Plateau lives up to its name. Its summit ridge stays high for roughly two miles, and the Devil's Path crosses it as the longest high-elevation level walk in the Catskills, an unusually gentle stretch through dark spruce and fir. Getting there is another matter, since the climbs are steep from every direction, and the western end of the ridge has excellent views.
Many hikers arrive from the east over Sugarloaf and Mink Hollow Notch, or from the west at Stony Clove Notch, with Hunter rising across the notch. For a different way down, the Warner Creek Trail makes a point-to-point option. The Long Path joins the ridge from Silver Hollow Notch roughly midway along.
The ridge is boreal forest, and the trail ends with a steep descent to Stony Clove Notch. Western slopes drain through Stony Clove Creek toward Esopus Creek, while the northeastern side feeds Schoharie Creek. The mountain sits in the Indian Head Wilderness, where camping above 3,500 feet is prohibited from March 21 to December 21, so most people day-hike it.
