Cat and Thomas Mountain Trail is a 9.1 mile heavily trafficked loop trail located near Bolton Landing, New York that features a river and is rated as moderate. The trail offers a number of activity options and is best used from April until November. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
Dogs on leash
Hiking
Nature trips
Snowshoeing
Walking
Bird watching
Forest
River
Views
Wild flowers
Wildlife
Bugs
This hike is on a nature preserve made possible by the Lake George Land Conservancy. The trail coincides with the the Thomas Mountain trail up to a clearing some 0.75 miles from the trailhead. Both mountains have far range views, especially on a clear day, and Lake George is easily seen.
Mon Jul 13 2020My first trail in almost three years. Felt could for this to be my first back at it. Lovely views, not to hard of a trail either. It’s always worth it when you’re done.
Mon Jul 06 2020We did this hike with our dog on 7-5-2020. We did the full loop, doing Thomas first, then went to Cat, then looped back down from Cat. The views on both mountains were gorgeous, especially Cat. the hike up to Thomas was pretty much a dirt road and was not very difficult although we got a decent cardio workout with the uphill climb. Thomas summit was very nice with just a little bit of Lake George visible. We spent a short time on the Thomas summit and then headed to Cat. The trail in between Thomas and Cat was more difficult and involved maneuvering large rocks abd boulders. It wasn't horribly difficult by any means, but was definitely a lot more than just strolling through the woods. The summit of Cat was spectacular with a gorgeous view of Lake George and the mountains across the way. We spent about a half hour at that summit and enjoyed lunch while taking in the view. A large portion of the loop back down Cat was dirt road and pretty easy hiking. The entire hike took us about 4 hours and 45 minutes, including the time on the two summits. We tend to take our time when we hike, so I am sure it can be done more quickly. It was definitely buggy, but we weren't bitten up, just a little pesty. The views alone make this hike worth it, and if you just do one or the other versus the loop, it would be a pretty easy hike with a huge reward. --Jennifer
Fri Jun 26 2020Am I the only one having issues with the app turning off and loosing the map Still this is one of my favorite short hikes to do after work
Thu Jun 25 2020Thu Jun 25 2020Wed Jun 24 2020Reviewed multiple times - AWESOME easy / moderate (Cat only) well marked and cleared trail Views are hard to beat!
Wed Jun 24 2020I hiked Thomas only today (Wednesday 6/24) after orphaning it back in October when I hiked Cat the day before my first High Peaks. The hike up to Thomas from the trailhead is never particularly sleep, but it's a constant uphill on shifting loose rock so it makes for a challenging hike that isn't very scenic. The summit itself is huge and there's lots to explore beyond just the overlook. I cleaned up the trash left behind by the family before me (grapes and cheese) but otherwise no litter on the trails. I did bushwhack to the true summit and there are two small cairns marking it. I descended the way I went up, which was quick and easy in this direction. I spent at least 30 minutes at the summit and my total time on the mountain was 1 hour and 40 minutes. I would not recommend this out & back route unless you are short on time or only looking to hike Thomas without Cat. It was a bit underwhelming but still great views from the top.
Wed Jun 24 2020Sat Jun 13 2020Hiked Cat first and I’m glad we did. The Thomas trail is just a rocky dirt road. Views at both are nice. No bugs but it was chilly today around 60 degrees. As others said there are blown down bits between the two so I’m glad we had the downloaded map on here. Clocked us at 7.4mi total, right around 4 hours moving.
Sat Jun 06 2020My recording put me at 7.7 miles. Did Cat first and then the loop here on all trails. The loop on the way to Thomas from Cat was not always well marked, but manageable. Bring lots of bug spray!! Views from Cat are awesome!
Sat Jun 06 2020Would definitely recommend Thomas first. Gives you an actual hike vs Cat. coming off cat is essentially an old Woods road. Pleasant enough. Nothing challenging. Watch the markers when you come off Thomas toward cat, Some Blowdown makes it a little tricky.
Mon Jun 01 20201st time hiking both Cat & Thomas last wknd. We hiked to Cat 1st via blue trail then followed the ridge trail to Thomas. The last section to get up to Thomas from the way we went is pretty steep but overall I'm really glad we went the way we did. Going up Thomas 1st on that steep, rocky old road would've been pretty boring & not very fun, in my opinion.
Thu May 28 2020The trails that connect both peaks to the parking lot are both loosely rocky roads and the way up to Cat has a lot of stagnant water near the trail and is horrifically buggy - within the first mile I felt like I was covered in bites and strands of spider silk. The trail between Cat and Thomas is much thinner and less buggy since it stays at a fairly high elevation. There are a few short rocky areas that involve a little hoisting, but nothing major and I'd say that most moderately-active adults could handle it. Views were great - especially from Cat - but if I were to do it again, I'd go over Thomas in both directions to avoid the miserable bugs on the way up Cat. Also two notes: 1. The map at the trailhead has the colors of the trail markers switched and claims that sections of trail are closed (not currently true) so ignore it and 2. It's very clear this trail was mapped on the recording of someone who moved around a lot on both peaks and at various points along the way (obvious when you zoom in on the path) - my tracker clocked the route at 8.7 miles, the only time it's ever counted less than written mileage.
Wed May 27 2020Lots of mosquitoes this time of year. Bug spray did minimal. Make sure you bring lots of water with the heat. There are a couple places that you could filter water from if necessary (only on the way to Cat)
Wed May 27 2020Mon May 25 2020Trail was great parts of it are really lose stone so be careful. Views are completely worth it. The trail is very well marked.
