Devil's Path/Mink Hollow Trail

“I am planning a weekend hike in rhe Catskills. Not arriving until mid-afternoon on Friday and want to make it to the Lean To at the intersection of DP/MK. Is the primitive path on the northern section of Mink Hollow Rd. navigable? It looks to be the quickest route.
Thanks,”

“it should be a good path.”

“Yeah it should be ok I never have been up it but I remember seeing it.”

“I haven't been up there in a couple years but yes, it is navigable. I remember the Platt Clove Rd being a little dicey. (narrow & very steep)

Of course we have had horrendous rains recently.

You know actually, I'm a little tired of working on my patio pavilion roof, have to babysit my 1&5 yr old grandsons this afternoon and have to work tonight, so I'll take a drive over & let you know.”

“Mink Hollow Rd is navigable until the end of the road at the official trail head. FRom there the trail continues over the mountain on an old wide carriage road. Nice cul-d-sac for parking. The road gets you pretty far into the mountains with the last 8-10 miles graded gravel & dirt. Any car can easily do it.

I'd bring a street map or mapping GPS because it is a maze of roads & turns in Elka Park.

I believe parts of Rt #23 (between Saugerties-NYS Thruway & Hunter) are closed. If coming from the south, I'd get off at Kingston & take #28 west to Phonecia. Rt #214 North from there to #28. Elka Pk is just a right turn from there about a half mile up the road.

Most of the leaves were down but a little color left. Think we had a frost last night. Drive carefull since there are a lot of leaves down on Mink Hollow road.”

“We came from the south - Lake hill - it's only 2.5-3 miles relatively flat terrain. Good parking. The road is navigable - we hiked after dark, but we knew the road from the summer. Creek crossings are a bit tricky and there are a couple of places where the riverbed is badly eroded so trail narrows, but if you stick to the map you won't be lost.

Make sure to pack extra layers - there seems to be a wind tunnel right by the lean-to - it was freezing last weekend. And tonight is 20degrees lower than last Friday. saw couple of bear droppings on the trai, btw.”

“Hey, gbarron how was your hike? We slept at Echo lk. and then at Devil's Kitchen (dayhiked to Indian Head). It was much wetter then the weekend before and most of the leaves were on the ground! Must've been a #&%!$ to climb up Sugarloaf with all the watter... Friday night was the coldest - brrr”

“I'm headed up tomorrow. Thinking of hiking between Mink Hollow and OVerlook on Devil's Path. I noticed there are bus stops on 212 at the intersection of both Meads Mt. Rd. and Mink Hollow and I'm contemplating a 1 way hike with a return to my car by bus Anyone know the frequency of the busses?”

“I never knew about the buses. hmmm”

“I'm also considering the above loop. Other than lean to's, are there good spots for tent camping?”

“I remember there being a few camping spots in the Cornell-Slide col. Water might be an issue there.”

“In the Catskills there are a bazillion places to camp. They would like you 150' from water & the trail.

I always bring all my own liquid. You could always climb down to the Ashokan resovoir & fill up. Shouldn't take more then a day.”

“The map seems to indicate lots of water sources on the Wittenberg-Slide-Cornell. Are they reliable?”

“There's a spring that comes out of a pipe just off the trail as you head up slide coming from Cornell. It's not really close to a campsite from what I remember. There is also another spring in the col (camping close by), but it's more or less a mud puddle with lots of tannin in it that could plug a water filter.
last edited: 10/19/06 2:37:50 PM”

“Gbarron, the bus stops at 212 in Lake Hill, which is 3-3.5 miles from the trailhead (parking lot). There is not much parking there, unless you want to park by the post office and then start your hike, or park at the trailhead and hike from the busstop to your car. From the Overlook trail, you will have to also either hitchhike or walk 2-3 miles to catch the bus. Buses are pretty infrequent - you can check their schedule at trailwaysny.com. Instead, I'd hire a taxi from Overlook parking lot to the Mink Hollow parking lot - it would run around 18 bucks I think.

Re: Cornell-Slide-Phoenicia loop, camping is strictly permitted only in designated areas. There are 6 legal campsites in the Cornel/Slide saddle, then there is a Terrace mtn. leanto. The best place to sleep is the Giant ledge.”

“For information about specific areas, look at our regulations or contact the Regional Office responsible for the area.

For information about the 52 Department of Environmental Conservation campgrounds in the Adirondack and Catskill Parks, visit DEC Campground Information. The rules and guidelines for the use of New York State's public lands are generally as follows:

* Except where marked by a "Camp Here" disk camping is prohibited within 150 feet of roads, trails, lakes, ponds, streams or other bodies of water.
* Groups of ten or more persons or stays of more than three days in one place require a permit from the New York State Forest Ranger responsible for the area.
* Lean-tos are available in many area on a first come first served basis. Lean-tos cannot be used exclusively and must be shared with other campers.
* Use pit privies provided near popular camping areas and trailheads. If none are available, dispose of human waste by digging a hole 6"-8" deep at least 150 feet from water or campsites. Cover with leaves and soil.
* Do not use soap to wash yourself, clothing or dishes within 150 ft of water.
* Drinking and cooking water should be boiled for 5 minutes, treated with purifying tablets or filtered through filtration device to prevent instances of giardia infection.
* Fires should be built in existing fire pits or fireplaces if provided. Use only dead and down wood for fires. Cutting standing trees is prohibited. Extinguish all fires with water and stir ashes until they are cold to the touch. Do not build fires in areas marked by a "No Fires" disk. Camp stoves are safer, more efficient and cleaner.
* Carry out what you carry in. Practice "leave no trace" camping and hiking.
* Keep your pet under control. Restrain it on a leash when others approach. Collect and bury droppings away from water, trails and camp sites. Keep your pet away from drinking water sources.
* Observe and enjoy wildlife and plants but leave them undisturbed.
* Removing plants, rocks, fossils or artifacts from state land without a permit is illegal.
* The storage of personal property on state land is prohibited.
* Carry an approved flotation device for each person aboard all watercraft.
* Except in an emergency or between December 15 and April 30, camping is prohibited above an elevation of 4000 feet in the Adirondacks.
* Except in an emergency or between December 21 and March 21, camping is prohibited above an elevation of 3500 feet in the Catskills.
* At all times, only emergency fires are permitted above 4000 feet in the Adirondacks and 3500 feet in the Catskills.”

“Though it's generally ok to camp anywhere that's far enough from roads, trails and water sources; according to the Catskill Mountain Guide by AMC, Slide mtn. area is the most visited out of all Catskills, so DEC is very strict about camping outside designated areas.”

“They get cranky above 3500' feet. It gets very cold & windy up there.

Again, there are a bazillion camping spots in the catskills. Those are their regulations. They DID NOT change them & CANNOT be interpreted diferently.

I am a NYS peace officer.”

“oh well, that's what I read and generally, I prefer to camp on already impacted areas and not make a new one.”

“Impacted area's come from large groups or repeated use of the same spot. If you camp correctly "You should leave no trace that you were even there".”

“Agree, but with close proximity to large urban areas, some areas in Catskills are not fit for 'at large' camping near popular trails. I've seen a lot of car-camper types backpacking in Catskills who cant even pick up a tissue after them - it's disgusting.”

“RE. my original thread, what the condition of Roaring Kill/Mink Hollow Road, approaching the trail from the north. I understand it can be dicey and I know there's been lots of rain.”

“I don't know if this thread is too old but does anyone know if the woods road at the end
of mink hollow road is accessable by Jeep? How close does it get to the Mink Hollow Lean-to? We want to make a winter base-camp near by for hiking in the area.”

“I know the mink hollow trail is about 3 or so miles from the trail head, I'm pretty sure the trail head is accessable by car, but might not be plowed during the winter months.”