Great Western Catskills | Wikipedia | AllTrails | Village of Stamford | National Historic Lookout Register | CNY Hiking
Mount Utsayantha, or Utsayantha Mountain, is one of the many beautiful Catskill peaks, standing at about 3,200ft tall. It features a 2.2 mile hiking trail along Tower Rd, a dirt road which can be driven, mountain biked, or walked. A hike up the trail takes 1-1.5 hours to complete and is considered 'moderate'.
The summit features scattered radio towers, a hang gliding launch spot, picnic benches and port-a-potties, a (closed) observation building, a stunning view of the town of Stamford and surrounding Catskill mountains, and of course, the steel fire lookout tower.
The fire tower was built in 1934 by what is now the NYS DEC, and ceased operations at the end of the 1989 fire lookout season. It was restored in 2005 and is now open for hikers and other summit-goers alike to climb to the top for an even better view of the panoramic landscape. The tower is owned and operated by the Village of Stamford.
