Devil’s Path – Catskills, NY

Just a quick trip report from the few days before Memorial Day weekend. Traveled up to the Catskills for ~20-mile overnighter. Parked at the end of Mink Hollow Road just a few miles west of Woodstock, NY.

Trip started with a steady climb up the rocky and wet Mink Hollow Trail to the ridgeline. Headed east on the Devil's Path and over the next seven miles learned how the trail got it's name. Steep, rocky climbs up and down Surgarloaf, Twin, and Indian Head Mountains in combination with mid-80s heat and scant water totally drained my energy. Several lengths of trail required pack removal and tossing of trekking poles to scramble over, through, or down.

The hard work paid off though with great views from each of the peaks.

And some wildflowers and friendly fauna.

After Indian Head, I headed south on the Overlook Trail. Had planned on camping at Echo Lake but after relaxing and rehydrating for a few minutes at the lean-to just south of the trail intersection, I decided to make that home for the night. Enjoyed a nice fire and good company from another hiker who had bussed in from NYC that day. Used my WM Caribou as a quilt for the first time and enjoyed the freedom and venitlation that setup provided on a rather warm night.

Much smoother hike out on day two past Overlook Mountain and down the dirt access road. Had to road walk about 4-5 miles back to my car but that seems to be the norm if you try to put together a decent loop up there. Nice weather and scenery helped those mile fly by.

Overall, a nice trip and much more challenging than I had expected. The Devil's Path runs ~25 miles in total length and would be a great weekend trip (or tough DIAD) for anyone that could setup a shuttle.