Devil's Path Trail — Attraction in Town of Hunter

Great trail. It has a reputation among locals for being extremely difficult, and on the web, is called “the hardest” on the East coast. This is mostly underserved, and I wish I’d been able to see a clear comparison with other routes.

The trail is substantially easier terrain than most hikes in the Adirondacks for instance, a another nearby mountain range. I would say doing the eastern half (5 peaks) is somewhat easier than doing just Mt. Basin in ADK.

Terrain is mostly fist-sized rocks mixed with tree roots, and often covered in dry or wet leaves. You need to think about where you are putting your feet most of the time, but it isn’t very physically challenging. The ascents are fairly brief. A few peaks have some light scramble. The hardest bit in the eastern half is a ~20ft vertical section that you ascend hand over hand. It’s climbing, but with extremely good hand and foot holds, comparable to or easier than the easiest walls at a typical bouldering place. You have great grips, and 2-4inch ledges to stand on. Very doable with a 10lb pack, maybe would be more trouble with a 30lb one?

Biggest issue with the trail is lack of water. You should assume there will be no water at all. On a hot day (20C+) I would suggest bringing about 8 liters per person at the start. It is doable in those conditions with just 4 liters, but you will probably be pretty dry by the end. On the other hand, there are opportunities to bail after every peak, so the real risk of dehydration is small: you’re never more than 1-2 hours from a parking lot if you need to quit.

Very fun, and if you’ve done higher or more technical peaks, you’ll have a blast here bagging 5...

The most challenging hiking trail I've ever been on with beautiful scenery and idyllic lookout points. I had to give this trail only four stars because it's hard to hike from the Prediger to the Spruceton trailhead with only one car. It's not a loop, but a linear trail. You really need two cars or a taxi. There's no uber and you'll need to get a local (Smileys taxi service), but there's a twist: cell service isn't very good on much of The Path.

We put in at Spruceton with one car Friday at 2000. There was no cell service and we had to walk towards Woodstock, but by the time we could get service Smileys was closed! We lost a night on the trail because we didn't know it would be so hard to park at Spruceton and get back to Prediger.

Don't let this demonic park torment you like it did us! Plan ahead by bringing two cars or arrange taxi service with Smileys BEFORE you park your car in a cellular dead zone. And may the good Lord protect you from the wickedness and snares of the...

Went here with my brother and we had a blast! This trail has the best views I’ve ever seen, it was very narnia like. Above 3500 feet the moss and evergreens took over and the air was cold and fresh and the humidity just disappeared it was awesome. The best air I’ve ever breathed. Here are some things we could’ve used more of along the way: a bigger breakfast before the hike, more food as well as water, 2 smart water bottles worked better than say a osprey hydraulics 3L reservoir, pack light, food and water over anything, I would even have traded the tent for more food as we camped one night at devils tombstone and I was starving. Energy chews, oatmeal, carbs people carbs lol packs of Lipton iced tea for sugar even would work. And lastly, if you bring two cars make sure to leave a few snacks and drinks in the landing...