Twin Mountain via South Eastern Route |
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OVERVIEW |
| | Distance: | 5.68 miles round trip from DEC parking lot from Prediger Road to the Twin Summit and back. |
| | Time: | Average 4.50 hours round trip |
| | Elevation Gain: | 1,586’ feet from parking lot to the summit of Twin Mountain. |
| | Best Time to Hike: | Morning on a clear day. |
| | Difficulty: | Difficult |
| | Catskill Highest: | #23 |
| | Summit Elevation: | 3,643' (North Summit) |
| | Summit Elevation: | 3,557' (South Summit) |
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| | | USGS Official Names: | Twin Mountain (ID: 968056) |
| | USGS Previous Names: | Schoharie Peak - because it is the beginning of the Schohaire Creek.
Changed from Schoharie Peak to Twin Mtn in 1928.
Also known in the past as Sugarloaf Mountain. |
| | USGS Summit-Elevation: | 3,647' (According to the 1928 Official Decision Card - See Note #1) |
| | USGS Twin-WGS84: | 42.125645, -74.129029 (DEC-WGS84) |
| | USGS Twin-GPS: | N 42 07.539, W 74 07.742 (GPS) |
| | USGS Twin-UTM: | 18N 571990, 4664094 (UTM) |
| | USGS Twin-Deg, Min, Sec: | N42 07 32, W74 07 44 (Degree, Min, Sec) |
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| | | USGS Official Map: | Woodstock Topographical Map (free) |
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| | | USGS Official Map: | Bearsville Topographical Map (free) |
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| | | USGS Official Map: | Hunter Topographical Map (free) |
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| | | ACME Digital Mapper: |
Topo
Terrain
Satellite |
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| | | Access Methods: | Foot only |
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| | NOTE: The 1928 USGS Decision Card had numerous errors. The official elevation in the database was also wrong. The South Summit is off by 100' on the card. |
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Maps |
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| | DIRECTIONS TO TRAIL HEAD |
| | Prediger Road Parking WGS84 (DEC): 42.134033 -74.10435 - Elevation is approximately 2,000 feet |
| | Prediger Road Parking Deg/Min/Sec: N42 08 02 W74 06 15 - Elevation is approximately 2,000 feet |
| | Prediger Road Parking GPS: N 42 08.042 W 74 06.261 - Elevation is approximately 2,000 feet |
| | Prediger Road Parking UTM: 18N 574020 4665046 - Elevation is approximately 2,000 feet |
| | Take New York State Thruway to Exit 21 (Catskill). |
| | Take a left out of the NYS Thruway entrance road. |
| | Go approximately 3/4 mile |
| | Take a right onto Route 23 West |
| | Go approximately 6.6 miles to Cairo, NY |
| | Take a LEFT onto Rt 32. McDonalds Rest. on corner. |
| | Go approximately 7.7 miles on Rt 32 |
| | Take a RIGHT onto Rt 23A |
| | Go appoximately 9 miles to Tannersville NY. |
| | At the only RED LIGHT, take a LEFT onto Rt 16 (platteclove road) |
| | Go approximately 5.7 miles on Rt 16 (Platteclove Road) |
| | Take a RIGHT onto Prediger Road |
| | Go approximately 1/2 mile - When you come to the end of the road, take dirt road to the DEC parking lot |
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SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES ABOUT THIS HIKE |
| | This hike is part of the Devil's Path. The Devil's Path is one of the most difficult and dangerous hiking paths in the world. There is a good reason why they call it the Devil's Path. You better be a skilled hiker who is in good shape.
The preferred route is from Prediger Road. The elevation climb from from Pecoy Notch is twice of the elevation climb when compared to the climb from Jimmy Nolan Notch. The climb up from Pecoy Notch is very steep.
The fastest known time (FKT) for the entire Devil's Path (24.2 miles) was done in 4h 35m 57s on June 1, 2020 by Ja Shua Ried (male). The FKT for a female is Krista Rynkowski and Celia Keim Patel who did it in 8h 38m 34s on May 5, 2019. The FKT for the entire Devil's Path and back (48.4 miles) was done by Alexander Galasso in 13h 43m 10s on September 9, 2019. All unsupported.
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MILEAGE CHART |
| | Mile Point | Altitude | Notes |
| | 0.00 | 2,055’ | DEC Parking Lot at the very end of Prediger Road. |
| | 0.26 | 2,082’ | Trail Junction - Take RIGHT. |
| | 1.94 | 3,128' | Jimmy Dolan Notch (col). Right will take you to Twin Mountain and Sugarloaf Mountain. Straight will take you to a view point. Left will take you to the summit of Twin Mountain. Take a RIGHT. |
| | 1.99 | 3,100' | Diversion to view point at Jimmy Dolan Notch. You can see this view point by going straight for 250'. There is a winter bear's den on the left. |
| | 2.05 | 3,126’ | Return back to Jimmy Dolan Notch (col). Go LEFT. |
| | 2.27 | 3,532’ | First View Point after difficult climb from Jimmy Dolan Notch (col) |
| | 2.31 | 3,571’ | Small faint trail to rock that is the highest point for the south summit of Twin Mountain. |
| | 2.36 | 3,557’ | Twin Mountain (South Summit). Spectacular 225 degree View point from rock ledge. Can see from Ashokan Reservoir to Sugarloaf Mtn. |
| | 2.98 | 3,643’ | Twin Mountain (North Summit). Enjoy views. Turn around and return to your car |
| | 3.59 | 3,557’ | Twin Mountain (South Summit). Spectacular 225 degree View point from rock ledge. Can see from Ashokan Reservoir to Sugarloaf Mtn. |
| | 3.95 | 3,139’ | Jimmy Dolan Notch (col). Take LEFT and go downhill and return to DEC Parking Lot. |
| | 5.76 | 2,082’ | Trail Junction - Take LEFT to DEC parking lot. |
| | 6.02 | 2,094’ | DEC Parking Lot at the very end of Prediger Road. |
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Hike to Twin Mountain from the East |
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The picture on the left is the DEC parking lot (new in 2009) for this hike. The parking lot was changed in 2009 from the end of Prediger Road to about 1/4 mile inside the forest. In the past many people had parked in the road, and blocked the homeowners driveway, and made their life miserable. Please Note: The land around the one-way dirt road to the DEC parking lot is PRIVATE LAND! Do not trespass on this land. This parking lot can probably hold 25 cars. |
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This is the trailhead at the Prediger Parking Area. |
This is what the trail looks like in the beginning of the hike. In the beginning, the trail is very mellow. |
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At mile post 0.26, you will encounter the Picture on the RIGHT. This is the Trail Junction. Straight will take you to the Overlook Carriage Road Trail. RIGHT will take you to the col of Indian Head Mountain and Twin Mountains. Go RIGHT. |
From the parking lot, the trail is just about level. As you ascend up the mountain, the trail will get steeper-and-steeper. Just before the col (Indian Head Mtn & Twin Mtn) the trail gets fairly steep. You will need to use your hands to help you climb the steep trail. From the DEC parking lot to the Jimmy Dolan Notch you will climb a 1,000' vertical climb. |
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At mile post 1.91, you will encounter a Trail Junction called the Jimmy Dolan Notch. Go RIGHT towards Twin Mountain. Straight will take you to a view point. Left will take you to Indian Head Mountain.
Now you will be on the Devil's Path. This entire path is difficult. There is nothing easy about this trail. It has every possible kind of difficult hiking obstacle. Dangerous cliffs, big rocks to climb, cliffs to climb, deep mud, chimneys, loose rocks, trees, slippery rocks, moss covered rocks, water running over the path, etc. You will swear that only the devil could make a trail this difficult. |
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If you continue STRAIGHT, you can see a nice view about 250' down this path. While you will be seeing much better views further up the trail, it is nice to get a little enjoyment before the last 500 vertical feet to the summit. |
The trail up the South Eastern side of Twin starts off at an easy incline, but will increase in difficulty as you climb higher towards the summit |
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This is a typical section of the trail, where the incline is now steeper and difficult. This is some of the nastiness that the Devil's Path is legendary for. |
As you near the South Eastern summit of Twin Mountain, the trail will become easy. |
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When you get to the top of the climb, you will come to your next view point. This is at mile post 2.27 at elevation 3,532'. A nice reward right at the top of the hill. There is a much better view up the trail, so don't turn around yet.
The mountain on the left is Indian Head Mtn. The mountain on the right is Overlook Mtn. And, you see a small section of the Ashokan Reservoir peak over Overlook Mountain. You cannot see Plattekill Mtn, which is behind Indian Head Mountain. |
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At mile post 2.36 (elevation 3,557') you will come to the spectacular 225 degree view in the picture above. From here, you can see see a large variety of mountains. You can also see the Ashokan Reservoir and Cooper's Lake in Woodstock.
Once in a while, you will see Warblers flying around. Just past this point is a spring that runs when there is a lot of water. You cannot see the spring, but you can hear it. If you cannot hear it, then it probably is not flowing.
This spot has one of the best view points in the Catskill Mountains. If you are going to hike this trail, try to pick a clear day to hike this mountain. On a "bluebird" clear and crisp day, this view point is awe inspiring. You can sit here for an hour just "inhaling" the views. |
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This is another close up view of the South Eastern summit of Twin Mountain. |
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After you leave the spectacular view from the picture above, you will walk through a conifer forest. The trees are about 15-20' high. At first, the trail will be level. Then it will head downhill slightly. Then it will start back uphill. The grade is gradual and very easy walking. At times, you will see the side of the ridge where the land will drop suddenly and steeply. The picture on the LEFT gives you a good idea of what the trail looks like.
The North Western summit of Twin Mountain is the actual summit. |
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At mile post 2.98 (elevation 3,643') you will come to the Northwest summit of the OTHER Twin Mountain. It has a nice ledge with a great view. You can see that view in the picture above.
The mountain next to Twin is Sugarloaf Mountain.
After you are done enjoying the view, reverse course back to your car. |
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S E C T I O N S
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W E A T H E R
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