Lean-tos in the Hunter Mountain area
Lean-tos for the Hunter – West Kill Wilderness are included in this description. There are three lean-tos in the area and all have merit. If you are new to lean-to camping it may be worth reading our post on using backcountry shelters. Diamond Notch lean-to The Diamond Notch lean-to is located with-in the Hunter – West Kill Wilderness area and is the only lean-to in this area that is in first growth forest. The lean-to…
Rusk and East Rusk in the Catskills
Rusk Mountain is a required peak for the Catskill 3500 Club membership. It is the highest peak in Lexington Chain just west of Hunter Mountain. No trail traverses this range. With a summit elevation of 3,680, it is 22nd highest in the Catskill high peaks. However, located next to Hunter, Southwest Hunter, and West Kill mountains it seems slight. But what it lacks in height it makes up for in a grand first growth forest.…
Hunter Mountain via the West Ridge
Hunter Mountain is the Catskill’s second highest peak and one of five with a restored fire tower on the summit. Hunter’s summit has been heavily logged in the past and has experienced many burns. Forest historian, Michael Kudish, has referred to Hunter as the “burn capital” of the Catskills. The logging on Hunter was so extensive that unlike other high peaks in these mountains there is very little growth forest left. Hunter is a busy…
Great Hikes: Hunter Mountain Spruceton Trail
The Spruceton Trail is a very popular approach to Hunter’s summit and with a return on Devil’s Path makes a great circuit hike. The Spruceton Trail follows the old jeep road that serviced the fire tower. This is a well-graded trail and has a few moderately steep sections. The trailhead is at the 6.7-mile point of Spruceton Road off Route 42 in Westkill. The trail starts at the northeast corner of the parking area marked…
![Sanford Robinson Gifford [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](https://www.challengedhiking.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Sanford_Robinson_Gifford_-_Crépuscule_sur_le_mont_Hunter.jpg)
Hunter Mountain – Splintered, Burned, Battered but not Broken
Hunter Mountain is one of our favorite year-round go to hikes. At one time named Greenland Mountain, Hunter Mountain is a central part of the mountains of Devil’s Path and the Lexington Range. It was named for John Hunter a landlord from New York City. Hunter is the highest peak in this range and is the second loftiest summit in the Catskills and is one of two peaks of the 3500 footers with a fire tower. For…