New York trails · Burroughs Range Trail-Wittenberg-Cornell

Burroughs Range Trail-Wittenberg-Cornell

A 7.8-mile out-and-back in New York, with 2,412 ft of climbing. Reaches Slide Mountain and other summit destinations. Managed by the state.

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Length

7.8 mi

Elevation gain

2,412 ft

Difficulty

Expert

Max grade

46%

Steepest mile

+1,061 ft

Tread at ≥10% grade

5.8 mi

Shape

out-and-back

Bikes

Horses

Managed by

State

Elevation profile

The climbing leans toward the first third: 45% of the ascent falls between mile 0.0 and mile 3.0. It gives back about 2,104 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.

3-D terrain

USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5

Reaches

Slide Mountain (summit)
Cornell Mountain (summit)
Wittenberg Mountain (summit)

Heads up

Terrain graded T4 (SAC scale) — exposed or hands-on hiking reported on part of this route.

Getting there

Phoenicia - East Branch Trail access — parking nearby, restroom, water. 42.03670, -74.35842 · directions

Daylight at the trailhead

On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 5:52 a.m., the sun rises at 6:21 a.m. and sets at 7:33 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 8:01 p.m. (EDT) — 13 h 12 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 15.6-mile round trip takes roughly 8 h 12 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 2:33 p.m. — 4 h 59 min before sunset.

Loop options

Phoenicia - East Branch Trail + Wittenberg - Cornell - Slide Trail + Burroughs Range Trail-Wittenberg-Cornell — 6.6 mi loop, 1,141 ft gain
Burroughs Range Trail-Wittenberg-Cornell — 8.2 mi loop, 1,094 ft gain
Curtis Ormsbee Trail + Burroughs Range Trail-Wittenberg-Cornell + Wittenberg - Cornell - Slide Trail — 8.9 mi loop, 2,228 ft gain