Twin Mountain is on the Devil's Path between Sugarloaf and Indian Head Mountains at an elevation of 3,640 feet above sea level.
Parking: 42.150949, -74.131138 Roaring Kill Trailhead, Elka Park, NY
Distance: 6 miles
Time: 3-5 hours
Parking: 42.150949, -74.131138 Roaring Kill Trailhead, Elka Park, NY
Distance: 6 miles
Time: 3-5 hours
Gear:
- Daypack with rain cover
- 2.5-3L of water
- Lunch, snacks
- First aid, tape, knife, bug spray
- Water filter
- Synthetic-material baseball cap (in case of rain)
- Compass
- Trekking poles
- Map - New York New Jersey Trail Conference #141
- Hiking boots
- NO COTTON - Why no cotton? Cotton is a thicker material and isn't as breathable as synthetic materials. Once it's wet, it becomes heavier and takes longer to dry.
This hike was the 2nd day of a weekend spent camping in the Catskills. Rain the previous day made my ascent of Plateau a little more time consuming than I would have liked. This day was sunny & clear (for the most part) and not too humid. I would run into some clouds and light rain above 3,000 feet. Reaching the summit of Twin would be my 31st climb of the Catskill 35's.
Having been on these trails recently for 2 other hikes, I knew what to expect. After the initial yellow trail from the parking lot, I made a left onto the blue Pecoy Notch trail. The terrain varies for the first 2 miles, from rolling to flat to rolling and back to flat. Along the way I came up on Dibble's Quarry (+/- 1.5 mi from the start) which has a fantastic view of the surrounding area and Kaaterskill High Peak. I sat here for a few minutes to have a snack and take in the scene.
I continued up the blue trail and after a stream crossing, there are the remnants of a beaver dam. The remains of the trees they cut down with their large buck teeth can be seen all around. Beavers are some of the best natural engineers, creating entire ecosystems by building dams which serve as their home and hunting grounds.
Before I knew it I had reached the trail junction with the Devil's Path and the end of the blue trail. A short but steep .7 mile climb lay ahead, so I wolfed down a protein bar and kept moving. The steep rise in the mountain provided for some fun yet slow rock scrambling. These sections are always my favorite.
Shortly before my final climb at around 3,600' there is a really cool cave formed from the surrounding boulders and rock. I would imagine it makes a great bear or snake den.
There is no marker or cairn at the top of Twin Mountain. After passing a beautiful and open scenic viewpoint, the trail levels off and looks like many summit ridges I have seen before. My altimeter read 3,640, and continuing down the trail it began to descend. I had to have passed the summit, so I turned around and took a break at the viewpoint. They say weather changes quickly in the mountains, and I watched it myself. As I sat down under a sunny sky, I watched storm clouds move in from the east. It was about to start raining by the looks of the clouds, so I wrapped it up and began my return trek down the mountain. Not long before I reached the cave did the rain starting to scatter across my head and back. Luckily it didnt last long. I wonder if those rain drops made it to the ground?
The out and back hike takes the same route out that it does in. I retraced my steps down the steep and unforgiving Devil's Path. As I returned to my car the sun was out, clouds had dissipated and temperature cooled; because the weather changes fast in the mountains it is always smart to carry rain gear and other items that may aid you in unexpected circumstances. Don't get caught unprepared!
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| These little orange salamanders are always out after a good, hard rain. Don't step on'em! |
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| Kaaterskill High Peak (my next mountain hike) is just behind this tree to the left. |
I continued up the blue trail and after a stream crossing, there are the remnants of a beaver dam. The remains of the trees they cut down with their large buck teeth can be seen all around. Beavers are some of the best natural engineers, creating entire ecosystems by building dams which serve as their home and hunting grounds.
Before I knew it I had reached the trail junction with the Devil's Path and the end of the blue trail. A short but steep .7 mile climb lay ahead, so I wolfed down a protein bar and kept moving. The steep rise in the mountain provided for some fun yet slow rock scrambling. These sections are always my favorite.
 |
| The trail goes over these rocks and curves right around those trees and gets steeper |
 |
| Hard to tell from the photo but this section got steeper as it ducked around that tree truck at the top/center. |
There is no marker or cairn at the top of Twin Mountain. After passing a beautiful and open scenic viewpoint, the trail levels off and looks like many summit ridges I have seen before. My altimeter read 3,640, and continuing down the trail it began to descend. I had to have passed the summit, so I turned around and took a break at the viewpoint. They say weather changes quickly in the mountains, and I watched it myself. As I sat down under a sunny sky, I watched storm clouds move in from the east. It was about to start raining by the looks of the clouds, so I wrapped it up and began my return trek down the mountain. Not long before I reached the cave did the rain starting to scatter across my head and back. Luckily it didnt last long. I wonder if those rain drops made it to the ground?
 |
| I literally watched these clouds move in from east to west as the background of a blue sky is drowned. |
The out and back hike takes the same route out that it does in. I retraced my steps down the steep and unforgiving Devil's Path. As I returned to my car the sun was out, clouds had dissipated and temperature cooled; because the weather changes fast in the mountains it is always smart to carry rain gear and other items that may aid you in unexpected circumstances. Don't get caught unprepared!
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