Ice Climbing in the Catskills beta!

So, the wife and I live in Maryland and are wanting to plan a trip that's not TOO far, but still has some good/decent ice. The Catskills seem like a good option, it's a 5'ish hour drive from where we are.

Any opinions? On where specifically to go, and maybe a link to a good guide book? We'll probably stay in Woodstock, as it doesn't seem the drive will be too far from there to the crags. I know the 'Daks have more ice, but it's further north. She's in the WI2, 2+, maybe easier 3 range. The MP page for the Catskills show some good routes that she can do, and some options for me to do some harder stuff, and it's easy access.

Thanks!

Try NEice.com Some good climbing in the catskills, given the right conditions.
There is a good guidebook (Catskills Ice, I think it's called)

Have fun

There's only one guidebook: "An Ice Climber's Guide to the Catskill Mountains" by Marty Molitoris. You don't say when you're coming; the ravines offer excellent climbing - think of several 30-40' pitches separated by 1-3 minutes of streambed walking - but they don't come into shape until at least mid-January and they have approaches of 40 minutes or more. The roadside areas you might want to focus on are Asbestos, Moores Bridge (if you can lead WI3), and the east side of Stoney Clove. Woodstock is OK location-wise, but the ski towns of Tannersville and Hunter are MUCH closer to the common climbing spots.

Stop by Rock And Snow in New Paltz to pick up the guidebook. Do you lead? If yes, there are a lot of options for you to do up there. Check NEICE.com to condition reports. Woodstock is perfectly fine for accessing the climbs depending on which location.

Stoney Clove West a lot of moderate climbing from 2 to 5. Stoney Clove East has a lot of top roping. Both can be seem on the road. Parking is limited so get there early.

Several waterfalls such as Buttermilk Falls and Kaaterskill Falls are really nice and long, but they come in late, can be hard to find after a snow storm (Buttermilk Falls).

Also, there are a lot of options at Asbestos Wall, 5 minutes walk from the parking and you can top rope.

Check out climbcatskillice.com/ It is a fairly new website, but is a good resource. It sounds like the two of you would have a lot of fun on Buttermilk Falls. Skipping the last pitch is not a problem, and all the other pitches are in your target range. As noted by others, there are several other great areas nearby. Unless you have friends or family in Woodstock, I would recommend the towns of Hunter, Tannersville, or Phoenicia instead.

Awesome, thanks for all the responses!

We're shooting for the first weekend in February, to give the ice some time to form up nicely. I can lead, my only worry is her not having fun because of harder routes. I'm glad to know there's some easy/moderate stuff there. She's followed on Standard Route up in NH @ Frankenstein cliffs, if anyone's familiar.

Thanks for the tips about the other places to stay, I'll look into it. And if anyone has any recommendations on a relatively inexpensive cottage/cabin/etc to stay in that's pet friendly, that would be great too! (The dog won't be coming to the crag!) We found a small place in Woodstock that's about $120 a night. Is the drive too far from Woodstock?

I don't know any cheap cabins, but Woodstock isn't really that far. If you can find a cheaper place closer, then yes, by all means, go there; otherwise, Woodstock will do just fine.

If you worry about your wife not having fun on hard routes, then stick to some top roping areas, but they tend to get very crowded. On the other hand, since you can lead, most of the routes at Stoney Clove West are top ropeable(?) if you lead.

Buttermilk Falls is worth going, but last two pitches are WI4, and since it's at the very end, she needs to have some energy left for those two pitches. Also, depending on the approach, it can be tough for her.

February is a good time to go in general, just check NEICE.com on condition report.

The February issue of Climbing will have a feature article on Catskills ice. Should be available in most places in mid-January.

If you're looking for walk-up TR access on grade 2+/3 ice then Hobo Wall can't be beat. You might also try Herdman wall, which has good climbing and is usually less crowded. You can find current conditions and printable e-guides at climbcatskillice.com.