West Kill Mountain

"Beautiful day in the Catskills for Bhakti’s first climb of West Kill. Started at the Spruceton Road lot. It snowed for much of the ascent, but the clouds opened as we reached the Buck Ridge Overlook for a great view. Fun snow squalls on the descent made for a great “winter” feel to an otherwise snow-deprived Catskills this season. " — wacbravo • Jan 6, 2019

"I joined Tom and Karen fora double shot of Rusk and West Kill mountains. After Rusk we relocated our cars to the next PA up Spruceton road to enjoy our lunch in the warmth of our cars before heading off for West Kill. We bare booted up to the spring then finally put on the spikes to reduce the slippage and gain confidence in our footing. Shortly thereafter we noticed that the two hikers we were following put their spikes on. Photos at both the summit and Bucks Ridge followed by a rather spirited descent with plenty of running on the gentle downhills and flats." — Nimblefoot • Jan 3, 2019

"Brought my buddy out for his first Catskill High Peak. It was a great way to close out 2018. I only wish the clouds were a few hundred feet higher as the summit was socked in." — Right-On • Dec 31, 2018

"Ten of us gathered on a rather brisk day to celebrate Paul T’s completion of his 4-season Grid. Tom presented Paul with his newly earned patch as we sipped on some bubbly and snacked on cheese and crackers. Once back to Spruceton road, using only spikes and carrying snowshoes for the simple joy of a heavier pack, we adjourned to West Kill brewery. The eleven of us spent some quality time drinking beer and eating celebratory cake along with everything they offer on the menu." — Nimblefoot • Dec 8, 2018

"Went on a big ole loop hike starting at the western end of the Devil's Path, going over St Anne's, West Kill, SW Hunter and then finally Hunter. There was a dusting of snow on my climb up St. Anne's and over to West Kill but it melted not to long after that. Diamond Notch Falls was roaring and the clouds and lighting from Hunter was superb. Quite a few people out on the trails for a mid-october Friday, but it was quite the beautiful day. Finished the trip off with a three mile road walk and a stop in at the West Kill Brewery." — Right-On • Oct 19, 2018

"Doug came down the night before. He was planning on finishing his NEU8 with a Devils Path Traverse. I wanted to be there for it and to also pick up 5 peaks for my Catskills list. We drove over in his car and headed up. The first half of the traverse was cool. Terrain and rock formations were really cool. But damn, those col depths were serious. Between Sugarloaf and Plateau, we dropped 1200 feet, then had to regain 1240 feet. There were few summit views. The traverse was more about ledge views. We came out at dusk. Doug then got to drive back home that night while I took the next day off from hiking. It was a 24.5 mile day. " — newenglandwarrior • Aug 26, 2018

"Pleasant day, with an overcast sky, for Laura,Steve and I to stomp up to Buck Ridge Lookout then onto the summit sign. Trail nicely packed down for easy shuffling in the snowshoes. Peak #11 done 12/12 months for Grid2." — Nimblefoot • Apr 2, 2018

"First hike after the big storm hit the Catskills. Fortunately the Diamond Notch trail was broken out thus making for an easy start for Steve and I. Once acrossed the bridge and onto the Devils Path we found a broken track...woo Hoo...would it go all the way to the summit..No but close. It appeared like only two snowshoers made the track so it wan’t fully packed down and with the snow being heavy and unforgiving it was still a tough climb. Right where the trail descends and you can see the summit looming ahead of you, approximately 1/2 mile shy, the trail breakers turned around. We broke out the rest of the way to the summit sign as best we could, definitely a workout. On our return we tried to pack the track better but the snow was like cement and not cooperating." — Nimblefoot • Mar 6, 2018

"After tagging the summit of Plateau in the morning, Laura,Steve and I headed to Spruceton Road to hike up West Kill on a day with early spring-like temps. While cruising through downtown Hunter my car thermometer hit a high of 54*. Down low the snow was slushy with a mix of snow ,ice and water while up higher it was getting wetter and fortunately not sticking to our snowshoes. Not sure how much longer this thin coat of snow is going to last with temps. rising so high and rain in the forecast." — Nimblefoot • Jan 11, 2018

"The Catskill crew of gridiots, Laura, Tom, Steve and I, did a Spruceton scattershot of Halcott, Rusk and West Kill. On our final climb the sky has clouded over and we get an occasional light snow showeras a treat. The few small ice patches we encountered on the trail were easily skirted or carefully crossed. Back to the car just as darkness was falling so no headlamps were harmed on this adventure." — Nimblefoot • Dec 7, 2017

"Out after Sunday's big rain storm visiting West Kill and Hunter. The Esopus Creek was running fast and muddy so I knew the trails would be wet in the usual spots. Many limbs and trees on the trail heading up West Kill. Normally I would spend time to clear the trail, I was carrying two saws with me, but I didn't have the time nor the extra energy as I'm still recovering from a bout of food poisoning/flu over the weekend. Nice cool breezy day with blue sky but the sun kept hiding behind a large cloud." — Nimblefoot • Oct 31, 2017

"Out with the wife hitting Slide and West Kill mountains for the month. Sharon pooped out a mile from the top so I finished the climb solo, bypassing the view, then caught back up with her at the car. Stopped off at West Kill Brewing, who was having a beer and pizza party, to sample some new beers then down to the Brooklyn Cider House in New Paltz to sample some new hard cider with pizza to complete the day." — Nimblefoot • Sep 2, 2017

"The fourth peak of our traverse of Sherrill, North Dome, St Anne's and Westkill. Lollygagged a while at Bucks Ridge taking in the view and relaxing as best as we could with the black flies buzzing about." — Nimblefoot • Jun 8, 2017

"Buttercup( Laura ), Steve and I did a traverse of Sherrill, North Dome and West Kill from Shoemaker road to the end of Spruceton road. After visiting the canisters on Sherrill and North Dome we had our final climb up the Devils Path to the summit of West Kill. The warm temps and/or over indulging on Mothers Day had Laura struggling on the climb. We dropped down to the view point to have our lunch and swat at the black flies." — Nimblefoot • May 16, 2017

"Fifth peak in a single-day East-to-West traverse of the Devil's Path to finish up my Catskill 3500 peaks list in style. 24.8 miles in 10:54 hours of hiking. Not too shabby for the new guy." — wacbravo • Sep 4, 2016

"The Catskill Crew did a 3-pack of Westkill, SW Hunter and Hunter. To make things interesting we started from the Lanesville end of the Diamond Notch trail on a rather warm and humid day. New signs at Buck Ridge lookout and the summit since my last visit." — Nimblefoot • Jul 5, 2016

"Hiking Rusk and Westkill with Sharon and Steve on a nice day of low temp/humidity. Many wet/mucky sections in the trail. Peaks #413 & #414 and twelve months completed for each peak." — Nimblefoot • Jul 5, 2015

"Enjoyed a great bushwhack up Rusk and then Westkill. Started at the trail head at 7:45 following the wide trail to just before the 90 degree bend and then started our way up the hill. There is a bit f a herdpath here and there but for the most part we just shot a line for the summit and and made our way. LOTS of nettle stings, even through hiking pants! Summit canister is easy to spot - made it to the summit in just under two hours. ~1600' of gain, total RT 3.4 miles. <br><br>After Rusk we drove to the next trail head just up the road and started our hike to West kill. Diamond notch falls are about 0.7 miles in (mostly a trail-road to this point) and then the trail begins to get a little steeper for the next 2 miles or so. The last 0.5 miles of the hike is along a relatively flat ridge with a nice viewpoint just before the summit. It was very hot and humid for this 7 mile RT hike which meant the stop at Diamond Notch Falls on the way back down was awesome! ~ 1800' of gain, 7 miles RT." — deb-and-rob • May 30, 2015

"Hiked Hunter and West Kill mtns for the month of April. More ice and slippery snow on West Kill than on Hunter. Passed over a dozen other hikers on my way up and down, many of whom were skiing in their sneakers." — Nimblefoot • Apr 19, 2014

"Another nice spring hike with the wildflowers blooming. Starting from the west end of Devils Path hiked over West Westkill(St. Annes) then up to Westkill and down to Buck Ridge for lunch and view." — Nimblefoot • May 7, 2013