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Colgate Lake Wild Forest
Colgate Lake: A Lakeside Visit with a Catskill Trail Beyond
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Colgate Lake Wild Forest brings a lakeside setting and a longer mountain connection together within the Catskill Forest Preserve. Its 1,500 acres lie in the Greene County towns of Hunter and Jewett. The lake gives the property an immediate focus, while the yellow-marked Colgate Lake Trail points farther into the surrounding terrain. Those two possibilities allow very different outings, so it helps to decide whether the day belongs mainly beside the water or along the trail beyond it.
The wild forest is bordered on three sides by the Windham Blackhead Range Wilderness. That wider setting gives the lake context without making the two public-land units interchangeable. Colgate Lake is its own named property, while the trail's onward connection enters a separate wilderness area. A map is useful not only for choosing a route but also for understanding when a walk has moved beyond the lakeside forest that first brought you here.
The yellow route travels roughly four miles to Dutcher Notch and the Escarpment Trail. That distance describes the outward connection, rather than a four-mile lake loop. Plan any return or onward travel as part of the full route instead of treating the signposted destination as the end of the day's mileage. A visitor interested mainly in the lake does not need to undertake the entire connection to appreciate what distinguishes this place.
On the water, the documented access is a hand launch. The published destination information describes a lake without motor use, making paddling a distinct part of its recreational identity. A hand launch should be understood on its own terms, rather than imagined as a developed marina or a ramp for trailered craft. If paddling is the aim, check the current access information and conditions before deciding what equipment to bring.
The lakeside facilities also deserve a precise reading. DEC identifies an accessible fishing and viewing platform approximately 200 feet from the day-use parking area. At the camping area, the listed accessible primitive campsite and privy are also about 200 feet from parking. These are particular facilities, not a claim that every shoreline, campsite or woodland route offers the same access. Match the intended visit to the feature and starting area that actually serve it.
Six designated primitive campsites are listed for the wild forest. Their presence gives Colgate Lake an overnight option, but primitive camping is a different experience from a full-service campground. For a daytime visit, the lake and woodland can remain the main subjects: the shape of the water as seen from an appropriate position, the meeting of shore and trees, and the relationship between the settled stopping point and the trail continuing beyond.
County Route 78 has distinct parking references for lake access, the lower area and the trailhead east of the lake. Choose among them using the current official map and the activity planned. Colgate Lake's appeal comes partly from these different scales: a specific viewing facility, a small-craft outing, a primitive overnight stay or a much longer walk. Keeping them separate makes it easier to choose an outing that fits, while appreciating the larger Catskill landscape around the water.
Fun facts
- The 1,500-acre wild forest lies in Hunter and Jewett, Greene County.
- Windham Blackhead Range Wilderness surrounds the property on three sides.
- The yellow-marked Colgate Lake Trail travels roughly four miles to Dutcher Notch and the Escarpment Trail.
- DEC lists six designated primitive campsites and specific accessible lakeside facilities.
Before you go
- Treat the four-mile Dutcher Notch connection as an outward route, not a lake loop.
- Choose the parking reference that serves the lake facility or trailhead intended.
- Check the particular accessible facility’s current details rather than assuming the whole property has uniform access.
Capture
- Use the documented viewing area where suitable to frame water and woodland together.
- Keep shore photography within legitimate access rather than creating a new waterside route.
- An illustrative image should not reconstruct the exact platform, campsite layout or mountain skyline.
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Colgate Lake Wild Forest covers 1,500 acres in Greene County’s Hunter and Jewett. #Cre8Travel
The lake sits within the Catskill Forest Preserve, with a separate wilderness bordering three sides.
The yellow trail connects toward Dutcher Notch and the Escarpment Trail in roughly four miles.
That distance is an outward connection, not a four-mile loop around the lake.
A hand launch gives paddling its own place in the lakeside setting. Check current access before bringing equipment.
DEC identifies a specific accessible fishing/viewing platform near day-use parking.
Six designated primitive campsites offer a different visit from a full-service campground.
Choose the scale of the outing: water, a viewing stop or the longer trail. Colgate Lake offers several starting points for appreciating its surroundings.
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