Our final day at Mohonk Mountain House, after breakfast and a walk through the and greenhouse, we made the ascent to the mountain’s true peak, which rises a few hundred meters above the lake. Skytop itself is the stone tower, which is visible in several prior photos, this lighthouse-esq stone edifice is a monument to one of Mohonks founders.
The climb to Skytop is mild, largely following the old carriage roads with their limited grade, and then climbing a short switchback trail through the woods. Follies dot the mountainside along the climb, revealing increasingly expansive views of the changing terrain to the south, and of the House itself against a backdrop of the Catskills to the west.
The House once again steals those scenes, playing a leading role in every photo taken in it’s direction, and the fairy tale vibe persists; its rambling design and mere sprawling existence in such an unlikely place is both at odds with the scene, and yet somehow congruent with it.
I was especially enchanted by the view to the south, where the Hundson River Valley abuts the first rising ledges of the mountains, sculpted by glacial action and time. From Skytop’s vantage point, the forest appears deep and lush along the ridge, and so of course my eye was drawn to the one cleared field not too distant below. The sky was filled with marching columns of clouds, which cast moody shadows and slithering bands of light across the landscape, so that the values shifted from moment to moment in a play of color and light.
Finally, Skytop tower itself, rising above a somewhat odd reflecting pool. The tower is open and climbable, several tight sets of stairs carrying you to the platform at the top. More than anything, the climb and the platform reminded me of the Wallace Monument in Sterling, Scotland.
The views are worth the climb. Skytop tower clears the trees at the peak and provides a full 360-degree view of the surrounding landscape, encompassing the depths of the Hundson Valley to the east all the way to the Catskill peaks in the west. According to the placard, on a clear day you can see 6 states. I doubt that I saw that far, but what I did see was stunning.
And this was a midday hike, with the light ostensibly at its worst. Next time – and I’m planning on there being a next time – I’d love to make the climb to the tower at sunrise, or even sunset (or both). In the golden light, or twilight, I have to imagine it is even more thrilling!