A Heavenly Day on the Devil's Path - Catskills

[Mike P.]

Date(s) Hiked: 04-2902006

Trails(s) Hiked: Devil's Path, Roaring Brook Trail, about 1/3 of a mile by mistake on Jimmy Dolan Notch Trail, over Indian Head, Twin, Sugarloaf & Up Plateau & about 1/3 of a mile beyond the top.

Total Distance: including the extra on the JDN trail, just over 15 miles + a 2.6 mile bike ride from Roaring Brook to Prediger Road.

Difficulty: This is one of the hardest trips, I've done, instead of climbing a ridge & then doing multiple peaks with 200- 500 dips between them, This starts witha 1573 foot clim, then a 570 drop a 640 climb, a 740 drop a 900 foot climb, a 1200 drop & a 1240 climb then the descent back to the car, complet with another 70 or so feet of climbing, like I needed anymore!

Conditions: For late April, surprisingly dry, a little bit of ice around 3500 feet on the first three, especially on the descents, a bit of mud in flat areas.

Special Required Equipment: Sunglasses, ample water once you start climbing Indian Head except for a few puddles, very little water even this early in the season

Trip Report: Today brought cool temps but no clouds no bugs & without trees a lot of views. This was a training hike to get ready for the June Presidential Traverse. While in the woods most of the day the trail is quite rocky, a good simulation of the Presidentials. Getting into & out of these notches rival any other northeast cols. After ascending 3100 feet or so & descending rougly 2400 feet climbing the trail up to Plateau was a real butt-kicker. On a beautiful day I saw only about 14 people all day. When I got back to my bike on Prediger road there were a few cars a bit down the road, I guess just missed most of the people.

Welcome Back Spring!

 

[MtnMagic]

Great hike and t.p. Mike!

I've never hiked the Catskills!!

 

[JimG.]

That's a beautiful and ambitious hike. Sugarloaf is geniunely steep in several places.

Nicely done.

 

[Mike P.]

This is a great area when you are waiting for ADK's & Whites to melt out! (They are great on their own too.) Views somewhat understated maybe as this area is a peneplain that has been eroded, (Mounatins formed by area eroding slower than rest through time) so many areas are roughly same area as where you are standing Vs. say being on Lafayette.

That Said the entire Devil's Path is one of the hardest day hikes out there, I'd say equivalent of a Pemi Loop trip. or a Presi-Traverse. (I'll let you know about that later this month, will try some part of that on Memorial Day) My hike was only 1/2 the Devil's Path skipping the descent into Stony Clove & back up Hunter. (went up Hunter that way a few years ago in January & did Hunter from other side before - I've now done maybe 75% of the DP in three trips)

The up & down of the notches, especialy both ways on Sugarloaf & into Pecoy Notch on Twin are steep, The ledges on Twin were IMO the best of the trip (I did not get out to Orchard Point on Plateau) while the open ledges on Indian Head facing the Hudson & Taconics were good too.

 

[MichaelJ]

Very nice! I've been seeing a lot of the Catskills lately, though not hiking in them yet, just driving past. Love the idea of closing the loop with the bike, too.

 

[una_dogger]

Omg

That is my all time favorite route, complete with bike ride at the end!

My only question for you, when you rounded the corner onto Dale (?) Rd, did the psycho redneck doggies chase you on your bike???

Tee hee..
Great report!

Sabrina

Oh uh...so I may be planning a trek of the DP that weekend too, but I'll be taking it over three days with a backpack, my dogs.....and I may be dragging a familiar face along...

 

[Mike P.]

I did the bike ride first at 7:10 or so, the dogs were inside. A bit nippy on the fingers first thing, that was the only part of the day I wished I had put the gloves on.

 

[MichaelJ]

I just did the smaller loop yesterday, up Jimmy Nolan, then over Twin, over Sugarloaf, and down to Roaring Brook, where I waited whilst my partner so kindly rode her bike back to get the car; there are advantages to my not knowing how to drive a standard!

It was beautiful up there - what a fantastic ridge! The viewpoints were gorgeous, and the rock scrambling a combination of thrilling and fun. A few places I looked at the ledges and swore a few times about how I was supposed to get down them, but ultimately with a little patience they all turned out to be rather simple.

We hadn't the time to do as long a trip as you did, but our 10 or so miles was plenty to enjoy!

 

[Mike P.]

The views from some ledges on Indian Head & from Twin are great, I like the Twin views although from Indian Head you can see a good section of the Hudson.

 

[una_dogger]

Biking biking biking!

, where I waited whilst my partner so kindly rode her bike back to get the car; there are advantages to my not knowing how to drive a standard!

Uh..yeah..that would be me!!!!!

Ummm...I'll be happy to teach you to drive a standard!!!

Great trip report, Mike P; like MichaelJ said, we had an awesome hike -- one of my favorite NY hikes and a fitting farewell (for now) to the Catskills for me!

 

[Mike P.]

Michael, not knowing how to drive a standard could be a problem if you're spotting my car with a five speed, I may have to teach you.

Una_dogger, Some good hiking in MD & VA, the AT is not too far away.

 

[MichaelJ]

Oh, I'm sure I'll get taught. My "excuse" won't last.