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A loop trail that will bring you to the summit of Hunter Mountain and back down.


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Map Key

8.2

Miles

13.2

KM

Loop

4,008' 1,222 m

High

2,098' 640 m

Low

1,964' 599 m

Up

1,973' 601 m

Down

9%

Avg Grade (5°)

39%

Max Grade (21°)

Dogs Leashed

Features River/Creek · Views · Waterfall

Overview

This is a loop trail that will take you to the summit of Hunter Mountain at 4,040 feet. There is a fire tower at the summit that allows for excellent views.

Need to Know

Part of this route follows the Devil's Path Trail which is known for some gnarly sections, but there was no scrambling required on the stretch used here. Parts are steep though.

Description

You can follow this loop in either direction. One side is a forest road and the other a hiking trail. We went down the road and up the trail - this is the counter clockwise route.

Follow the trail southeast along the blue blazes to the beautiful Diamond Notch waterfall. Then join the red blazed Devil's Path Trail that ascends east and non-stop up to the ridge. The trail will loop south away from the summit before turning east again, gaining elevation the whole time. You should see the Devil's Acre lean-too. Look for the fork where a yellow-blazed Hunter Mountain Trail will branch off east and then turn north. If you stay on the red trail you'll begin descending the other side of the mountain.

Follow the Hunter Mountain Trail to the summit. At the summit there is a fire watchtower that you can ascend for the best views. There will probably be quite a few people here that were not on the trail up (many people take the road up and back down). If you fancy, you can take the trail back down, or continue onto the road and head down to complete the loop.

The road will be blazed blue, but is very obvious as it is an active maintenance road for the fire tower. Partway down you can take a spur north to the top of the Hunter Mountain Ski Area ski lifts. The mountain road does not quite return to the parking area at the Diamond Notch Trailhead so you'll have to hike along the road that you drove in on for a short distance.

Contacts

Shared By:

Karl W

Trail Ratings

  4.0 from 12 votes

#3094

Overall
  4.0 from 12 votes
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3 Star
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Recommended Route Rankings

#59

in New York

#3,094

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18 Views Last Month
7,318 Since Jan 22, 2017
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Photos

Trail heading up to the peak, about 0.5mi from the top
Jun 6, 2022 near Palenville, NY
View from Hunter Mountain Fire Tower looking east over Hunter, NY toward the Windham-Blackhead Range
Jun 6, 2022 near Palenville, NY
Enjoy the Hunter Mountain Trail in wintertime to experience the majesty only a thick blanketing of snow can create.
Feb 10, 2017 near Palenville, NY
Enjoy spectacular views of the Catskills from the Hunter Mountain Fire Tower.
Feb 10, 2017 near Palenville, NY
Hunter Mountain's summit fire tower offers phenomenal views toward Thomas Cole, Black Dome, and Blackhead Mountain.
Jan 22, 2017 near Palenville, NY
Steady way up - great work out!
Jun 2, 2018 near Palenville, NY

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Current Trail Conditions

Minor Issues 55 days ago
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Check-Ins

Sep 16, 2023
Elise Durma
well worth it, tons of mushrooms 2.4mi — 12h 29m
Aug 5, 2020
Wes L
Jun 20, 2020
Alex Sewald
Dec 31, 2019
Nathan Silberman
8.2mi — 3h 00m
Jun 4, 2019
J Kahn
hunter mountain loop and the ski area 11.6mi — 4h 30m
Mar 2, 2019
Owen Szabo
Nice hike, trail wasn't too bad. Unfortunately it was supper foggy at the top, so there really wasn't much of a view from the tower. 9mi — 4h 10m
Sep 2, 2018
Joseph Hubicki
8.2mi
Jul 28, 2018
Anthony Soto
Had a great time over all. Very swampy the day I went. Specifically going down if you went backwards like I did. 8.2mi
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