Twin

Overview

One of the finest views on the Devil's Path, the premier hiking trail in the Catskill Range of New York, belongs to Twin Mountain. Twin has two summits under a mile apart, almost the same in height, hence the name. The North summit (could also be called the West summit) is the true summit. The South summit (could also be called the East summit) has the superior views though, and is a favorite of many Catskill hikers.



In order to reach the summits one has to travel on the Devil's Path. The Devil's Path is almost 25 miles long and travels over such peaks as Indian Head, Twin, Sugarloaf, Plateau, and West Kill. It is a very rugged trail with many steep ascents and descents. No one peak on the Devil's Path is easy; be prepared for a challenge. If you're doing multiple peaks on the Devil's Path on one hike it could be a long day.



Twin is on the eastern end of the Devil's Path between Indian Head and Sugarloaf. It can be combined on a hike with one or both of those mountains, and if you're really daring maybe even Plateau as well. There's absolutely nothing wrong with just going to Twin by itself, which is what you should probably do to really enjoy it. The view from the South summit is said by many hikers to be one of the best in the Catskills, and I certainly agree the view is excellent.



Twin can be approached from the east by taking the Devil's Path from it's start, going over Indian Head in the process. From the same trailhead you can also take the Jimmy Dolan Notch trail which leads to the Devil's Path, avoiding Indian Head. From the west you would take the Pecoy Notch trail from the Roaring Kill parking area, passing a great stone quarry along the way, to the Devil's Path. You really can't go wrong no matter what direction you choose to take.



Twin is one of the mountains of the "Catskill 3500"; a list and club that has members that climb all the mountains in the Catskills that rise above 3500 ft. There are 35 mountains on the list, and Twin ranks 23rd according to it's elevation.[img:402456:aligncenter:medium:view from Twin]

Getting There

For the eastern approach you are going to the Devil's Path traditional start at the Prediger Road trailhead. Be sure to park on the right! Prediger Road is off Platte Clove Road (CR 16) which can be reached from NY 23A in Tannersville all year round. Platte Clove Road can also be reached from Saugerties by way of Rt 212 (Exit 20 off I-87) to CR 35 which becomes CR 33 which becomes CR 16 (Platte Clove Road). This road is closed in the winter (November 1st to April 15th) because it is very steep and narrow.

For the western approach you are going to the Roaring Kill trailhead which is directly off CR 16 (Platte Clove Road), closer to Tannersville than the eastern approach.


I would pay a visit to SP member Rasgoat's pages on these trailheads. They are both excellent resources.

Devil's Path eastern terminus

Roaring Kill trailhead

Camping

There's the Devil's Tombstone Campground on NY 214 off NY 23A past Tannersville and before Hunter for camping but it is 13 miles away by foot from the start of the Devil's Path. There are a couple of lean-tos. One is in Mink Hollow past Sugarloaf on the Devil's Path. The other one is on the Overlook trail off the Devil's Path before Indian Head. In general there is no camping above 3500 ft. from March 21st to December 21st in the Catskills.

External Links

Looking for a good guide book for the Catskills? I like to recommend: Catskill Mountain Guide


For weather information I use: Weather Underground

NOAA



Two good resources are: Catskill-3500 Club

Catskill Hiker


Two good mountain clubs in the Northeast which have some outings to the Catskills are: Appalachian Mountain Club

Adirondack Mountain Club

Images

View Twin Image Gallery - 15 Images