Southwest Hunter has no marked trail. The informal name, Leavitt Peak, honors Bill and Elinor Leavitt, the Catskill 3500 Club's first finishers. Hikers start at the DEC lot at the end of Spruceton Road, pass West Kill Falls, and keep straight toward Hunter Mountain until an unmarked, cairned junction marks the turn. A detailed trip report warns of a false trail just before that junction and puts the round trip near 7 miles.
Geiger Point, a short unmarked spur along the way, gives a fine look back at the peak and at West Kill Mountain. The summit is a dense montane boreal stand of red spruce and balsam fir, viewless, with a club canister to sign. A rough road beyond the canister opens limited views, better once the leaves are down. Side paths are numerous and mostly lead nowhere, so carry a map and compass, and note the turn on the way up. The whole mountain lies in state Forest Preserve, in the Hunter Mountain Wild Forest, so navigation is the challenge rather than access.
