A new trail, completed at the beginning of 2021 takes you to the top of Red Hill where you can also climb the Red Hill Fire Tower. Follow the blue-marked Red Hill Tower Trail for 1.4 miles from the trailhead on Denning Road in Claryville, NY. When you reach the junction where a yellow-marked trail meets the blue trail, keep right to follow the blue trail to the Red Hill Fire Tower summit for 0.6 miles. This is an out-and-back hike, total roundtrip mileage is 4.0 miles, and elevation gain is 1200′.
This 60-foot fire tower was constructed in 1921 and is listed on the National Historic Lookout Register and has been nominated to the National Register of Historic Places. The Red Hill Fire Tower offers an unsurpassed view of the Catskill High Peaks to the west and north, along with the Roundout Reservoir to the southeast. The tower was reopened to the public in 2000 in a restoration effort by the Catskill Center for Conservation and Development and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC). The trail is part of Sundown Wild Forest, land managed by the NYSDEC.
Address for the new parking area, which holds 10 cars is: 2205 Denning Rd, Claryville, NY 12725
GPS coordinates: 41.935139, -74.529389
