Tremper Mountain (NY) 6/27/2026

 Tremper Mountain

Location: Phoenicia, New York
Mileage: 6.4 Miles
Elevation Gain: 1952 Feet
Trails Used: Phoenicia Trail
Views: 360 from Inside the Fire Tower Cab
Difficulty: Moderate
Hiking Lists: Catskill Fire Tower Challenge/Fire Tower Challenge (Adirondack/Catskills)

We made a last-minute decision Friday night to head into New York and finish the last Catskill Fire Tower that we had left to do. Saturday, we made the long drive to the trailhead parking area, so we didn't start hiking until almost 11 am. I was surprised that there weren't more cars when we arrived, so I squeezed into a spot, and we geared up. It was pleasant temperature wise, but the humidity was high but not too bad with a slight breeze. 

Of note, this mountain is on a short list of peaks in the Catskills that has a few dens of timber rattlesnakes in various locations. These snakes are venomous, so keep your kids close and dogs on a leash.

The Catskill Fire Tower Challenge requires you to climb all eight Catskill fire towers between January 1st, 2026, and December 31st, 2026. Tremper Mountain is #7 on the Catskill Fire Tower Challenge and #17 on the Fire Tower Challenge (Adirondacks and Catskills).

The start of the Phoenicia Trail, which is off of Ulster County Route 40. There was parking for about 7-8 cars depending on how you parked.

The start of the Phoenicia Trail beings rather steeply after you cross this bridge and in about a half mile you come to the old jeep road which is the trail to the summit of Tremper Mountain

The Phoenicia Trail has several switchbacks and several steep ,rocky sections, but it never felt tough to hike nor was the trail hard to follow.

Along the Phoenicia Trail, you can see this pile of large rock that looked like a slide but was an old bluestone quarry.

Another section of the Phoenicia Trail, which was a nice easy walk.

The Baldwin Memorial Lean-To, at about 2100 feet. There is a privy nearby as well as a spring about an 1/8 of a mile up the trail. Not much water from the spring today though

View of the Tremper Mountain Fire Tower, through the trees. The fire tower is 47 feet high and was built in 1917 and used until 1971. It was restored for the public in 2001. 

Foundation remains right behind the fire tower on Tremper Mountain, elevation 2730 feet

The views from every direction from the fire tower cab on Tremper Mountain.

We did not see any timber rattlesnakes for the entirety of the hike, sadly. Overall, this was a nice hike that was never too steep or too gentle. We reversed course and made our way back down to the car, passing a few hikers heading up to the summit.

Thompson Hill - Murdough Hill - Little Thompson Hill (NH) 6/12/2026

Thompson Hill

Location: Hillsboro, New Hampshire
Mileage: 4.8 Miles
Elevation Gain: 1388 Feet
Trails Used: Wenny Baker Trail, Bushwhack, Road Walk
Views: None. Large cairns and rock walls
Difficulty: Moderate
Hiking Lists: No Official Lists

I worked the overnight Thursday but was feeling awake so I decided I would go for a quick hike after on Friday Morning. I left work, drove home and grabbed my clothes quick then headed to the trailhead. I had previously hiked Thompson Hill back in June of 2015. I got ready really quick as the bugs were already swarming. There was a threat of rain for the entire hike, but the rain held off until I was done. Boy, was it humid.

The trailhead parking area for the Wenny-Baker Forest and trail to Thompson Hill located off of County Road in Hillsborough. There is room for two to three cars.

The Thompson Hill Trail starts off very easy, but the steep factor soon kicks in and with the high humidity it was a bit of a struggle today

The Thompson Hill Trail levelled off a bit here so was a good chance to slow down to cool down.

 Rock walls galore in the area, and this section runs along the Thomson Hill Trail

One of the interesting rock cairns as you near the summit of Thompson Hill

The actual summit of Thompson Hill, elevation 1780 feet. This is reached by a short herd path from near the viewpoint from the summit area, which on a good day you can see Pats Peak Ski Area and even Mount Monadnock.

I have no more pictures from here on as the rest of the hike from Murdough Hill to Little Thompson Hill was done as a loop bushwhack and with scrappy woods, steep terrain and the horrific swarms of blackflies and mosquitoes and with bad weather moving in, I decided to just get those two peaks done as soon as possible and back to the car before the rain.

Thompson Hill is the highest point in the town of Hillsborough, New Hampshire and is located in the Wenny-Baker Forest.

Moxham Mountain (NY) 5/31/20206

Moxham Mountain

Location: Minerva, New York
Mileage: 5.2 Miles
Elevation Gain: 1080 Feet
Trails Used: Moxham Mountain Trail
Views: 180 from Summit and Several Ledges
Difficulty: Moderate
Hiking Lists: Adk-9 Challenge/Adirondack 29er Challenge

Sunday's hike before we drove back home to New Hampshire. Amy and I stayed in Keene, New York after we hiked Silver Lake Mountain, Cobble Lookout and Panther Mountain on Saturday and we awoke early for the roughly hour-long drive to the trail-head parking area for Moxham Mountain. There is parking for roughly five to six cars if you park the correct way. We got ready super quick as the bugs were already swarming and hungry. We made sure to sign the kiosk logbook, located a few feet up the trail. Always sign in as you never know what might happen when you are hiking.

This Trailhead sign points you in the right direction. It was slightly hidden in the trees and is at the beginning of the Moxham Mountain Trail.

Pink Lady Slippers were abundant along the Moxham Mountain Trail and in numbers I have not seen on any one mountain. I never knew in most states it is illegal to pull them so enjoy them by taking pictures and leaving them where they are.

                        The ledge views started about a mile into the hike along the Moxham Mountain Trail.

More sections of the Moxham Mountain Trail, as it switches from rocks and roots to rock ledges. At no point did it ever get really steep as you climb towards the summit.

                              A view of nearby Gore Mountain, which is New York's largest ski area and is owned by the State of New York.

A lone patch of Wild Columbine just before the summit of Moxham Mountain

View from ledges looking towards the summit of Moxham Mountain

More views from one of the eleven ledge outcrops just below the summit of Moxham Mountain and looking back down the ridge we climbed up from.

Cloudy views today as we stand on the summit of Moxham Mountain, elevation 2461

Overall, this was a nice hike. There was one water crossing to deal with which was easy, and one muddy section, and the bugs were a nuisance, but we managed good time on our way back to the car. I think we passed about 10 people and a few dogs heading towards the summit. Of note, I did bring my bug zapper racket, and I used it sparingly on the way down to the car. It works and who cares if people stare at you.

Over Ames Mountain * Eastman Hill: 7/21/2016

I was on the second day of my week off from work so I was looking at some lower mileage hikes/bushwhacks to pass the time. The prior day I did quite a few hikes so my right knee was definitely feeling it today. I would try a few peaks and then see how I felt. I even managed to get a late start for this one so I think I hit the first peak in Gilford at about 930 a.m.

Over Ames Mountain

Mileage: 1.65 miles

Elevation gain: 460 feet

Trails used: None. Bushwhack.

Highlight(s): None.

Type of Hike: Bushwhack.

Views: Yes

I attempted to find access for this one last year during winter but I guess I didn't look hard enough. This one was actually pretty simple to do, both for access (once I found it) and actually doing the hike. I will say it was a bit of a dilemma to park where I did and do this hike as you park across from someones residence, but since there were no "no parking" nor "no trespassing" signs, it is legal to do. It was sunny, and warm when I headed out but there was a breeze that was just perfect as I made my way along the logging road to begin my hike.

This peak is unofficially named so it was called Over Ames Mountain on Peakbagger.com. Over Ames Mountain is located in Gilford, New Hampshire. There are blueberry bushes on the summit of Over Ames Mountain so I spent a few minutes picking and eating them as they were ripe enough to eat. The area has been logged recently so it was a matter of picking my way through the various logging cuts to reach the summit.

I parked on the side of Trail View Drive at this logging road to begin my hike towards Over Ames Mountain.

I bushwhacked through a mixture of logging cuts that were growing in and open woods towards the summit of Over Ames Mountain.

The wooded summit of Over Ames Mountain (elevation: 1564 feet). There are slight views behind the summit area.

The views from the summit area of Over Ames Mountain looking east towards Copple Crown Mountain, Moose Mountain and Caverly Mountain.

I noticed this freshly used (possibly by ATV's) logging road heading down so I followed it a bit from the summit of Over Ames Mountain only to realize it was going in the wrong direction.

I made my way back through these logging cuts and open woods.

I came upon this deer which I watched for awhile before he knew I was there. There were actually two in the vicinity but the other one I spooked and it took off.

I also followed this Scarlet Tanager for a bit, trying to get a good picture of it. 

After stopping to watch the deer and birds for a bit, I followed the logging roads back to my car and was on the hunt for my next objective. I managed to drive around to several other possibilities but none of them panned out (sadly, I did not research anything the night before). Mainly it is trying to find access that is the issue. Other times its the length of the hike/bushwhack that raises flags for me.

Finally I looked in the Alton/Meredith/Sanbornton area, as there are quite a few peaks in that general area I have yet to do. I managed to luck out and find one and with a trail.

Eastman Hill

Mileage: 1.85 miles

Elevation gain: 500 feet

Trails used: This is My Song Trail, Hal Graham Trail, Steele Hill Resort Trail.

Highlight(s):

Type of Hike: Trailed.

Views: No

I happened upon this hike almost by accident. I thought I was going to have to bushwhack to this peak but when I drove past an old logging road and noticed the hiker sign, I backed up and parked to check it out. Score! There just happens to be a hiking trail system here although on the map the trails did not go to the high point of the peak. I figured I would take the trails in as far as they would go, and then bushwhack to the high point.

Eastman Hill, located in Sanbornton, New Hampshire is also located in the Sanbornton Town Forest. There is a kiosk with a map of the hiking trails in the area, and several different routes to take. I picked the trail off of Eastman Hill Road as it was the only trail I saw on my initial search of the area. It was getting hot as I headed out but thankfully there was a breeze and the bugs weren't that bad at this point.

I parked on the side of Eastman Hill Road near this hiker sign, and headed down this old road to start the hike towards Eastman Hill.

A map of the hiking trails in the Sanbornton Town Forest. Not on the map, is a trail that goes just around the summit of Eastman Hill which comes from the Steele Hill Resort.

The trails are signed and easy to follow, considering there are several old logging cuts that make their way across the area.

The red blazed Steele Hill Resort Trail, which circles around the summit of Eastman Hill.

The wooded, view-less high point of Eastman Hill (elevation: 1380 feet). The summit is probably less than 50 feet off of the trail.

An old logging landing that serves as part of the This is My Song Trail, where I picked up the only tick of the day in the long grass.

An old cellar hole as I neared where I parked my car and started my hike.

Two hikes and I was done for the day, so I headed home early. It was definitely hot outside but not the unbearable heat and humidity we get at this time of year. Both hikes had a stiff breeze too to keep the heat at a comfortable level. The bugs started coming out too, and one tick was found when I stopped at Home Depot on the way home.

It is always nice to see wildlife on a hike, and I had a treat on the first hike. Finding trails on Eastman Hill was a nice bonus for the hike; I went over the summit a bit to see how far the trail goes and it heads towards the Steele Hill Resort, which is nearby.