Halcott is one of the easier trailless Catskill High Peaks, though the Catskill Mountain Club rates its outing moderate to difficult, at 3.5 miles with about 1,700 feet of gain, and calls the bushwhack short but steep. The standard route starts at a small DEC lot on Route 42 in Deep Notch that holds about eight cars.
A route description follows the stream past Halcott Falls, then climbs a headwall that is the only difficult part. In winter, snow drifts collect there. Above it the woods are mature beech, birch and maple with scattered hemlock, and a patch of first-growth forest lies near the top. The boreal evergreens of the higher peaks, balsam fir and red spruce, are absent.
The summit has no good views, and winter leaf-off gives only a limited look. The canister sits on the western side of the top and gets moved from time to time, so poke around a bit. Public land here is the 4,760-acre Halcott Mountain Wild Forest. Skip the southern approach from Upper Birch Creek Road: the owner has objected to trespassers, and no legal crossing exists without permission. Winter is the favored season.
