On Sunday afternoon I was driving back from Crane Mountain and decided to explore Dippikill Mountain as well. Dippikill which means "small stream" in Dutch, is in the Town of Thurman, just west of Route 28 and "The Glen" and is SE of Weavertown, NY. My maps did not show any trails on Dippikill so I intended to bushwhack to the summit. The location was identified as state land so I didn't think twice.
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| Bushwhacking was easy in light hardwoods |
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| Approaching the summit |
I parked on Glen Creek Road and climbed SE to reach the summit. The 600' climb took about 25 minutes.
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| A summit ridge trail! |
As I approached the summit, I came across a trail! I was quite surprised, since none were identified on the map. The trail was marked with yellow discs from the University of Albany Student Association.
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| The trail owner - identified |
I followed the trail SW to the end of the ridge and then figured I better drop back down to the road. A snow squall was coming through and it was starting to get dark.
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| The summit |
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| An interesting slab rock on top of some round boulders |
When I got back home, I had to satisfy my curiosity and find out more about the trail. I googled Dippikill and found an Albany Times Union article about the mountain, a U of Albany Campus News article and even a Dippikill website.
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| My route shown in blue |
It turns out that the U of Albany purchased 700 acres, including Dippikill Mountain in 1956 and later purchased 150 additional acres. They maintain Camp Dippikill, a Wilderness Retreat, on Dippikill Road. The cabins and campsites are open to U of Albany students and faculty. The trail is open to the public, but they ask that you sign in on a register at the camp.
As I read further, I found out that Dippikill is the largest student owned retreat in the country! What a surprise after expecting a bushwhack hike.
All in all the hike was nice. There are views from the ridge once the leaves are down. You can also see Dippikill Pond down below. You can do the hike in 1-2 hours,
Hike Stats
Hike Distance: 2.1 miles
Hike Time: 1 hour
Total Vertical Gain: 700'
Starting Elevation: 950'
Summit Elevation: 1582'
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