West Kill Mountain has a craggy profile that is easy to pick out from points north or south, and the standard route from Spruceton Road is a strenuous out-and-back of about 6.8 miles. It starts on the blue-blazed Diamond Notch Trail beside the West Kill stream, reaches Diamond Notch Falls at 0.7 miles, then joins the red-blazed Devil's Path for the climb. Most of the 1,700 feet of gain comes in a single steep mile, through evergreens and past a rock overhang that passes for a cave.
Buck Ridge Lookout, just east of the top, is the reward. Its east-facing viewpoint frames Hunter Mountain, Southwest Hunter and the Blackhead range. Ranked sixth among the Catskill high peaks, the mountain takes its name from the West Kill stream on its northern slopes. Southwest Hunter faces it across Diamond Notch; on the other side, Mink Hollow separates it from North Dome, which hikers can reach by continuing along the Devil's Path and then leaving it.
The mountain sits inside the Westkill Mountain Wilderness, and leashed dogs are allowed on this route. Plan a full day: the top is marked by a summit cairn, and the descent simply retraces the same route.
