Pick a Catskill 35 Peak: --Choose-- All peaks list Balsam Balsam Cap Balsam Lake Bearpen Big Indian Black Dome Blackhead Cornell Doubletop Eagle Fir Friday Graham Halcott Hunter Indian Head Kaaterskill Lone Millbrook Ridge North Dome Panther Peekamoose Plateau Rocky Rusk Sherrill Slide South Doubletop Southwest Hunter Sugarloaf Table Thomas Cole Twin Vly West Kill Windham Wittenberg

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Rocky Mountain

Rocky is often climbed in conjunction with Lone. The actual climb is not hard but these two mountains lie right in the middle of nothing. The hike is long and uneventful.

Trailhead Coordinates
Name	Coordinates
Denning PA	N41.9654 W74.4527
Moonhaw Road	N41.9847 W74.3278
Peekamoose Road	N41.9150 W74.4290

Quick Look - Lone then Rocky
Difficulty	Round trip	Total climb	Location	Internet Maps
	7.4 mi.	1591 ft.	N41.9721 W74.3731	AllTrails

Since this is a bushwhack with no set path the description here is the way I last approached Lone and Rocky. Next time the path I take might vary but there are a few things that remain constant. Park at the trail head at the end of the Denning Road. From here find the yellow-blazed Phoenicia-East Branch trail that follows a wide logging road for about 1.2 miles. Turn to the right down a short, steep descent onto the blue-blazed Peekamoose Table trail. A two log footbridge crosses the east branch of the Neversink River after .3 miles. Now the fun begins! Turn left just over the bridge and try to pick up the Fisherman's Trail along the river. This trail tends to cross the river at points which is easy when the water is low. I was looking for Donovan Brook as a place to start up but got impatient and headed up before I found it. When I did find it later, I had to go down into the brook and back up. I hiked about 2.4 miles through the woods until I got to the summit of Lone. There were several steep ascents and a lot of dense evergreens to push through. I had the more trouble finding the canister on Lone than on any other peak. Next, I headed straight for Rocky through some more dense evergreen stands. The canister here was easier to find than some had indicated. The area of Rocky that is above 3500 feet is very small, in fact its just some big rocks. I decided to get down off the higher ground and go directly to the river. Once at the river I tried to follow the Fisherman's Path as much as possible. On the way back I missed the footbridge completely! Don't miss the bridge! Even in a dry summer the river gets deeper and wider downstream. I doubled back, found the bridge and returned to the car the way I came.

Quick Look - Rocky then Lone
Difficulty	Round trip	Total climb	Location	Internet Maps
	9.8 mi.	2155 ft.	N41 58.15 W74 23.38	AllTrails

This is a bushwhack that begins on trails, goes to a well-defined path, turns into a real bushwhack and then reverses itself. Park at the trail head at the end of the Denning Road. From here find the yellow-blazed Phoenicia-East Branch trail that follows a wide logging road for about 1.2 miles. Turn to the right down a short, steep descent onto the blue-blazed Peekamoose Table trail. A two log footbridge crosses Deer Shanty Brook after .3 miles. Stay on the trail and cross the East Branch of the Never sink. Continue on the trail until an obvious path leads to the left. This is the Fisherman's Path along the river. This trail tends to cross the river at points which is easy when the water is low. Stay on the path and near the river for about 2.6 miles. Cross the river whenever it looks like the side you are on is too steep or the brush to thick.

At some point head UP by turning right which is south to southeast. Try to find a path of least resistance. There are some VERY steep places that require clambering over rocks and some places where you may have to look for alternate roots. Near the top the spruce trees are thick and it is difficult to push through. The canister is very near the high point marked on most maps and on my GPS. It is in a small clearing on a herd path. There are no views.

When you are ready head west and down into the depression between Rocky and Lone. Be sure to hit the "land bridge" between the two or else you will lose too much elevation. Some of these areas contain dense forest, rocks and blowdown which you must go around or push through. Since Lone is quite a bit higher than Rocky there is some climbing to do. The east side of Lone has some ledges which are difficult to get up and over. Explore and have patience and you will find paths up and through these ledges. The going is steep and tough at times but as you near the top you will find a herd path that goes directly to the canister. Sign in at the canister and then look to the left or south. There is an obvious path that leads to a small but beautiful viewpoint. The nearest peaks are Rocky, Table and Peekamoose. Go back to the main trail.

Head east pushing your way through some fairly dense forest. Watch for holes and rocks underfoot. Your goal should be Donovan Brook which is marked on the NYNJ Trail Conference maps. When you get near the brook, stay out of the drainage and head down along the brook to the river. If you miss this way down, simply head north and east and you will eventually get to the river. Follow the Fisherman's Path as you did on the way out. Once on the trails follow them back to the parking area.