Kaaterskill Wild Forest — Attraction in Town of Hunter

Kaaterskill Wild Forest includes the areas of Kaaterskill High Peak (once believed to be the tallest Catskill peak, a bushwhack summit required for Catskill Mountain Club 3500 Club membership), Kaaterskill Falls and North South Lake Campground. It abuts the Windham Blackhead Range Wilderness to it's north. It is the the location of the southern terminus of the Escarpment Trail that leads from Haines Falls to Windham Mountain and Rt.23. Parking at Laurel House lot to access the Kaaterskill Falls viewing platform, parking at Schutt (Scutt) Rd parking area to access North Point, Kaaterskill Falls and the Escarpment Trail. North South Lake Campground has a day use fee during the spring through fall seasons, and camping is handled through reservations. If you want a work out, you can hike up from 23A in Palenville from the Harding Road trail, or go up the horse trail from Bogart Road. Many trails around. Areas of interest include the Kaaterskill Hotel site, Frank D. Layman monument, Inspiration Point, Boulder Rock, the Catskill Mountain House site, Artists Rock, Sunset Rock, Split Rock, Badman's Cave (it's a cool little overhanging ledge, not a true cave). Bring and wear traction devices during the winter! Microspikes or 10 point crampons if you want to get up close and personal with the falls. This is wilderness, no sanded sidewalks here! One unfortunate slip can send you rocketing down a steep sheet of ice. Please be advised, the area around the falls is dangerous, when during the summer. The Catskills are known for slick rocks when it's humid. It's a steep and rocky gorge. Several people per year are injured by being unprepared or casually ignorant. PLEASE heed warning signs and the advice of rangers/stewards. They can't stop you from doing something but they will have to respond if the worst happens. A few unfortunate folks have lost their lives. It's a VERY POPULAR DESTINATION, plan on arriving early for a parking spot, especially on weekends and holidays. Areas with No Parking are vigorously enforced! Tickets and towing await violators. Trolly service to the Falls is available during the spring through fall from Palenville. Check online for details. I really recommend getting the NY-NJ Trail Conference map number 141. It can get a VERY confusing with all of the trail intesections in the area. Pack it in, pack it out. Please leave no trace. Take only photos, leave...

As soon as the rushing murmur of the falls reached my ears, I could tell my trip to Kaaterskill was worthwhile. (Even) The scenery from the upper viewing platform was jawdropping as it presented a sprawling mountain valley only to be found after venturing through the closet doors of Narnia. I swear, it looked like a vicious ocean full of waves but rather than water filling this huge valley it was an undulating array of trees and endless greenery. The trail down to the base of the falls is a luxury version of a hiking trail since it contains a pristine (yet slightly slippery) stone staircase that leads all the way to the bottom. This is no uniform, bland staircase though. Each step looks like it was carved by dwarves deep within a fiery mountain and carefully placed without disturbing the picturesque surrounding nature. The violent yet soothing mist created from the falls mystically splattering onto the massive stone base sprays from a very far distance which only shows the extreme size of this feat of nature. Casting your eyes on this beauty is similar to how an aged fisherman respectfully looks upon the ocean on his final cast after a day of successful catches while the sun sets and seems to wave goodbye to the old seadog with mutual respect. To some of my friends, the sight of the waterfall from the bottom rang true to the same awe that the protagonists of the first Jurassic Park feel as they witness a wild brontosaurus grazing with the classic JP theme music soaring in the background. A fantastic ice cream shop hangs right outside of the road into Kaaterskill so don't miss that and Tannersville is cute and full of great food. Do not pass this place up for some other mid tier, upstate waterfall or swim spot; trust me...

We happened upon this hike, not really knowing much about this area and just looking to see a bit of the Catskills. When we first arrived at the entrance, it was a bit of a mess because there was trash littered everywhere. I don't know if this is standard or if there was just a rager going on the night before but it definitely didn't fill me with promise as we continued to the falls. But every step further from the entrance we took, the more gorgeous the hike became, happening upon bigger and better falls each time. The pictures don't do this place justice.

As a parent, my question is always: will my kids be able to hang? So if you are a parent reading this, wondering if your 6 year old will be able to enjoy this hike, I would say "yes, but only up to the second falls". The trail is well kept but can get steep and is less accessible for some little ones and folks with mobility issues. I saw a few kids crying to their parents as they proceeded upwards. Keep the hike simple, go only so far as the second falls and then descend, is my recommendation.

If kids aren't a limiting factor, this is a great (moderately difficult) hike for those of us who are just enough in shape to recommend a hike for a Saturday afternoon, but who don't do cross-fit on the reg. My calves felt it the next day. The water is freezing, even on the warmest day, so you can always cool off if you've worked up an uncomfortable sweat.

Totally worth it - if you can locate parking (which is tricky, but we got lucky) and then are fearless enough to walk on the side of the highway about a quarter mile to the...