The first one-mile section of the trail, found near the intersection of state Routes 30/28 and county Route 1 also marked BWS Road, is a challenging 520 foot climb.
Trail head parking is located at the boat launch on the northeast side of the Shavertown Bridge, a short distance from the trail. The trail begins with a plank foot-bridge that spans a small gully to deliver hikers to the trail head sign-in, where primitive wooden walking sticks and/or hiking poles have been left behind.
The narrow foot path is well-worn, clearly marked and traverses a mostly-young hardwood canopy of heavy shade. As the trail climbs, so does the rockiness. However, trail maintenance crews have done a superb job of ensuring mostly easy footing by placing larger flat rocks and an occasional plank atop seasonally muddy spots. Watch out, though, there is the sporadic sapling that has been cut two or three inches above ground that can provide a tripping hazard.
In addition to wildlife - a red fox was spotted crossing the main road en-route to the trail and toads, birds and butterflies were present along the trail. A wide-variety of mushrooms were also spotted.
The trail sharply turns upon intersection with an old logging road just past the half-way point of the first section of trail. The logging road soon becomes mostly grassy and is cut in a swath through a wildflower meadow flush with goldenrod, queen anne's lace, yarrow, chickory and a variant of wild astilbe.
Near the crest of the grassy knoll, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, which has partnered with the Catskill Mountain Club to construct the trail, maintains a weather station. The weather data collection system records temperatures, precipitation, humidity and wind speeds and transmits the information via solar-powered means to a central location for record keeping and forecasts.
It is near the weather station that dragon- and damsel-flies begin flitting about heralding Snake Pond a couple of hundred feet away. The well-mowed trail around the pond provides access to benches crafted by the Catskill Forest Association in honor of CMC volunteer Ann Roberti, which are positioned to provide stellar views of the Pepacton Reservoir.
Below the Pepacton Reservoir lie the sites of former towns: Pepacton, Arena, Union Grove and, of course, Shavertown. The building of the dam - located in Downsville, was completed in 1954 and the reservoir was filled in 1955. Approximately 954 people from the four towns were displaced by the construction of the reservoir and dam. There were 13 cemeteries between the four towns from which bodies were re-interred. Many graves were unclaimed and before flooding the reservoir, DEP re-interred those bodies at what is now known as the Pepacton Cemetery, located between Andes and Downsville on NYC Road 30a, off county Route 1; providing the former residents with a final resting place that is maintained by New York City personnel.
As one takes in the views of distant mountain tops in shades of blue, purple and green, the reservoir waters can be seen rippling from either bench-marked vantage point.
The landscape adjacent to Snake Pond is dotted with low-growing berry plants, which show off a brilliant red contrast to the earthen-hued cattails and shimmering goldenrod hugging the pond.
The hiking trail can be completed with a 1.5 mile loop which rounds Perch Lake Mountain with an additional 240 foot elevation gain. The complete trail gives hikers a 5.3 mile workout.
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