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…
Best Hikes: Devil’s Path Backpacking Traverse
One of the Catskill’s most visited and dramatic trails is Devil’s Path. It can make an unforgettable multi-day backpacking experience. It can also be broken down into loops for several nice overnight trips using connector/access trails. The name can be traced to early settlers who thought the Catskill’s were host to the devil. The Devil’s Path mountains were said to be formed by the devil slapping its tail and creating the steep gaps between peaks.…
Best Hikes: West Kill Mountain Bushwhack from Lanesville and Diamond Notch
West Kill Mountain is the 6th highest peak in the Catskills topping out at 3,891 feet. There are two trails to access the mountain, Devil’s Path and Diamond Notch. However, like all other peaks, there are ways to ascend that don’t involve the comfort of a marked path. West Kill is no exception. Chris came to me and said he was looking at the map for West Kill and he thought it would be fun to…