Westkill Mountain and Diamond Notch Falls - Catskills Hiking (viewer suggested hike)
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- Опубликовано: 13 сен 2024
- Westkill Mountain and Diamond Notch Falls - Catskills Hiking
June 28th, 2021
Total Mileage: 6.3
Total Elevation Gained: 1,945'
Disclaimer: distance and elev. take into consideration the walking back and forth to the camera, etc...actual numbers are a little less
THE TRIP
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Born out of a recommendation from fellow RUclipsr Jake the Urban Viking, I am back in the Catskills to do a little morning jaunt up Westkill Mountain. Big elevation changes, waterfalls, great views - this hike gives you a lot of the things you are looking for and then some.
There are 3 parking lots on Spruceton Road. The first one as you are driving up is on your left and is a great launch point if you were going to the fire tower on Hunter Mtn. The lot you want is the third one so keep going past #1 until the road ends further ahead. Lot 3 is on the right.
Start off on the Blue trail which runs on a small path out of the lot in front of the house. Sign in at the register and then stay on blue for approximately 0.7 miles following the West Kill River all the way up. You will come to a junction and a bridge. This is the Diamond Notch Falls area. There are various places along the hike up that feature some amazing small waterfalls but the best ones (from what I saw) were right below this bridge.
Cross the bridge and turn right at the sign onto the Devil's Path (Red). From here get ready for a very moderate, almost consistent, 1,800' hike to the top. It is a fair mix of terrain types, from packed dirt sections to steep and rocky climbs. Things get easier once you hit the 3,500' mark so enjoy the easier hiking up to the Rock Cave, Buck Ridge Lookout and the summit of Westkill, you earned it!
Get back on Red and follow it all the way back to the falls. Enjoy the area and explore! Down on the rocks below the falls there are a ton of butterflies that fly around. It's almost magical being in there. They will land on anything so get your camera and be patient. You are bound to get a few curious ones to come check you out.
Cross the bridge and go left back down Blue to the register and the parking lot.
Safe travels my friends, thanks for watching and I'll see you all in the next one!
-Caps (Joe)
Jake the Urban Viking's RUclips: / @jaytheurbanviking
Notable Equipment
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Backpack: Kelty Redwing 32
Black Diamond Spot Headlamp
Shoes: Vasque Grand Traverse
Shirts: NorthFace T-shirt / Merino Wool long-sleeved shirt
My cap: Outdoor Research
Main camera: CANON EOS Rebel SL2 200D / 18-55mm | 75-300mm
Hiking camera: SONY HDR AS-300 w/AKA-MCP1 Lens Protector
Vanguard Tripod with a Pergear TH3 Fluid Head
Music
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Music provided by: www.epidemicso...
Concussion - Nihoni
Mountain Air - Cody Francis
Elision - Jakob Ahlbom
Them Highs and Lows - Bird of Figment
Oh wow, what a fantastic hiking experience for sure...I'd certainly be thanking Jake for this suggestion...incredible! Looks like you got an extra early start and was able to enjoy the whole place to yourself...perfect! Would have been hell for me for sure, but those heavenly views are certainly rewarding. Thanks for the great adventure...take good care and look forward to your next exploration...Bruce and Otis
It certainly was a great experience. If you haven't checked out his video on it, I highly recommend it. He does them in a way that is very unique and extremely helpful in describing the finer details. Getting such an early start does have it disadvantages (driving through the night being one) but the rewards for doing it far outweigh the lack of sleep I get. I've been trying to stay active over the past 2 months but kind of slipped up a bit so this one was a little rough for me as well. I hope you both are doing well and thank you for stopping by to check the video out. It is very much appreciated. Be good my friends!
Great video, nice camera composition, and music. Enjoyed viewing and West Kill is now on my list for climbing.
Thank you! You will certainly enjoy the climb up. i can't recommend this hike enough.
Very nicely done video. Simple and beautiful. Just the right balance of POVs (watching you walk by, walking the trail from your vantage point, etc.). Lovely shots of the scenery as well. I've been to the Catskills a few times but never did that hike. I've heard about the Devil's Path - which is probably why I've avoided it (I'm a coward for tough trails that might cause my demise!). I'd love to see an overnight hike with dinner and camp set up as well. Don't be afraid to add some more personal stuff, philosophical thoughts, information about the area, etc. You have a good style. Keep on hiking!
Thank you for the kind words, very happy to hear you enjoyed the video. It's funny you mention a dinner/camp setup type of video because I've been wanting to do something like that for a while now. Maybe do a short video asking everyone to submit questions and I'll answer them. Could be fun! Thank you for checking the video out, more to come!
thanks for posting this, did the hike this past weekend and your video inspired me to go!
You are very welcome, I'm glad you had the opportunity to experience this hike. It is truly an amazing hike! Thank you for checking the video out.
What a great hike ! Goes to show, you don’t always need to do a multi day adventure to have fun and see awesome views ! Peace
It certainly does, and I've been getting into more day hikes lately which should allow me to post a little more than I usually do. It's hard getting the time off (and a pet sitter) for multi-day trips these days so I take what I can get. Thanks for checking the video out brother, always appreciate you stopping by to say "what's up?". Be good bro!!
Caps! Good to see you got a chance to hit West Kill! I was just there again too. I put up a vid of my trip there. Thanks for the mention in the video, awesome! West Kill has a great feel to it. I think the rugged last mile or so gives it the character it has. I heard you mention the knees. 7 years ago I had ACL surgery and that was no picnic. I'm very thankful it worked out and I've been very active since. Wish you good health. Injuries suck, they can drastically change the course of a person's life. Be safe, looking forward to some more content brother, cheers!
Your video on this hike is the one that convinced me to go check out the area and what a great idea it was. To be honest, you did the hike a lot more justice than I did with how you explained everything. Ah yes, my knees. Back in 2015 I was halfway up My Liberty in NH when the Meniscus in my left knee decided it had enough and tore itself. Hiking out on that injury (6 or 7 miles) damaged it even further so I had to take 10 months off for it to heal properly. Then just last year in Lake George, as I finished up the LG 12ster, my right knee did the same thing (10 miles from trailhead). It's been a rough go but I'm taking good care of them. Again, thank you for the recommendation to hike Westkill, it was one of those memorable hikes that'll be with me for quite awhile. Be good brother, all the best!
@@capsoutdoors Yep, that's really rough, I hope it healed well. I'm on 6 annual trips to the Whites and every year I get my NH Hikesafe card. I'm very cautious but you never know if a knee blow out or ankle twist could require assistance getting off the trail. Biking was probably the best thing that got my knees back into shape. If there ever comes a time when I can't walk I'll be crawling to the tops of these summits. Cheers!
Beautiful hike. I did it last year. I don’t recall it being too tough but I was hiking constantly. I finished the 35 last year (33 now) lol. Those falls are incredible. And crowded. Great video!
It sure is a beautiful hike, has everything anyone could possibly want. Views, waterfalls, great trails, and VERY respectful bugs (which is a rarity). This one definitely had me huffing. I wish I could get out more but a lot of my time is consumed by the needs of over 100 people (I do I.T. work for an international company) so ever since my last hike 2 months ago I've been behind a desk for the most part. One of these days I'll convince myself that I have to get up and get out! thanks for checking the video out, and thanks for your support! Be good my friend!
EDIT: and congrats on the 35, what an accomplishment!
@@capsoutdoors thanks! It can be hard to get out. Sometimes just sneaking out close to home with a pack can feel good, even if you don’t go far 😉
@@UnlikelyHiker Exactly what I did earlier, managed to get in a good 3.5 miles walking around town.
This is just a morning walk, uh? What a walk it is! Was wondering what's up with you, since you've been quiet lately. Thanks for sharing your hike!
Haha, my morning walks can get a little intense. I'm hoping to get up there to do Giant Ledge and Panther Mtn next weekend so I'm sure that will be a very early start for me. I just love hiking before Sunrise, listening to the forest come alive. Nothing better! Thank you for checking the video out. I'm glad you enjoyed it!
hi, great video....is the total mileage from where you parked at lot 3 , 6.3 miles and took like half a day? Looking for a good hike for me and my GF, we are both active and then to hit a nearby winery or brewery after that serves food....if you know any also!
Another good trip!
Thank you my friend! Hope all is well.
Great video and a very beautiful trail. Did a backpacking trip through there last year. It does get very crowded. There’s also a trail going to the hunter mountain fire tower which is a bit tougher. Hopefully there will be more Catskills videos in the future. How come I don’t see an REI sticker on the bumper?
Thank you! I did the Hunter fire tower back in 2019 (parked in the first lot on Spruceton Rd) and had a blast. That whole area is just so beautiful. I started early enough that I only saw a few people on my way back down so had the entire place to myself! There will certainly be more Catskills videos coming, no doubt. The REI sticker is there to the left of the spare tire (NY sticker). It is beat up beyond belief and needs replacing. Thanks for checking the video out, I always appreciate it my friend. Be good!
@@capsoutdoors no problem. the videos you’re putting out are getting better and better.
Nice 👍
I'm about to go down a rabbit hole on your channel, LOL. You have a ton of hikes on there I've been looking at!
@@capsoutdoors hope you enjoy!