Our hike begins at the yellow-blazed Rock Shelter Trail, accessible from just outside the North Lake State Campground gatehouse, near Haines Falls. From here we will be hiking over 5 miles through diverse and often-changing forests, not to mention the spectacular vistas. The ever-popular fall foliage in the Catskills was even better this year compared to years past. This hike is a week prior to this year's peak, which occured over Columbus Day weekend.
	Shortly after signing the NYSDEC trail register, you'll see the trail parallels the North Lake Campground boundary for some time. If there has been a lot of precipitation, the begining of the trail will be muddy, but strategically-placed rock will help you stay dry. As you hike, count the number of fallen trees, possible victims of Hurricane Floyd which hit the area in September 1999. I counted over two-dozen in the first two miles! There is one area, about 1.2 miles in, where a huge hole in the canopy has opened up as a result. This will allow new tree species which are not as shade tolerant to grow. Soil depth in the Catskills is very rarely greater than 30" - making trees susceptible to blow-down due to their shallow roots sytems.
You will also see a number of large boulders. On this one, the cross-bedded layers of sandstone are easily seen. Sandstone (a type of sedimentary rock) forms as sand is deposited by streams, layer ontop of layer, eventually compacting the sand into solid rock. After 1.4-miles, you will reach the junction with the red-blazed Mary's Glen Trail. If you head south on this trail, you will find Mary's Glen Falls, and eventually the State campground. We will head north, towards North Point, along the Mary's Glen Trail.