28A and follow that for a short ways, and then turn right onto CR-42. The road is at a intersection with a big wooden sign, and I remember that it doesn't say CR-42 until you turn on to it. You shouldn't be able to miss it though, it should be obvious. You follow CR-42 for about 10 miles, and the trailhead parking is on the right.
Looking at the map you may see that you can take 28A earlier on from Rt. 28. You can, but I would not recommend this. The road is slow going, too many twists and turns. You are better off taking Rt. 28 to 28A.
Red Tape
There is no red tape to deal with. Parking is free. It's not a large parking area, so you might want to get there early on a weekend.
Camping
There is the Boughton Memorial lean-to not on a very short spur trail off the Peekamoose-Table trail. In general there is no camping above 3500 ft. from March 21st to December 21st in the Catskills. Not that far away by car there is the Woodland Valley Campground on Woodland Valley Road off Rt. 28 near Phoenicia. There is a fee to camp there, but the trail to Wittenberg, Cornell, and Slide is there.
lean-to External Links
The
Catskill-3500 Club provides info on the Catskills' high peaks.
Catskill Hiker is always a useful website.
Weather information can be found at:
NOAA
Weather Underground