Hunter offers several ways to spend your time: a rail-trail route featuring a bridge and railroad history, a mountain hike to the Fire Tower, and a piano museum, cinema, and concert hall. To start planning, consider whether you want to spend most of your time outdoors or schedule cultural events.
Rail Trails and Railroad History
The Hunter Branch Rail Trail is a 1.4-mile out-and-back route. It connects Clove Road at Route 214 with the site of the former Camp Jened near Dolan’s Lake and passes directly through the former camp grounds. Along the way, Luke’s Bridge, a 90-foot-long pedestrian bridge, crosses a tributary of Schoharie Creek. The route thus links several specific landmarks: the trail, the former camp grounds, and a bridge over the tributary.
Railroad history is also part of this trail: the Hunter Branch Rail Trail was the northern terminus of the Hunter Branch of the Stony Clove and Catskill Mountain Railroad. The railroad was discontinued in 1939. Another historic date concerns the Kaaterskill Rail Trail: it officially opened in June 2013 on National Trails Day.
Hike to the Hunter Mountain Fire Tower
A moderate, 4.2-mile hike leads from the Hunter Mountain Sky Ride to the Hunter Mountain Fire Tower. This is a different distance from the Hunter Branch Rail Trail’s 1.4-mile out-and-back route: the mountain hike leads to the Fire Tower, while the rail-trail distance describes a route that includes the return trip. If you are planning the hike, check the current operating status of the chairlift at the Hunter Mountain Sky Ride separately.
Piano Museum, Cinema and Concert Hall
In the Village of Hunter, the Piano Performance Museum displays historic European pianos as well as American pianos from the 18th and 19th centuries. Group tours are available year-round by appointment, on weekdays and weekends. They are led by guides or professional concert artists; tours led by concert artists include short concerts on historic instruments. Arrange your visit in advance and confirm the current arrangements before you travel.
The Doctorow Center for the Arts houses the Mountain Cinema, a three-screen cinema that shows current Hollywood and independent films every week, year-round. Check current movie times when planning your visit. The center is also home to the 150-seat Evelyn Weisberg Concert Hall. Events there include chamber music, folk and pop music, puppetry, and theater. The cinema and concert hall thus offer different cultural experiences: a weekly film program on the one hand, and various kinds of performances on the other.
Coordinate Activities with Your Hotel Search
An arranged museum tour or a film screening gives your stay a different schedule from a hike to the Fire Tower or a rail trail. Choose the length of your stay based on which of these options you actually plan to do; the trails, museum, and events do not have to form one fixed itinerary.
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For the main travel overview: Greene.
