A snowy hike of Bearpen and Vly

I have hiked Bearpen twice and Vly once, but like all Catskills peaks, they feel quite different in the winter. Neither are particularly heavy on scrambling or rocky cliffs, however, so they are fairly straightforward.



We took the standard route, from south of both peaks up the private road to the hunting cabin. From there, one can go right to Vly and left to Bearpen. Since another group was going up Vly, we went the other way. It's a snowmobile trail, although didn't encounter any, despite recent (and ongoing) snowfall. The photo above is the view from the top.

We returned to the junction and went up Vly. Technically trailless, it has a use trail with blue blazes. I've been told they are actually property boundary markers that over time people have used as guideposts, but I don't know whether that is true.

Vly has no view at the top, so here is a photo of its canister.



We got done fairly early in the day - the total hike is about 6.5 miles - so I got back to the city before it was even dinnertime.