Woodland Valley Campground

Nestled at the foot of Slide Mountain, the tallest peak in the Catskills, and surrounded by Panther, Cornell, and Wittenberg Mountains is Woodland Valley Campground. The campground offers 70 tent and trailer sites, a picnic area with tables and grills, flush toilets, hot showers, a trailer dump station and a recycling center. Woodland Valley Campground serves as the trailhead for both Slide-Wittenberg Trail and Woodland Valley-Denning Trail. Area attractions include the Village of Phoenicia which offers tubing on the Esopus Creek (famous for its trout fishing), a railroad museum, train rides on the Catskill Mountain Railroad, fine shops, antiques and restaurants. The area around the campground was clear cut in the late 1800's. Bark from hemlock trees was used in the large tanning industries nearby. The land was left for taxes and taken over by the state in 1902. Over the next 25 years it became a popular camping and hiking area. The cabin and other original buildings were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the early 1930's, making this one of the earliest campgrounds. Two main trails come through the campground making it popular with hikers. Panther Mountain is the impact site of a meteorite that hit 350 million years ago. It is outlined by the Esopus Creek and Woodland Valley Stream, which form an almost perfect circle around Panther Mountain.