I'm interested in hiking the Devil's Path in one day, probably in early May.
Although I am an experienced ADK hiker, I am not very familiar with the Catskills.
I would be interested in hearing any advice that more experienced Catskill hikers could give me.
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Devil's Path
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mike
- Posts: 1446
- Joined: Sun Aug 09, 2009 9:20 pm
- Location: Ravena, NY
Re: Devil's Path
First thing that is important is the direction that you hike it. I would recommend that you hike it from the Westkill -> Platte Clove direction. The primary reason is that climbing Indian Head from east to west is much harder. Hiking Twin, Sugarloaf, and Plateau is harder from West to east. Hunter side and Indian Head are easier from West to east. But, overall the west to east direction is the best direction. And, everyone seems to do it this way.
I would also recommend that you hike smaller sections of the Devil's Path to learn and familiarize yourself with the difficult sections. So, once you do the entire hike in one day, it will be much easier. It will reduce the amount of time needed to complete the hike. You can try to do a larger section of the path from Rt 214 to Platte Clove. This would cover Plateau, Sugarloaf, Twin, and Indian Head.
Some people leave extra water in between Plateau and Sugarloaf, or bring a pump and filter. These trails are steep, and most people consume a lot of water.
Some of the fastest people have hiked it in 8-9 hours. But, most people take much longer to complete the hike. Depending of how fit you are will depend upon how much time it will take. Most people who do the entire section do it in June when the days are longer.
The final section can be terminated by coming to Platte Clove or returning to Prediger parking lot. If you bring a cell phone, you can call Hunter Taxi to return you back to your car if you are hiking it alone. I can find the phone number if you need it.
You can check out some of these mountains here on this site: http://www.catskillmountaineer.com/hiki ... nhead.html
If you have more questions, just let me know.
I would also recommend that you hike smaller sections of the Devil's Path to learn and familiarize yourself with the difficult sections. So, once you do the entire hike in one day, it will be much easier. It will reduce the amount of time needed to complete the hike. You can try to do a larger section of the path from Rt 214 to Platte Clove. This would cover Plateau, Sugarloaf, Twin, and Indian Head.
Some people leave extra water in between Plateau and Sugarloaf, or bring a pump and filter. These trails are steep, and most people consume a lot of water.
Some of the fastest people have hiked it in 8-9 hours. But, most people take much longer to complete the hike. Depending of how fit you are will depend upon how much time it will take. Most people who do the entire section do it in June when the days are longer.
The final section can be terminated by coming to Platte Clove or returning to Prediger parking lot. If you bring a cell phone, you can call Hunter Taxi to return you back to your car if you are hiking it alone. I can find the phone number if you need it.
You can check out some of these mountains here on this site: http://www.catskillmountaineer.com/hiki ... nhead.html
If you have more questions, just let me know.