Beautiful Day in Woodstock

Here's a recent photo of Overlook Mountain, above Woodstock. Look at that snow! Come enjoy the skiing (x-country and Alpine), snowboarding and snowshoeing in the Catskills.

Check out the Experience Woodstock Card for special offers at nearby Hunter Mountain and Plattekill Mountain.

Experience Woodstock Hiking



Courtesy of Phoenicia Times

There are plenty of wonderful hikes in and around Woodstock. A terrific new one is located just to the west of Woodstock Township in Phoenicia. Known as The Tanbark Trail, it references an era when many of the hemlocks in the Woodstock area were felled for their bark, which was the prime ingredient used in the process of tanning leather. Newly completed by the Tremper Mountain Firetower Committee, the trail begins on the east side of Phoenicia Park, just off St. Ursula Place in Phoenicia, NY, 12464.

The hike is just over two miles. It includes marvelous outlooks, rock formations, and numerous placards providing the history of the area (bluestone quarrying along with tanning) and identifying the surrounding Catskill Mountains.

Trail placard with a view of Phoenicia village above it

Another Side of Woodstock

Before visiting Woodstock, you might be unaware that the town is set in one of the most beautiful places in the Hudson Valley. Known mostly for its concert-related history, Woodstock's natural beauty can come as a pleasant surprise to visitors. The town is surrounded by the Catskill Mountains; you can look up from Main Street and see them looming over the town, protective rather than ominous.

It's a wonderful sight to behold, even if you have lived in Woodstock your entire life. So if you're in the mood to traverse away from town, to walk your dog, wander by yourself, or perhaps watch the local soccer teams compete, you should check out the Comeau Property.

Off Comeau Drive, there are acres of land available for the public to picnic, peruse, photograph, or otherwise make use of the outdoors. It is a family- and dog-friendly place outside the busy sidewalks of Main Street, almost behind Woodstock, and is very quiet, calm, and lovely. That is, unless a soccer game is going on! The Woodstock Soccer Club has used the spacious fields for games for over twenty years, and they are quite popular during the season.

If you're interested in seeing something beyond Woodstock's wonderful stores and restaurants, take a walk to the Comeau Property, and see a side of Woodstock you may not have even known existed.
 
~Danielle Barthel