While visiting the Catskills in September to visit my sister and family, we were able to check off a hike that had been on my list for a long time…The Lemon Squeeze Scramble.
The full hike extends from Duck Pond to Labrinth to Sky Top Road Loop, which is a 6.8 mile loop through many different types of terrain, offering incredible views!
Parking is a short walk from the trailhead and if you arrive before 9 a.m. you won’t have to pay the $35 per hiker fee. The trail begins on a gravel road towards Duck Pond. The pond was filled with turtles basking in the sun. Once you get around the pond, you begin making the incline hike to the top of the mountain. There are many different paths to take, we chose to stay on the Duck Pond Trail to access the Sky Top view.
The trail was filled with rocks and crevices and the path marked with red arrows spray painted on the rocks. A fun part of the challenge was looking for the next red arrow. Many times we forged our own path, but got back on track pretty quickly. As the rocks grew larger, the spaces became smaller. We walked through a few holes until we reached our first peak, which had amazing views before crossing the Lemon Squeeze rock run.
The Lemon Squeeze is made up of ladders and tight spaces as you make your way to the final summit. After climbing a few ladders you come to the narrowest spot, which required me to remove my backpack to squeeze through. After climbing the side ladder, you need to climb out of the crevasse.
The hard work is worth it! The view from the top was spectacular, it was a beautiful sunny day and we were able to take in the full view, including six different states, as well as the Mohonk Resort and the lake.
After admiring the view, we headed to the Sky Top Tower. Made of rock, this tower was built in 1923 in memory of Albert K. Smiley. At the top of the stairs is a platform that you can walk on at 1,542 feet above sea level.
We headed down towards the Mohonk Resort. There were many paths, the one we took took us past the outdoor venue located in the complex and they were preparing for an Oktoberfest.
We then took a quick walk following the shore of Lake Mohonk, up the trails surrounding the resort back to the trail back to our car.
The trail offered a series of overlooks with benches, and many were filled with couples admiring the view.
The trail takes us around the loop and we cut 2 miles off our return by making a few of our own trails. We even spotted a snake sunbathing, luckily it didn’t have a crackling tail.
This was hands down one of the most challenging hikes we’ve done so far, I highly recommend it if you’re in the Catskill area!