By BRIAN PJ CRONIN/The Highlands CurrentThe Highlands Current

New York State would like to mark “preferred routes” on 12 of the 16 trailless high peaks in the Catskills.

As the title of a report by the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) — Formerly Trailless Catskill High Peaks Visitor Use Management Plan — makes clear, referring to the 16 peaks as “untrailed” has felt like a misnomer for the past few years. A significant increase in bushwhacking hikers has created networks of clearly visible “herd” paths.

The state plans are outlined in a draft report ( bit.ly/CatskillsPeaks ); the DEC is seeking public input by Sept. 15.

As The Current reported in a 2022 special report, Trails (Too) Well Traveled ( highlandscurrent.org/trails ), a similar problem arose at Breakneck Ridge: A hiker went off trail at the first summit to find their way down, then uploaded the descent to the popular app AllTrails. That led scores of later hikers to think it was an official trail instead of a risky mistake. The state created the Nimham Trail to discourage the behavior.

On the four untrailed Catskill peaks that are not part of the DEC proposal, the herd paths are so well-established — usually because they originated as logging roads or snowmobile trails — that marking them is unnecessary.

Michael Bongar, president of the Catskills 3500’ Club, which assisted the DEC with research, estimates that the process of marking the routes, rerouting and shoring up the chosen trails, and closing off the other herd paths will take several years.

The Catskills 3500’ Club was founded in 1962 by hikers who were interested in scaling the 35 peaks in the Catskills that are higher than 3,500 feet. It worked with the DEC to mark trails on about half but the rest were left alone to protect them. Instead, at each untrailed summit, the club installed a canister containing a notebook that determined hikers using maps, compasses and their wits could sign to prove they had made it.

That was in the 1960s. “When was the last time you saw someone using a compass?” asks Bongar.

With smartphones and GPS mapping, more people could reach the untrailed summits without orienteering skills. Other clubs sprang up with more intense challenges, such as hiking each of 35 peaks once in each month of the year, or 420 hikes. Apps such as AllTrails and Strava allowed users to share GPS routes of their untrailed hikes, leading to herd paths.

The canister sign-ins grew steadily in the 2010s before exploding in 2020 during the pandemic. For example, 180 people summited Vly Mountain in 2008. By 2019, 727 hikers reached the top. The following year, there were 1,417 signatures. A similar pattern played out across all the untrailed peaks.

The increasing number of herd paths across the untrailed peaks has led to an increase in the spread of invasive species and a 40 percent decline over five years in seven bird species that nest on or near the ground in the high peaks. (In 2021, the two peaks on private land were closed because of overuse.)

AllTrails and Strava have agreed to provide the DEC with data to identify the most popular herd paths, although Bongar said that usage won’t be the only factor when figuring out which route to mark. Many hikers will simply choose the quickest path rather than the one recommended to limit erosion and avoid sensitive areas.

The most popular route up Friday Mountain, one of the more difficult untrailed peaks, has sections that go straight up from an old logging road. That’s no good, said Bongar. “It’s going to form gullies and stream beds. They’re going to need people who know what they’re doing to put in some switchbacks or find a more sustainable way.”

For those still looking for a back-country experience, the Catskills are home to dozens of untrailed peaks under 3,500 feet that are not part of hiking challenges and see far less traffic. The DEC says AllTrails and Strava may scrub the GPS maps from the remaining untrailed peaks, so hikers will have to figure it out on their own.

Well, not totally on their own. Bongar said that the Catskills 3500’ Club plans to offer orienteering workshops to navigate the old-fashioned way. “It’s amazing how accurate you can be with a map and a compass,” he said.

This story was originally published by The Highlands Current and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.

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