49. Little Spring Brook

Distance:	Dayhike
Difficulty :	Easy to moderate for children
Distance :	2.8 miles, round trip
Hiking time :	2.5 hours
High point/elevation gain :	2510 feet, 550 feet
Hikable :	June-October
Map :	NY-NJ Trail Conference Map 44

You expect to have company on popular trails like Lake Minnewaska and Indian Ladder (Hikes 15 and 51). But what about when you, like Greta Garbo, "want to be alone"? Head for Little Spring Brook Trail, which winds through a remote area in the western Catskills beside a pleasant brook, passing a frog pond and leading to an overlook by way of the Pelnor Hollow Trail. This is a terrific hike for the whole family, especially if you have little guys who enjoy tracking down pond critters. Put together a "Pond Explorer's Kit" before you go, with shoes for wading, a fine-mesh net, a guidebook to pond life, a plastic container to hold a salamander or crayfish while you examine it up close, a magnifying glass, and a towel . . . just in case.

Remember, now, the best thing about this spot is its obscurity. So let's keep it just between us, OK?

From New York City, take the Thruway (I-87) north to Exit 16 in Harriman. Follow NY-17 west to Exit 94 in Roscoe. Drive north on NY-206 for 6 miles and turn right onto gravel Little Spring Brook Road. In 1.1 miles, the road ends at a cul-de-sac. (If you continue straight ahead on what appears to be a driveway, you cross onto New York State Department of Environmental Conservation land.) Since parking is not permitted at the cul-de-sac, turn around and drive approximately 0.1 mile back down Little Spring Brook Road and park on the right-hand shoulder.

Head north on Little Spring Brook Road, returning to the cul-de-sac, and follow a woods road onto state property. At the official trailhead, a sign lists distances on the yellow-blazed Little Spring Brook Trail; the 0.6-mile measure to Pelnor Hollow Trail is accurate, though the other mileages are not. The yellow blazes lead hikers along the initially soggy, then washed-out, woods road. As the trail trudges northward, Little Spring Brook tumbles by on the left. At 0.15 mile, the brook darts under the road in a culvert as a stone wall crawls along on the left.

One-quarter mile from the start, the road, now buried in thick grass, passes a great, shallow pond—muddy, murky, and full of frogs. Surely the kids will want to stop and investigate. Can you hear the song of a spring peeper? The deep rumble of a bullfrog? Find a crayfish hiding under a rock near the shore or try to catch a dragonfly as it flutters past with its two pairs of pretty wings. Look for a water strider sweeping across the surface of the pond without making a ripple. Tiny hairs on the ends of its feet allow it to rest on top of the water without sinking. What kinds of birds gather near a pond like this? Do you see any red-winged blackbirds or swallows? Geese or cedar waxwings?

As you continue northward with the yellow blazes, Little Spring Brook now babbles along on the right, cradled within a cool ravine. Enduring stone walls bracket the trail. At 0.6 mile, the Little Spring Brook Trail ends unceremoniously at the edge of a clearing. Here, the blue-blazed Pelnor Hollow Trail veers right (east) and the Campbell Mountain Trail, combined with a wide snowmobile trail, goes straight (north). Follow the Pelnor Hollow foot trail, guided by a sign for the Mary Smith Trail, 0.8 mile away.

The narrow, blue-blazed trail winds through the woods for 0.1 mile, then crosses a seasonal section of Little Spring Brook on stones. (Who can hop across with the fewest steps?) Squeeze through a break in a stone wall to reach a lofty spruce and fir grove. How can you tell a spruce from a fir tree? Examine the needles: spruces have sharp, square needles and firs have flat needles that have an odor when they are rubbed. Can your little naturalists notice any other differences? (The cones on a fir tree grow upright; the cones on a spruce tree dangle from the ends of the branches.) Little ones will have to pick up their feet to avoid tripping on the roots snaking across the spongy path.

Leaving the evergreen forest, the trail climbs over loose, flat rocks that are slippery when wet. Oaks stretch into the sky and moss- covered rocks break through the soil underfoot. After 0.1 mile of climbing, the trail crests, curls right (south), and widens. Drop gently for 0.1 mile, watching for a tree with double blue blazes on the right. Beyond the double marks, turn right (southwest) onto a side trail, as the main trail begins to curl gently to the left. In 50 feet, you reach a glacial erratic boulder that perches on the edge of a cliff. If your group is agile and surefooted, walk around the left side (not the right side) of the boulder and jump over a crevice to a piece of ledge that has separated. Settle down for a picnic lunch, and enjoy the view of the distant western Catskills. We guarantee that you won't share this spot with any other hikers.

Retrace your steps to the car.