Plateau Mountain is located in the county of Greene in New York. At its summit, the elevation above sea level is 3,850 feet. It has a two-mile long summit ridge which makes for a nice long walk to the summit if you are coming from the Devil's Tombstone parking area. This is where I began my hike on a hot summer day in July of 2012. I didn't start off thinking I was going to hike up one of the steepest parts of the Devil's Path when I decided to take what I thought was going to be a short hike up a mountain. I was in for a big surprise.
The reason I was in the area was to do a review of the Devil's Tombstone State Campground for my website. As I was taking pictures of the parking area and Notch Lake I noticed a sign that said "Plateau Mountain 1.2 miles". I thought that this hiking trail should be part of my review and 1.2 miles wasn't that much of a hike. To give you some perspective of my experience in this area, I had no clue what the Devil's Path was or what the "High Peaks" were at that time. I had hiked up some mountains in the Adirondacks but they were small in comparison to the one I was about to climb. I started off with sneakers, shorts, cotton t-shirt, no bug spray, and a 16.9 oz bottle of Lipton iced tea. The hike started off nicely enough with a slight uphill walk and the bugs weren't that bad. That all changed when I came upon the switchbacks of hell!
I started up the switchbacks thinking that they were difficult but would only go on for a short while. The sweat poured off my head as switchback after switchback continued in front of me. The mosquitoes & black flies became a constant companion as I continued my journey up the mountain. At moments, I thought of turning around but those thoughts quickly passed when I realized I would waste all of the effort I had already made. I came upon a flat area in the trail and decided to take a break. Although my journey had been rocky throughout, this part of the trail looked different. The trail crossed a rock slide that had happened years before.
After a short break at the rock slide area I continued up the mountain. I hadn't seen anyone thus far on my journey but I did hear faint voices which seemed to be coming from up further on the trail. The voices grew louder and I eventually crossed paths with a couple of guys who were making their way down the mountain. I said hi and asked them how much further was it to the top. They said that I was close and offered words of encouragement. They had on the proper clothes and gear and I certainly did not. I struggled on and finally came across the 3,500 foot sign! If I had known at the time that I only had 350 feet more of elevation to go I might have been a little relieved. I didn't so I continued on and wondered when my journey to the summit would end.
I eventually reached Orchard Point which is a ledge with amazing views of Stony Clove & Hunter Mountain. It was well worth the hours of struggle I had endured climbing up the switchbacks of hell and the constant annoying companions I had with the mosquitoes & flies. I continued on to the summit but the highlight of the hike for me was the views at Orchard Point.
I had a great journey up & down Plateau Mountain but I had equal fun finding out about the mountain and the areas history. I'm sure the names "Devil's Path" & "Devil's Tombstone" have piqued your interest. What formed Plateau Mountain and the 1,400 foot drop into Stony Clove? I'll try to shed some light on those mysteries.
The Devil's Tombstone is located within the aptly named Devil's Tombstone State Campground which is located adjacent to Route 214. There is a plaque attached to it that commemorates the 100th year (1885-1985) anniversary of the New York State forest preserve. The area which is called Stony Clove was thought to be the Devil's Dwelling back in the early days of settlement. The clove itself was formed during the last ice age when melt-water accumulated to the north and slowly eroded its way through the clove. The path was so narrow during the early days that travelers had to walk through it in single file. Over time a wagon road & railroad were built through the pass. Today the wagon road of the past is now Route 214.
The area is one of the few places in the Catskills below 3,000 feet that boreal forest occurs with paper birch trees a common sight. Spruce and fir trees are common at the higher elevations of Plateau while plants/flowers such as Spring Beauty, Dutchman's Breeches, and Purple Trillium may be found along the trail.
The trail that leads to the summit of Plateau Mountain is part of the Devil's Path. The total length of the path is 24.2 miles. The reasoning for the name is clear if you ever hike it, especially the eastern half which includes Plateau, Sugarloaf, Twin, and Indian Head Mountains. They all have steep trail ascents and descents which culminate in a 1,400 foot descent into Stony Clove where the path crosses Route 214 before ascending up Hunter Mountain. Here is a great view of the eastern part & peaks of the Devil's Path!
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