Devil's Path (Prediger Road to Spruceton Road)

Indian Head Wilderness and Hunter-West Kill Wilderness, Catskill Forest Preserve (Greene County)

The Devil’s Path crosses the eastern Catskills from Prediger Road near Elka Park to Spruceton Road west of Hunter, climbing Indian Head, Twin, Sugarloaf, Plateau, and West Kill Mountains along the way. Wikipedia calls it “one of the more challenging trails in the New York Tri-state area,” with steep, precarious climbs that often take hands.

Backpacker lists it as a shuttle hike for extended backpacking. Water is uncertain, and the 3,500-foot camping limit rules out much of the ridge, so overnights cluster at the lean-tos and in the notches.

The hike

The DEC lists the trail at 25.2 miles with red markers, about 13.7 of them in the Indian Head Wilderness. Other sources give 24.2 miles (Wikipedia, Backpacker) or 24.75 (SectionHiker). The DEC page says the Long Path shares much of the eastern route.

From the Prediger Road lot, the trail climbs Indian Head (3,573 feet in Wikipedia’s figures), drops into Jimmy Dolan Notch, then rises over Twin (3,640 feet), down to Pecoy Notch, and up Sugarloaf (3,800 feet). SectionHiker’s Philip Werner describes the path as “extremely rocky and very steep,” with descents into the notches that can be “extremely dangerous when icy or wet.” The DEC’s Devil’s Kitchen lean-to sits just off the route on the Overlook Trail, about 1.8 miles from Prediger Road.

Mink Hollow is the first big camping stop. The DEC lists a lean-to and three tent sites at the Mink Hollow Trail junction, and SectionHiker puts the lean-to at 9.25 miles. From the notch, Werner calls the climb up Plateau “a very steep 1,350 foot climb in just under one mile.” From Plateau the trail drops to Stony Clove Notch, at about 2,220 feet the lowest point on the trail (Wikipedia), where Route 214 passes the state’s Devil’s Tombstone campground.

West of the road, the trail climbs toward Hunter Mountain. Devil’s Acre lean-to sits past the Hunter Mountain Trail junction (Wikipedia; SectionHiker puts it at 15.85 miles), and Backpacker lists a seasonal spring near that junction. Hunter’s summit and fire tower are a side trip, not on the Devil’s Path itself. The trail then drops to its junction with the Diamond Notch Trail at Diamond Notch Falls, which Great Northern Catskills describes as a 25-foot waterfall a mile from the Spruceton Road trailhead. The Diamond Notch lean-to is a short way up that side trail, about 50 feet off it according to Catskill Mountaineer. The final climb goes over West Kill Mountain (3,880 feet, the high point) and down to Spruceton Road.

A VFTT hiker who went west to east in 2008 slept at Devil’s Acre the first night and a primitive site in Pecoy Notch the second, which “proved to be very buggy.” Werner estimates 1 to 1.5 mph with a 25-pound pack, and recommends staging the shuttle car the night before because drives between trailheads are long.

For a gentler Catskills traverse with more views and fewer notches, see the Escarpment Trail.

Tips

Plan camps around 3,500 feet. Most of the summits are above the limit, so camp in the notches or at the lean-tos.
Carry more water than you think. Sources are seasonal; refill at Mink Hollow, Devil’s Tombstone, or Diamond Notch when you can.
Hang boots and food at the western lean-tos, where porcupines are reported.
Park legally. The Town of Hunter tickets and tows on Route 23A and Platte Clove Road.
Avoid wet or icy days for the steep notch descents.

Camping

DEC rules allow at-large primitive camping in the Catskill Forest Preserve at least 150 feet from any road, trail, or water, except at designated sites, and ban camping above 3,500 feet from late March to late December. A Forest Ranger permit is needed for more than three nights or groups of 10 or more. Lean-tos can’t be reserved, must be shared up to capacity (normally eight), and tents can’t go inside them; tents must be 150 feet from a lean-to. Fires go only in existing pits and are banned above 3,500 feet. The Indian Head Wilderness page lists three lean-tos (Mink Hollow, Devil’s Kitchen, Echo Lake) and 10 designated tent sites.

Inside Intel: A VFTT hiker who walked the trail west to east in May 2008 shared the Devil’s Acre lean-to with four other hikers and hung his boots with his food because porcupines were a nuisance. He found his second-night site in Pecoy Notch “very buggy.” A Princeton trip sheet notes tarp space is limited at Devil’s Acre.

Trail facts

Distance: 25.2 miles (DEC); 24.2 to 24.75 in other guides
Route type: Point to point (Prediger Road to Spruceton Road)
Difficulty: Very strenuous
Campsites: Lean-tos at Devil’s Kitchen (Overlook Trail), Mink Hollow (plus 3 tent sites), Devil’s Acre, and Diamond Notch; at-large sites below 3,500 feet
Water: Seasonal springs and streams; carry extra
Permits: None for groups under 10 staying three nights or fewer
Fires: Existing pits only; none above 3,500 feet
Trailheads: Prediger Road lot (east); Spruceton Road (west); Notch Lake lot at Devil’s Tombstone (midpoint)
Last verified: October 11, 2026

The Lowdown

Plateau's 1,350-foot climb from Mink Hollow:

From Mink Hollow, SectionHiker calls the climb up Plateau a very steep 1,350 feet in just under a mile, and the notch descents dangerous when wet. Our pole tips cover length, choking down, and descents.

Read the pole tips →

Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.