Indian Head And Twin Mountain Hike

Indian head and Twin mountain hike is somewhat strenuous and you will have to rock scramble to get to the top. I don’t recommend this for beginners but if you want a good hike that is somewhat challenging then this is a great choice. People can also cut the hike and skip Twin Mountain if they ever get too tired. I recommend getting to Twin Mountain though since it is very close to Indian Head.

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Indian Head And Twin Mountain Hike Important Information

Trail Map: Trail Map 1, Trail Map 2
Suggested Phone GPS Apps: Alltrails.com, Avenza Maps, Google Maps

Difficulty: Strenuous
Distance: 8 Miles
Elevation Gained: 2100 ft
Portable Toilet At Parking: None

Trail Breakdown
Red Trail To Intersection
Red Trail Ascent
Sherman’s Lookout
Roots And Branches Climb
Indian Mountain
Intersection
Twin Mountain Ascent To Viewpoint
Twin Mountain
Went Back To Blue Trail

https://www.mapmyhike.com/workout/2237798852

Note: The information is just an approximation.

Parking

42.134152, -74.103762

 

Start Of The Hike

Many years later, I will remember this place as one of the most unique, beautiful and toughest hikes that I have ever done. Granted, when I did this hiking trail, I wasn’t that physically fit. I will still acknowledge that this foot trail known as Devil’s Path lived up to its name as hiking approximately a quarter of it made my legs weak with my body exhausted and drained of most of its energies.

 

Red Trail – Devil’s Path

It was a footpath with soft brown soil as its foundation, pretty leveled terrain with hardly any sign of elevation gain, and a multitude of trees that gave my group shade from the strong summer sun. It was a peaceful and tranquil footpath that all of us could enjoy as it was easy on the legs and gentle on the body. It was the calm before the storm, or the silence before a war would began.

 

Small River

A small river and a bridge made of rocks could be seen the further along we went on the trail. It was somewhat normal and yet unique to find a bridge made of rocks. It was sturdy and strong and we passed by it as if we would never care about it ever again.

 

Fallen Tree

Another interesting thing to see was a fallen tree and yet we had seen fallen trees all the time whenever we hiked. They were uprooted by the strong winds from hurricanes and storms. A nice sight to see and yet we all passed by it without a care nor any sign of interest.

 

Trail Filled With Roots

Tall scrawny trees scattered as far as the eye could see with their roots protruding from the ground. There were lots of hikers that go through this trail everyday and as such, erosion of the soil was bound to happen. We marched on, still enjoying the flat and even terrain as much as possible for we all knew that this was about to change.

 

Intersection

We made a right at the first intersection.

 

Another Intersection

We made another right at this intersection again.

 

Red Trail Ascending

It was a continuous ascent to the top of the mountain as there were no more leveled or even ground, just a tough slope that we must overcome. Our bodies still refreshed, we forged on. We kept moving one step at a time, with smiles and laughter still in all of our faces. But the terrain was unforgiving as we were faced with new slopes and new challenges in every few minutes. After a few minutes had gone by, the trail that was once filled with laughter was now filled with silence.

 

Sherman’s Lookout

At the top of the mountain, the beautiful blue sky welcomed us at Sherman’s lookout. The forest blocked all the decent views that I felt a little suffocated but at this ledge, I was free to look and admire nature to my heart’s content. The scent of fresh air coming in from the valley was refreshing, cooling our bodies and rejuvenating our energies. We stared at the view and rested for a few, just enough to get our energies back and be able to hike easily again.

 

Sherman’s Lookout

Although a lot of people preferred the workout that hiking brings, a part of me just wanted to enjoy the views that I wouldn’t be able to see in the city. There was something about being on top of a mountain and looking at a vast landscape that made my heart flutter. It was as if I was in love with nature as I couldn’t stop looking at the sky, forest, mountains and everything nature could offer. I hope my life in the future would be filled with beauty just like it was filled with beauty on this wonderful day.

 

Vertical Rock Scramble

After the viewpoint, more slopes and ascents greeted us until we came into a particular area. At first, it looked like the trail markers led us to a dead end with nothing but a vertical wall in front of us but after a closer look, the next trail marker was in one of the roots that were protruding from the rocky vertical wall. It was a clear sign that we had climb up this wall in order for us to keep making progress on the trail.

 

Rock Scramble With Roots And Branches

The vertical ascent looked challenging with only the tree roots to help us get to the top but it was actually quite easy. The roots were sturdy and strong that they could easily hold my body weight as well as provide stepping stones for my feet. The ascent was high but one by one we went up to the top of the mountain. We were calm and collected as if we were all just hiking in my neighborhood park.

 

Viewpoint After Rock Climb

“Hello sky, we meet again”, I thought to myself.

The vast and beautiful blue sky blanketed the whole valley in front of me with a few white clouds hovering over the distance. As the wind blew from the valley, I felt all of my exhaustion was slowly flying away. It was gentle and cool, a very comforting wind that felt amazing on our skins.

 

Lookout After Rock Climb

The continuous ascent had left my body drained of all of its energies as I felt my willpower draining away with each step that I made getting to this viewpoint. However, as I sat here, just admiring the forest and valley, I felt my body getting sleepy. The power that I had lost, came back to me again as my body was fully relaxed and rejuvenated that it could fall asleep in a matter of seconds.

 

Red Trail At The Top

Skinny trees filled with barren branches covered the land. There was no sign of life in them, just hollow trees devoid of any leaves. It was hard to tell if they were dead but the footpath was full of them that it was impossible to stray as the branches could prove fatal or that they can scratch our skins rather easily. The footpath itself was rather easy, mostly flat and even ground with a few easy ascents and descents every now and then.

 

Lookout Near Top Of Indian Mountain

The lookout was blocked by trees.

 

Red Trail Descending

At this point, I was rather exhausted with my body breathing heavily with each movement that I made. The flat and even terrain turned into a downhill footpath with lots of mud and water scattered everywhere.  The downhill descent would have been nice for my tired body but the mud made the footpath more strenuous and time consuming. I tried my best to hug the sides but it was of no use as my boots got soaked in deep dark mud with no place to sit nor rest, I had to force my body to continuously descend to the bottom.

 

Intersection

Intersection

 

Jimmy Dolan Notch

I explored a little bit as my group was resting at the intersection. Unfortunately, there was nothing to explore and no viewpoint in this area. I headed back in disappointment. I dropped my backpack on the ground and joined my group for a quick rest before heading to Twin Mountain.

 

Red Trail Rock Scramble

The tough red trail kept ascending upwards with various rocks and obstacles blocking our path. We kept moving, trying to navigate the obstacles in our path and consume as little energy as possible.

 

Red Trail Ascending

There were narrow footpaths between stones, high elevation steps, and very tough rock formations but we kept moving forward. There was no reason to rest, we could do that at the next viewpoint. We were all too tired as there were no more words the left our mouths, only heavy breathing could be heard as we ascended further up the mountain.

 

Lookout Before Twin Mountain

There was a clearing at the top of the ascent, a place where we could rest and gather our strengths again. It was filled with flat and stable stones which did not allow the trees to grow but a few short shrubs made their home here. There wasn’t much to see as the view was blocked by tall trees that grew on the ground below us and they were tall and numerous enough to block the view.

 

Viewpoint

Upon closer inspection of the place, there was a shrub that was perfectly formed that we could stepped into to get to the top. So I took the opportunity to test it. The shrub held my weight rather easily which allowed me to look at the view.

 

Lookout

I stood up and balanced myself perfectly on top of the small shrub but such a feat wasn’t exactly easy. I was able to take a few pictures then I had to go down as my body couldn’t fully stabilize itself at the top of the shrub. There was a beautiful valley beyond the sea of trees and I was certain people would love it and admire it if only they could see it.

 

Trail To Twin Mountain

It was a flat footpath, barely any incline with lots of trees that provide cover from the hot sun. The dark pointy skeletal trees greeted us again as we approached the Twin Mountain vista. They proliferated in this part of the mountain but luckily the footpath did not have any pointy and dangerous branches that could stab us. We walked in a good pace as the footpath was rather easy which was a nice change from the ever changing slopes that we had been through.

 

Twin Mountain

Sometimes I wish I could spend more time with nature, just looking at a beautiful landscape and letting all of my worries drift away. Sitting down and watching the clouds move and change shape was very relaxing as the cool breeze was very calming as well. Nature purifies the heart and soul like no other as I felt refreshed and wonderful the more time passed us by.

 

Twin Mountain Views

Fluffy clouds would passed us by one by one while some would disintegrate right before our eyes. There wasn’t much of a view but we took this opportunity to rests our bodies before heading back to the parking lot. Everyone was in high spirits and everyone was having a good time. We were all tired as well but that will not deter us from having fun and enjoying the day.

 

Blue Trail Descending

We went back to the intersection then proceeded to descend the blue trail to get back to the parking lot.

We all got separated as everyone had different abilities and levels of physical fitness but we all knew we would meet at some point later again. There was a sense of trust and belief that everyone would be safe and okay even if we were separated. There was nothing more to see, no more views nor landmarks, just a descending slope to get all the way down to the mountain.

 

Blue Trail Flat

At the bottom of the mountain, I met everyone again, still a few miles short of the parking lot but everyone who were ahead waited for the slow ones, just to make sure everyone was safe and sound before heading to the parking lot. Flat and even, the blue trail was easy to traverse and only a matter of time before we get back to where we started.

 

End Of The Hike

Finally, we got back to the intersection and proceeded to go back using the red trail. There wasn’t much to say nor to see and in 5 minutes or so, we would be back to the trail where it all began. We were all hungry and tired but we were all smiling and thinking about dinner already. We often go to Flaming Grill Buffet near the 87 as we head back home to NYC. It was cheap with lots of excellent choices for food and plenty of seating for my group.

 

 

For more hikes similar to this one, you can go to my Best Hikes In Catskill, New York page.