Hunter: Rail Trails and Culture

Hunter offers two distinct areas of interest: trails with railway history and cultural attractions ranging from a piano museum to film and live performances. The Hunter Branch Rail Trail gives your stay a tangible connection to the outdoors; the museum, cinema and concert hall offer different experiences. You can first choose based on the kind of activities you’re looking for, and consider the various attractions as separate reasons to visit.

Rail Trails and Historic Connections

The Hunter Branch Rail Trail is 1.4 miles long and follows an out-and-back route. It connects Clove Road at Route 214 with Dolan’s Lake in the Village of Hunter and passes through the grounds of the former Camp Jened near the lake. The route is a useful reference point for planning: it is described as a round trip, not a continuous linear connection. The trail thus links specific points of interest, from the road junction to the lake and the former camp grounds.

Luke’s Bridge, a 90-foot-long footbridge over a tributary of Schoharie Creek, is on the trail. The railway’s history is also closely connected to the trail’s name: the Hunter Branch was the northern terminus of the Stony Clove and Catskill Mountain Railroad. The railway was discontinued in 1939. The former camp grounds and the railway connection give the route a historical context that goes beyond its length and course.

Another named trail is the Kaaterskill Rail Trail. It officially opened in June 2013 on National Trails Day. Alongside the history of the Hunter Branch railway line, this gives another rail trail in Hunter a specific opening date. The two names help distinguish the different trail connections: for the Hunter Branch, the route, out-and-back format and bridge are described; for the Kaaterskill Rail Trail, its historic opening is an important point of reference.

Piano Museum, Cinema and Live Performances

The Piano Performance Museum is devoted to historic European pianos and American pianos from the 18th and 19th centuries. Group tours are available year-round by appointment on weekdays and weekends. They may be led by guides or professional concert artists, who give short concerts on the historic instruments. If you plan to include a tour in your stay, arrange the date in advance and confirm the current arrangements before you travel.

The Mountain Cinema, with three screens, is located in the Doctorow Center for the Arts. It shows current Hollywood and independent films weekly throughout the year. For planning a cinema visit, check the current listings to confirm screening times. The cinema offers a different kind of activity from a scheduled group tour at the museum: film screenings follow a recurring weekly program, while museum tours take place by appointment.

The Doctorow Center also includes the Evelyn Weisberg Concert Hall. The venue has 150 seats and is intended for chamber music, folk and pop music, puppet theater, and theater. The listed offerings thus range from music to stage performances. Together with the cinema, this makes for a varied cultural scene; plan around specific performances or event dates using current information.

When choosing what to visit, it is helpful to consider the different planning arrangements: the Piano Performance Museum offers group tours by appointment, while the Mountain Cinema has weekly screenings with current times. The Concert Hall adds a range of music and theater to the mix. When putting together a stay in Hunter, you can weigh up trail walks, railway history, a museum tour, films and live performances without assuming these distinct attractions make up one combined experience.

Discover more destinations: Palenville, Windham.

Return to the regional travel overview: Greene.