Kaaterskill Falls is a two-stage waterfall on Spruce Creek, located in the eastern Catskill Mountains of New York, on the north side of Kaaterskill Clove, between the hamlets of Haines Falls and Palenville in Greene County’s Town of Hunter. The two cascades total 260 feet (79 m) in height, making it one of the highest waterfalls in New York, and one of the Eastern United States’ taller waterfalls.The falls are one of America’s oldest tourist attractions, being depicted or described by many books, essays, poems and paintings of the early 19th century
We finally got around to hiking this fantastic trail. To be honest, I was never really quite sure where they were and had also heard that parking was a challenge. We went on a Wednesday afternoon & the parking lot was fairly busy, so I would recommend going early on weekends to ensure you secure a spot!
We finally got around to hiking this fantastic trail. To be honest, I was never really quite sure where they were and had also heard that parking was a challenge. We went on a Wednesday afternoon & the parking lot was fairly busy, so I would recommend going early on weekends to ensure you secure a spot!
Getting there: 40 minutes from Woodstock. Head towards Palenville and then take Rt 23A towards Haines Falls. After about 4 miles look out for a sharp bend (almost a hairpin bend) in the road & you will see the sign post for the falls on your right side (blue dot on the map). You cannnot park here, so continue around the bend for another 800 yards and you will see a parking lot on your left (red pin). Once parked you will need to back track by foot, down the road to the entrance to the path. Take care as you walk on the road, for part of the walk you can walk inside the crash barrier on the left, you only need to walk on the actual road for a little bit, but watch out for cars!
Click on the map for the parking lot location.
Click on the map for the parking lot location.
The trail: The trail itself takes about an hour round trip (longer if you’d like to take your time and picnic by the falls. The parks department are building a path up the side of the falls, so you will also be able to view the falls from the top, this should be open by early summer. That will be cool! The path itself is rocky in places, particularly at the start but it is not too bad, I wouldn’t recommend it for small kids. It is dog friendly. Overall a very pleasant drive out there & a nice little hike.
