Diamond Notch Falls Trail

Beautiful views fun waterfall access to more challenging trails and safe

I only did a quick hike to the falls and a little beyond. The trail was icy and the falls were partly frozen.

Did just beginning when staying at the Sprucetown Inn, was looking for something easy with waterfalls-perfect as we just went to the lean-to & back. Waterfalls are gorgeous & you get the stream the whole way. Ascent moderate to the lean-to, river bed trail as one ascends with patches of clear forest trail.

A nice short hike. We went in from Spruceton Road and it took about an hour to the falls and back. Very, very rocky though!

Some beautiful sites along the way and a pretty waterfall at the end, but very rocky terrain.

Nice hike. Not much in the way of views but some nice scenery.

Nice combination of features on this hike. Flat horse access trail, waterfalls, lean-tos, streams, ridges, lookouts and more. I'd recommend making it a loop and connecting it with the Hunter Mtn firetower trail! It's about 8 miles total.

Great hike. It's a bit longer than the 2.9 miles as you have to walk a bit from the parking area which was about a 12 min walk. Beautiful trail with lots of streams at the beginning. Best view is about 3/4 way up by the avalanche area. Reward at the end isn't about the view but rather the (keep going past lean too) really pretty water falls. Did this hike in the spring and there was much less water at this time of year. Will do again, it's a great one! If your car can handle it you can drive up the rough road at the beginning and park a ways up.

The hike was awesome, and a little longer than marked for this trail. Total we ended up with 4.3 miles rather than 2.9. Getting to the trail head in a car can be a bit tricky, as the road isn't do great, and there isn't much in the way of signage.

Also, I wouldn't consider this hike easy by any means. It's an incline most of the way to the falls and the path is very rocky. Lots of loose rocks and what have you. I would say that this hike could be considered moderate to demanding.

Don't get me wrong, we enjoyed the hike very much, and the falls were gorgeous. If you are looking for the easy way to the falls, go to the trail head on Spruceton Road. It's 1.0 mile to the falls, and the path is much easier to hike for children. The Diamond Notch Road Trail head, is NOT recommended for children under 8 or 9 years old.

Absolutely gorgeous but a bit dangerous as the rains from Irene last August left rock slides and unstable ground all along the escarpment. The nice walk promised became a completely different animal past the lean-to... thank goodness no bears although there was plenty of evidence they weren't far away! Catskill Mountaineering needs to update their overview of this hike!!!

Nice hike. Strenuous but worthwhile. Nice views of Hunter, especially from the summit. Nice leanto on the way up. Be prepared for freak weather. Got stuck in a freak hailstorm on the way down, making it treacherous but exciting. Be especially careful of the ravine on the way down. You will want to keep goimg on the escarpment while time permits.

I could not find the Trail Head. Each side of the dirt road had no parking signs all the way up to the dead end. There is no sign for a trail head and no marker to indicate a trail.

There's nothing at the top but a lean-to but the walk itself is beautiful.