Willowemoc Wild Forest

Discover

Willowemoc Wild Forest offers a pond-and-woodland landscape in the southwestern Catskills. More than 14,800 acres of Forest Preserve extend through parts of Sullivan and Ulster counties, with a trail network connecting inland waters and forested terrain. The setting is hilly, with a different character from the Catskill High Peaks. The main pleasure is choosing a route that gives a particular pond, wooded approach or longer forest journey enough time to become the focus of the day.

Frick Pond provides a clear introduction. From the trailhead on Beech Mountain Road, red DEC markers lead northwest for about half a mile to the pond. Yellow markers continue around it, making a 2.1-mile round trip from the trailhead. The route gives an outing a defined shape: woodland approach, a circuit beside water, and a return along familiar ground. Pause where views open naturally and notice how the surrounding trees change the appearance of the pond.

Hodge Pond supplies a longer option from the same starting area. The blue-marked Flynn Trail heads north toward Beech Mountain Nature Preserve, a private inholding with a state easement for a public footpath. Hodge Pond's south shore is about 2.4 miles from the parking area. The route then returns to State Forest Preserve, continuing toward Junkyard Junction. A return via the red-marked Quick Lake Trail passes Frick Pond, making the described loop 6.3 miles in total.

That progression links two water settings, but the distances make it a different outing from the Frick circuit. Quick Lake itself lies farther away, 7.2 miles from the Frick Pond trailhead along the named route. Reaching it involves crossing a long ridge before descending toward the water. The unit has lean-tos at Quick Lake and Long Pond, adding backcountry destinations to its network. Choose the scale deliberately, allowing the route and return travel to set the day's expectations.

Other waters broaden the picture. Waneta Lake lies on a detached parcel west of the main unit, while the Willowemoc stream is another important part of the forest's identity. The different parcels and approaches mean that a single visit can remain focused and still feel complete. A pond circuit, a longer linking walk and a separate water setting each reveal something of the same landscape, with tree cover and changing ground carrying interest between the named places.

A historical personal account captures one reason people return. Writing on Review This in 2012, jps246's Online Reviews described having previously overlooked the area, then coming to appreciate its forest-and-pond walks, especially around Frick and Hodge ponds. The writer also enjoyed snowshoeing there, while acknowledging that reaching this corner of the Catskills was less convenient from the northeast. That preference is a useful individual perspective on a landscape whose appeal extends beyond climbing a high peak.

Use the current map and access notices to choose the route. The Hodge Pond footpath crosses a private inholding under an easement, and some forest routes intersect or share marked snowmobile trails in winter. Mongaup Pond Campground is a separate neighboring facility with its own arrangements. Within a well-chosen outing, Willowemoc rewards steady attention: the wooded approach, the first opening toward water, the changing view around a pond and the quieter details encountered on the return.

Fun facts

1. Willowemoc Wild Forest contains more than 14,800 acres of Catskill Forest Preserve.
2. The Frick Pond circuit is a 2.1-mile round trip from its trailhead.
3. The described Hodge Pond loop is 6.3 miles.
4. Waneta Lake lies on a detached parcel west of the main unit.

Read the official sources →

Visitor perspectives

jps246’s Online Reviews, Review This, 2012: came to appreciate Frick and Hodge pond walks and snowshoeing after previously overlooking the area, while finding access less convenient from the northeastern Catskills. A historical personal preference.

Capture

1. From suitable access, frame a pond with different layers of surrounding woodland.
2. Compare a close view of reflected trees with a wider view of water and hillside.
3. Try both horizontal and vertical framing from the same suitable position to compare the shape of the water with the height of surrounding trees.

Social

Willowemoc Wild Forest offers ponds and wooded terrain in the southwestern Catskills. #Cre8Travel

The Frick Pond circuit makes a 2.1-mile round trip.

A longer Hodge Pond loop connects two different water settings.

Quick Lake lies farther into the forest along a substantial walking route.

Waneta Lake occupies a detached parcel west of the main unit.

A historical visitor account prized pond walks as an alternative to high-peak climbing.

Choose the distance and check current access before setting out.

Which suits your day: a pond circuit or a longer forest connection?

Hashtags

1. #Cre8Travel
2. #NewYork
3. #Catskills
4. #WoodlandPonds

Sources & visitor information

• Source — Willowemoc Wild Forest
• Review This (personal blog) — jps246’s Online Reviews