Mount Utsayantha

Overview

Mount Utsayantha (ohht- say - ann -tha, asked a native American on how to pronounce it) , The Mountain Overlooking the town of Stamford, the town commonly known as the queen of the Catskills, Mount Utsayantha is commonly overlooked for its bigger siblings further south for many reasons.

Back in the days of the big hotels, utsayantha was a popular peak that supported its own hotel, and due to the dirt road to its top, seen many people make the trip to its summit, mainly in carriages. In 1917 after the decline of the hotel age the mountian top was donated to the town of Stamford, becoming a town park, which it still remains today (more detail at http://www.utsayantha.com/html/background.html)

Utsayantha is a good 15 miles outside of the Catskill blue line, and therefor has seen more development, however it does have redeeming features.
It supports one of the 6 remaining fire towers in the catskills, and has a view unlike most the peaks it the Catskills (similar to only Windham's view).

This peak also has a hand gliding platform and several radio towers on its peak, along with a souvenir building (closed due to vandles). With this said the summit can appear very cluttered.

This Mountain is a good place to take anyone you wish to introduce to climbing, and the joy you can get from the views, as anyone can get to the top (old dirt road), and theirs not the cliffs that their are on other mountains (for little kids or older people i recommend parking half way up the dirt road and walking up). As mentioned their is a dirt road to the summit along with multiple trails with varying steepness.


Mt. Utsayantha View as described by Walton VanLoan

"1. Table Mountain 3,875 Feet High 32 miles distant, head of the East Br. Neversink River
2. Slide Mountain 4,220 Feet High, 30 miles distant, highest of the Catskills, head of Big Indian Valley
3. Hunter Mountain, 4,052 Feet High, 24 miles distant, highest in Greene County
4. Graham Mountain, 3,886 Feet High Head of Dry Brook Valley and Beaver Kill Streams
5. Double Top Mountain, adjoining the above.
6. Slide Mt., Better Position to see it.
7. Halcott Mountain, 16 Miles. 3 miles back of Grand Hotel
8. Irish Mountain at Grand Gorge
9. Bloomburg Mountain, 3456 Feet High, Near Prattsville
10. Big West Kill Mountain 3900 Feet High, 24 Miles Distant
11. Colonels Chair Mountain, 3200 feet High, opposite Hotel Kaaterskill, 38 miles distant
12. Kaaterskill High Peak, 3800 feet High, opposite Hotel Kaaterskill, 38 miles distant
13. Tower Mountain, Jewett Heights
14. North Mountain, 3,450 Feet High near Catskill Mountain House, 30 miles distant
15. Thomas Cole Mountain, 3,975 Feet High
16. Black Dome Mountain, 4,004 Feet High
17. Black Head Mountain, 3,965 Feet High, 15,16,17 appear as one mountain especially on hazy days
18. Windham High Peak, 3,534 Feet High best seen over the slope of Hunters Field Mt near its highest pt
19. Hunters Field Mountain, 3,300 Feet High, This is the beautiful mt seen from the cars of the U & D RR just before reaching Grand Gorge on the down trip and just after passing the station on the up trip. The lowest part of the mt is near Prattsville.
20. Mt Richmond, 3,202 Feet High
21. Mt Pisgah 2,901 Feet High Just shows a Dome like prominence over the left slope of Mt Richmond
22. Richtmyer Peak or Dixon Hill Near Durham
23. High Knob, 2,654 Feet High
24. Gordon Hill. 2,644 Feet High
25. Leonard Hill, 2,649 Feet High, Just to the left of this hill which is the last of the front or eastern range of the Catskills is the direction of Greylock Mt at North Adams Mass., 3,535 Feet High the highest mt in Mass. and within 3 miles of the southern boundary of Vermont.
26. Albany, 50 miles
27. Howes Cave, 22 miles
28. Mayham's Pond and Island
29. Eminence, 11 miles
30. Middleburgh, 20 miles
31. Schoharie, 26 miles
32. Schenectady, 45 miles, This is the direction of Mt Washington, and on exceptionally clear days, 2 or 3 groups of immense mountain peaks can be seen like a white cloud and it is not unlikely that they are portions of the White Mountains of New Hampshire
33. Summit Village, 12 miles
34. Line to the North
35. Mt Delaware, nearest, and
36. Miry Mt, over it in the same line
37. Mt Jefferson 3,000 Feet High, Jefferson Village
38. Lake Utsayantha 2 miles, scene of the Legend of the Indian Maiden, Utsayantho
39. Line towards Utica, 62 miles distant
40. Line towards Cooperstown and Otsego Lake, 28 miles
41. Davenport 16 miles distant
42. Line to Oneonta and Charlotte Valley, 28 miles distant
43. Stamford Village, 1 mile air line
44. Line towards Binghamton, 72 miles distant
45. Line towards Delhi, 18 miles distant
46. Same line towards Hobart
47. Mt McGregor, near Delhi, 2,550 Feet High
48. Bradley Mountain, 2,850 Feet High near Bloomville
49. Mt Pisgah, Delaware County, near Andes
50. Narrow Notch, 3 miles

Walton VanLoan July 1, 1897 - Catskill, NY." (http://www.utsayantha.com)

*** the trail that was near the farm on Rt. 23 was closed a few years back, due to missuse, a problime that is seen way to much nowdays, as of now, the dirt road and a tick bushwack are the only ways to get on top

Getting There

Coming north or south on Rt 23, turn onto Mountain ave in Stamford, then onto tower road to find the summit, their is also trails that come out of the town of Stamford (from near the cemetery if your looking for a harder climb

Red Tape

Carry in carry out, no littering,

watch your clearance if you plan to drive to the top, road is bumpy

unsure about the camping as its a town park

As with most town parks i assume the top is closed after dark, not 100 percent sure as ive never seen any sign to prove this

Camping

Not sure- i assume none

External Links

http://www.utsayantha.com
http://www.stamfordny.com/

Images

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