Hunter Mountain Catskills
Hunter Mountain is the second highest peak in the Catskills and the highest peak in New York with a Fire Tower. Hunter has a complex history as it was a center for logging with much, but not all of its slopes logged. There have been many fires on Hunter one as recent as 2019. The summit fire tower and other viewpoints along trails make Hunter a worthwhile peak to visit. Having said this, it is…
West Kill Mountain in the Catskills
West Kill Mountain is the tallest peak on Devil’s Path at 3898 feet. It’s closest higher neighbor is Hunter Mountain that is 3.13-miles away at a Bearing 77.6° True or 90.7° Magnetic. It’s Isolation Limit Point is 3-miles away just below Hunter’s Summit. West Kill’s Isolation Circle Area is a large 27.7 mi² (71.8 km²). It was heavily glaciated and has many ridges with cirques in which small glaciers carved the slopes of this massive…
The Devil’s Path reopens with short reroute
After a period of closure due to vandalism, the section of Devil’s Path in the Indian Head Wilderness between Pecoy Notch and Twin Mountain Summit is again open for hiking. According to the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, the trail is open with a short reroute. On the state website they state: “The short reroute on the previously closed section between Twin Mountain Peak and Pecoy Notch Trail provides safe passage for visitors while…
Devil’s Path temporarily closed due to vandalism
See update on this closure. The NYSDEC has announced on its web site a section of Devil’s Path is closed until further notice due to vandalism. The closure is from Pecoy Notch to the summit of Twin Mountain. This act comes not long after another unlawful event of illegal blazing on Cascade Mountain in the Adirondacks and a wildfire at 3,100′ on Blackhead Mountain’s in the Catskills due to an unattended/abandon campfire. Those events did…
Catskill Park Devil’s Tombstone Campground closed for 2019 season
From the DEC web site: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos today announced that Devil’s Tombstone Campground and Day Use Area in the town of Hunter, Greene County, will be temporarily closed for the 2019 season to allow for upgrades to the facility. “As one of the oldest and most popular campgrounds in the Catskill Forest Preserve, Devil’s Tombstone provides a variety of Catskill visitors with overnight accommodations each year,”…