My Solo Spring Weekend at Hunter Mountain
Hunter Mountain
Located about two and a half hours north of New York City, Hunter Mountain is a skier and snowboarders haven. I found myself with a free Thursday through Sunday and wanted to get one last run in before the winter season officially came to an end. I was looking for somewhere within three hours of NEPA that I could use my Epic Pass for. Hunter Mountain was my choice, and I really enjoyed my stay.
The Drive and Cottage
My trip from Northeastern Pennsylvania took about two and a half hours to get to Hunter. I brought my two little pups for the journey as the AirBnB I booked had a huge yard, and close hiking trails so the girls could have a nice getaway themselves. My place was located in Prattsville, a small village about 15 minutes drive to the town of Hunter. It is also 15 minutes from Windham, a cute little town with all you could ask for as well as a popular mountain.
The cottage I rented was very cozy and just what I was looking for. It was fairly priced and offered some great amenities. Huge yard, grill, deck, and laundry in the basement. The yard led down to the wooded area for the pups to do some exploring while chilling outside.
Rain, rain, and more rain on our first day in Hunter Mountain
Now, I know from the heading you might think why would you take a trip to snowboard when rain is expected? Fair question and I wondered it myself as I sat in the cottage pondering if I was going to be able to get up to the mountain. I figured maybe the rain would stop and I could find some time.
So, Day 1, the dogs and I hung out at the cottage, they played in the mud and really enjoyed the day. When it comes to food it was a little tricky finding some. Most places in the area close at 3pm and the ones that don’t, open at 4pm. I found myself searching in that hour gap. I ended up in the town of Windham at the Windham Diner. Open all day, it was a great stop for a sandwich, salad and some to go food for the evening. It was nice to sit down and relax for the evening and prepare for the upcoming weekend.
Windham Path and Huckleberry Point Trail
The next morning when I awoke, I was pleasantly surprised to see the rain had stopped. I was hesitant about the conditions of the mountain after the steady 2 day rain. I chose to hold off on the going to the mountain and go on some hikes with the dogs. The first hike we chose was more of a walk but nonetheless was worth it, was that Windham Path. Located off NY-23 in Windham, this 1.5 mile gravel path weaved through windy trees and bends, ran parallel to a river and crossed a large meadow with a picturesque Catskill backdrop.
From the Windham Path we headed for the Huckleberry Point Trail. Love that name btw! The trail itself was about a 15 minute drive from the Windham Path in Hunter. NY. The trail is a 4.5 mile road trip through the beautiful Catskills. The dogs, being a little exhausted from the previous trail, only made it about 1.5 miles. That was okay with me as we had a long weekend ahead of us.
Hunter Mountain Brewery
After the hiking adventures for the day, the dogs and I headed for some food. From everywhere I read and heard, Hunter Mountain Brewery was the place to go. Located just past the main strip of Hunter, the Brewery offers indoor and outdoor seating with a great view of Hunter Mountain Resort. The dogs enjoyed the shade from the benches and chilled as I sat down, reflected on the day, and got some much needed food.
Hunter Mountain Brewery is a definitely a popular local watering hole, as the cozy inside, fixed with a fire place and tv’s, seems like a great spot to enjoy some games and company. As far as food, I enjoyed a delicious shrimp Caesar salad and some local beers. From the Brewery, we headed back to the cottage to unwind and settle in for the night.
Finally, some Snowboarding, some very wet snowboarding at Hunter Mountain!!
The main reason I chose to come to Hunter, was to get some snowboarding in before the season came to an end. With the closing day for the mountain slated for that Sunday, and it being Saturday, it was now or never. The morning was filled with showers and I was very uneasy about the prospect of the mountain having good conditions and even some runs open.
After debating in my mind, I figured, “what the hell”? If I go and it sucks at least I’ll know. To my surprise there were a handful of snow goers who showed up for the last Saturday of the season even in the rain.
What a great decision to go for it. The bottom of the mountain was very rainy, but as you got half way up the mountain, it turned to snow. To say I was soaked would be an understatement. I went down 2 runs for the whole morning and afternoon. A blue (Belt Parkway) and a diamond(The Cliff to Racers Edge).
The terrain and conditions were pretty good even with all the rain. Mainly slush with some packed snow made for some good shredding. After about 6 runs, I headed to the lodge for a chicken sandwich and drink to fuel up for the afternoon runs.
I got back to the mountain and the rain picked up a little harder. I wasn’t fazed as I was already soaked, so I headed back to the summit and proceeded to snowboard for the next few hours practicing my jumps and edges.
The Taphouse Grille Windham and a Hunter Mountain sunset
After spending the better part of the day on the mountain I headed back to the cottage and a small hike with pups. Still recovering form the previous days hikes they wouldn’t last long. They are 11 and 10 so as to be expected. But don’t let that fool you, you would think they were 2 and 3. From there I got washed up and headed out for some dinner. I ended up back in Windham at the Taphouse Grille. Dimly lit with a bar and table top seating, it was exactly what I needed to sit back and reflect on the day. I enjoyed some local beer, another chicken sandwich and some buffalo cauliflower bites. It was delicious!
I headed back to the cottage, packed my stuff for next trip to New York City in the morning! I would highly recommend the Hunter area for your next stop in the Hudson Valley. Util next time,
Brick
