Willowemoc Wild Forest, NY, Long Pond Shelter.


This Saturday I embarked on a 3.8 mile trek to Long Pond Shelter in the Willowemoc Wild Forest. Located in Catskill State Park between Ulster and Sullivan counties, it is only approximately a 2.5 hour drive from New York City. This weekend five humans and three dogs went on the excursion. I've attached a larger portion of the map, where I found this trail, below.

There are two approaches to this shelter. We opted for the longer route. (The first is clearly marked on the Flugertown Road.) The other way we estimated is just under two miles. We started from the parking at Black Bear Road. (Parking marked "P" on the map.)

Starting West down Basily Road, it is drivable but there is nowhere to park at the end. It follows, a red blaze the entire way. At the very beginning there is a stream that offers clear running water to pump off, if needed. It starts the steepest the trail will be at any point. This part of the trail is uneventful, other than it ends at a "Buckaroo Camp". It's nothing more than a clearing of private property with a house and some farming equipment. This is about a mile in.

Continue down Basily Road into the woods. Here the road is much less accessible other than by SUV. That said, I don't know if it's allowed to drive through, nor would I suggest it. There were tire marks on the trail, so it's obviously "doable". I consider this to be the part where we were actually getting into the woods.
Upon entering, immediately there is another running stream which looks like you can pump for water should you need it. This will be the last of the clear water we saw, before getting to Long Pond, unless you count the downhill rain run off that was running down the trail from the morning's showers. The hills are easy, but watch for mud pits after rain (I fell in up to my calf) and unsteady ground, as much of the way is littered with rocks.

After another mile, the trail "jack knifes". It is marked with signs reading "snowmobile trail", with one specifically pointing toward a lean-to shelter. The trail's blaze is still Red. Take the left hand turn onto a trail that almost doubles back the way you came on the hard left.
Here you are 1.8 miles from the shelter. Quickly after you start this way, a new clearly marked path towards the lean-to leads to the right. That will go for approximately one mile before turning again; this time to the left.
At that turn, it is posted to be .95 miles to the lean-to. It will end at the lean-to. If you miss this last turn, you will be reminded about a quarter of a mile back which way the lean-to is (behind you now). Otherwise, that is the way to the Flugertown Parking.

The lean-to shelter is in good condition and so is the fire pit (even if it is built a bit high). There is also a privy house. The open space near the shelter is limited and there is not much level ground for a tent, should you want to use one. There was an abundance of wood.
Long Pond is not really visible (at least not while the trees mostly still had their leaves) from the shelter. Directly in front of the shelter is a steep but safe walk down, about 50 yards, to the water's edge. The shoreline has lots of weeds and blueberry bushes lining it, but there are access points to pump and swim (though we didn't dare to in mid-October). The only backside is the weedy taste of pumped water.

Some extra notes: We heard coyotes all night and gun shots all day, though we had no actual encounters. Around the pond, there is an intricate system of beaver dams, if you want to take a hike around.

Happy Camping!