The desk card: Wharton, Wachusett & the Catskills

Some weekends present themselves as a choice between three different kinds of weather. Pine and sand in New Jersey. A summit road in Massachusetts. Wet stone and a fire tower in the Catskills.

The useful trick is not to decide too early. Keep a few good arrangements on the desk, let the forecast have its say, and choose the place that still sounds pleasant when you imagine the drive home.

This card gathers the September 16–18 and September 20–21 possibilities. It is less a list of destinations than a small argument for leaving the house with alternatives.

The particulars

Window: midweek Sep 16–18 + weekend Sep 20–21
What has already gone out:
Already shipped — not repeated here: Watkins Glen · High Point · Jamaica · Sleeping Giant · Arcadia orange · Monadnock · Horns Pond Sep 19–20 · Avalanche+AMR · Lincoln Woods thru Nov · Ricketts Glen · Taft Lodge · Acadia Cadillac/Beech · Gear 5 cards

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Wharton, where the pines make their own weather

The short version: 110+ miles of official Wharton trails remain open for Sep 20–21 — Batsto River closed to paddlers Hampton Furnace → Lower Forge; Mullica camp has no potable water.

Wharton sits in the Pinelands National Reserve and is the largest New Jersey State Forest. NJDEP’s trail brochure lists 19 official trails totaling over 110 miles; the portal orients the forest at over 125,000 acres.

The particulars

• Batona Trail: 53 mi total (Bass River · Wharton · Brendan T. Byrne); 28.2 mi inside Wharton · pink blaze · moderate
• Shorter walks, for days with less ambition:
• Atsion Lake Blue 1.0 mi loop · Easy
• Atsion Lake Red 0.5 mi loop · Easy
• Batsto Blue 1.8 mi loop · Easy
• Batsto White 4.0 mi loop · Moderate
• Mullica River Trail 9.4 mi · Moderate
• Batsto Office 9 a.m.–4 p.m. · (609) 561-0024 · Atsion (609) 268-0444
• Emergency: 1-877-927-6337 or 911
• Carry-in / carry-out · pets leash ≤6 ft · bright orange recommended in hunting sections

The Batsto River, for now: CLOSED to all paddlers from Hampton Furnace (mi 0) to Lower Forge (mi 4) due to river obstructions.
Mullica River Campground: potable water unavailable indefinitely — pack water if overnighting there.
Visiting Vehicle Use Map: drive only designated roads; hike/bike/horse per trail map + vehicle-map routes.

The second arrangement: Atsion / Batsto short loops; continue Batona into Brendan T. Byrne or Bass River State Forests.

Sources

• https://www.njportal.com/DEP/NJOutdoors/Park/Details?locationId=19
• https://dep.nj.gov/parksandforests/state-park/wharton-state-forest/
• https://dep.nj.gov/wp-content/uploads/parksandforests/wharton_brochure_text.pdf
• https://dep.nj.gov/parksandforests/wharton-state-forest-visiting-vehicle-use-map/

Wachusett, for the day that wants a summit

The short version: Wachusett for Sep 20–21: 17 miles of trails + summit road in season — parking MA $5 / non-MA $20 through Oct 26.

Numbers (Mass.gov)

• 3,000 acres · summit 2,006 ft
• Trails: 17 miles
• Summit road: 9 a.m. to sunset (Memorial weekend → last weekend of October)
• Daily parking fee May 23 – Oct 26 (summit parkway included): MA resident $5 · Non-MA $20 (plate determines residency)
• Perimeter lots on roads outside the park: free
• Visitor center lot: 28 spaces — expect redirect when full
• Phone: (978) 464-2987 · 345 Mountain Road, Princeton, MA

Parking, which fills before the mountain does: VC lot fills fast; use free perimeter lots or alternate trailheads.
Check current access — Greylock: never publish a Greylock day-use parking dollar amount.

The second arrangement: Free perimeter parking at Wachusett, or Skinner State Park (Hadley) — 40+ miles of trails · summit house weekends/holidays through Columbus Day · parking May 23–Oct 26: MA $5 / non-MA $20.

Peekamoose, with Red Hill in reserve ($10 permit ended Sep 15)

• https://www.mass.gov/locations/wachusett-mountain-state-reservation
• https://www.mass.gov/guides/parking-at-massachusetts-state-parks
• https://www.mass.gov/locations/skinner-state-park

Peekamoose, with Red Hill in reserve

The short version: Peekamoose Valley $10 day-use permit season ended Sep 15 — weekend Sep 20–21 needs no ReserveAmerica day permit. Designated parking + Blue Hole rules still apply. Red Hill Fire Tower is the clean Plan B.

Numbers (NYSDEC)

• Day-use permit: $10 · required May 15 – Sep 15 only → not required for Sep 20–21
• Still live: park only in designated lots (shoulder = tow-away). Blue Hole prohibitions include camping, all fires, generators, alcohol, glass, coolers >12" any dimension, radios/audio; day use ½ hr before sunrise → ½ hr after sunset
• Sundown Wild Forest: 30,100 acres · fee free · open year-round
• Red Hill Fire Tower: Denning Rd trail 1.4 mi + existing 0.5 mi to tower · alt Dinch Rd 1.2 mi (seasonal) · gain almost 900 ft
• Also mapped: Kanape → High Point ~7 mi RT (3,080 ft) · Peekamoose/Table 4.3 mi one-way west
• Catskills Visitor Center: 9:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m. daily · (845) 688-3369
• Rangers: 833-NYS-RANGERS (833-697-7264)

Campsites 1–6 (Peekamoose primitive): temporarily CLOSED for flooding.
Wet trails: DEC advises avoiding high/fast stream crossings; walk the middle of muddy trail.
Kaaterskill / Hunter parking: designated DEC lots only on Rt 23A + Platte Clove Rd. Molly Smith lot CLOSED — use Laurel House Rd / Schutt Rd / North-South Lake.

The second arrangement: Red Hill Fire Tower from Denning Rd; Kanape Brook → High Point; Vernooy Kill Falls. Weather fail → Hickory Run State Park (PA, non-Ricketts): 15,990 acres · 40+ miles trails · Boulder Field National Natural Landmark · sunrise–sunset.

Sources

• https://dec.ny.gov/things-to-do/hiking/catskill-backcountry-information
• https://dec.ny.gov/places/sundown-wild-forest
• https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dcnr/recreation/where-to-go/state-parks/find-a-park/hickory-run-state-park

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