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New York trails · Pine Hill West Branch Trail

Pine Hill West Branch Trail

A 10.7-mile out-and-back in New York, with 1,604 ft of climbing. Reaches Balsam Mountain and other summit/viewpoint destinations. Managed by the state.

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Length
10.7 mi
Elevation gain
1,604 ft
Difficulty
Expert
Max grade
50%
Steepest mile
+875 ft
Tread at ≥10% grade
4.7 mi
Shape
out-and-back
Bikes
no
Horses
no
Managed by
State

Elevation profile

2,092 – 3,697 ft12345678910

The climbing leans toward the first third: 47% of the ascent falls between mile 0.0 and mile 3.5. It gives back about 3,467 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.

3-D terrain

3-D terrain view of Pine Hill West Branch Trail

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

Reaches

Heads up

Stream ford: expect at least one unbridged crossing.
Terrain graded T2 (SAC scale).

Getting there

Pine Hill West Branch Trail access — parking nearby. About 52 min drive (24 mi) from Liberty. 41.99136, -74.48466 · directions

Daylight at the trailhead

On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:40 a.m., the sun rises at 7:08 a.m. and sets at 6:18 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 6:46 p.m. (EDT) — 11 h 09 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 21.3-mile round trip takes roughly 9 h 30 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 4:38 p.m. — 1 h 40 min before sunset.

Loop options

Nearby trails