Slide Mountain Quarry Road

This brutal quarry road climbs the flanks of Slide Mountain, New York’s highest peak, accessing a network of abandoned bluestone operations that supplied building material to New York City for decades. The route starts innocuously near Winnisook Lake but quickly becomes a rock-strewn nightmare of loose shale and exposed bedrock. Massive bluestone blocks still litter the mountainside where quarrymen abandoned them when the operation closed in the 1930s. The road ends at a spectacular overlook of the Catskill High Peaks.

Expert-level technical driving requiring modified 4WD with low gearing, skid plates, and quality tires. The loose shale surface offers zero traction, and several sections climb at angles that will test your nerve. Spring runoff makes things worse with washouts and debris flows. Best attempted in late summer when dry conditions prevail. No camping allowed in this wilderness area, but the industrial archaeology and summit views reward those willing to tackle one of New York’s most challenging backwoods routes.