New York State Route 296
New York State Route 296 is a north–south state highway located entirely within both the Catskill Park and Greene County, New York, in the United States. It connects New York [State Route 23A|NY 23A] in the village of Hunter with NY 23 near the Windham hamlet of Hensonville. The route follows a mountainous track between the two locations, climbing up from the Schoharie Creek valley before descending again into the Batavia Kill watershed. NY 296 was assigned as part of the 1930 [state highway renumbering (New York)|1930 renumbering of state highways in New York]; however, the highway had been state-maintained since the early 1910s.
Route description
NY 296 begins at an intersection with NY 23A along the banks of Schoharie Creek just west of the village of Hunter in the town of Hunter. Located within the Catskill Forest Preserve, NY 296 passes the small Hunter Airport, where views of Rusk Mountain are visible. Winding into the town of Jewett, NY 296 is a two-lane asphalt roadway running through the Catskills. Near the junction with Beaches Corners Road, the route turns northwest, paralleling the East Kill, before crossing the waterway a short distance later. Just after crossing the East Kill, NY 296 crosses Beaches Corners Road one more time before intersecting with County Route 23C, which proceeds east towards NY 23A and west towards the hamlet of Jewett.NY 296 continues northeast after CR 23, passing a local church near the junction with Peck Road. The route proceeds due north after Peck Road, quickly entering a junction with County [Route 14 (Greene County, New York)|CR 14], which merges into the state highway. NY 296 winds through the Catskills past Thomas Cole Mountain. After winding down the side of the mountain, NY 296 enters the hamlet of Hensonville, located adjacent to Batavia Kill, a tributary of Schoharie Creek. Here, the route intersects with the western terminus of County [Route 40 (Greene County, New York)|CR 40]. At this junction, NY 296 turns northwest on the CR 40 right-of-way, while County [Route 65 (Greene County, New York)|CR 65] continues north towards NY 23.
Leaving Hensonville, NY 296 continues northwest along Batavia Kill, serving a line of homes on the fringe of the hamlet. Crossing into the town of Windham, the route intersects with County [Route 12 (Greene County, New York)|CR 12] before turning north and crossing Batavia Kill to reach its north end at a junction with NY 23 just east of downtown Windham.