Oliverea – Mountain Trails and Oliverea Road

Mountain destinations with clearly named trailheads

For practical guidance when planning a hike, consider the routes to Slide Mountain and Giant Ledge. The shortest and most direct route up Slide Mountain begins at the Oliverea Road South parking area, at the Slide Mountain trailhead. The shortest and easiest route to Giant Ledge starts at the Oliverea Road North parking area, at the Giant Ledge trailhead. The two hikes therefore have different starting points. When planning your trip, you can first consider which destination you want to make the main focus.

The distances also distinguish the two options. The route from Oliverea Road South is 2.7 miles long; the round trip is 5.4 miles, with an elevation gain of 1,780 feet. The route to Giant Ledge is 1.6 miles, or 3.2 miles round trip, and has an elevation gain of 1,100 feet. When comparing hikes, these figures provide concrete points of reference for planning your day. The descriptions “shortest and most direct” for Slide Mountain and “shortest and easiest” for Giant Ledge each refer to the route named.

Oliverea Road and valley views

The drive is also part of the scenery: Oliverea Road offers beautiful mountain views and leads to Slide Mountain. County Route 47 is another name for this road; it is the route from Route 28 into the Big Indian Valley. This lets you include two different perspectives on the area in your trip: mountain destinations on foot and views along the road. Information about the access roads can help you locate the routes and places mentioned on your own planning map.

In the wider region, the Big Indian–Oliverea Valley is six miles long and connects the Scenic Byway with the high-mountain region of Ulster County. From Big Indian to the Slide Mountain trailhead, the route climbs 1,500 feet over just over nine miles. This longer distance describes the regional drive, not the hiking route from the parking area up the mountain. Keeping the two separate is useful if you want to consider the drive and the hike independently.

Esopus Creek also shapes the description of the valley: for the first four miles, its valley is wide, and the tree-lined stream winds between the valley slopes. In the surrounding area, private Winnisook Lake is considered the source of Esopus Creek. A rocky spur of Slide Mountain forms the lake’s striking backdrop. The lake is private; its role as a source and part of the landscape can therefore be distinguished from the publicly accessible hiking trails.

Trails and historical details

The Phoenicia East Branch Trail leads to the Oliverea Road North parking area at the Giant Ledge trailhead and the Oliverea Road South parking area at the Slide Mountain trailhead. The trail also gives the public access to additional trails. If you want to hike in the area, this provides another trail connection beyond the two routes described. When choosing a vacation rental, it is worth considering what you want to focus on during your trip: if the two mountain destinations are your priority, their respective trailheads and distances are relevant; if you are also interested in driving through the valley, Oliverea Road and the Esopus Creek landscape are part of the picture of the region.

A historical detail adds to the mountain and valley themes: the Winnisook Club in Oliverea was founded in 1886. It is located at the foot of Slide Mountain, 3,000 feet above sea level. The founding year, location, and elevation describe this specific place; they are separate from the information about trailheads and hiking distances. Alongside the trails described, Oliverea therefore also offers a clearly identified historical point of interest.

More places to explore: Hurley, Accord, High Falls, Boiceville, Shandaken, Saugerties, Lake Katrine and Phoenicia.

For the broader travel overview: Ulster.