33. Kaaterskill Falls

Distance:	Dayhike
Difficulty :	Easy for children
Distance :	0.6 mile, round trip
Hiking time :	40 minutes
High point/elevation gain :	2050 feet, 100 feet
Hikable :	May-October
Map :	NY-NJ Trail Conference Map 40

Here is today's final "Jeopardy" question. (You've bet it all. Let's see if you'll win loads of cash and return as tomorrow's champion or leave a loser with a year's supply of licorice.)

The answer is "These falls in the Catskills are higher than Niagara Falls."

After that cute little "Jeopardy" song runs its course, you guess, anxiously, "What are the Kaaterskill Falls?" You're right! The emcee shakes your hand! You will return as tomorrow's champion, sending your rivals, the part-time farmhand and the nuclear physicist, home with armfuls of licorice.

OK, OK, it's not a likely scenario. But even if knowing about the Kaaterskill Falls never makes you famous and wealthy, you'll be glad you made the trip. A wide, level path leads 0.25 mile to the top of this spectacular waterfall. Here, surefooted kids and adults can sit on the rocks and watch the water disappear over the escarpment in a pair of dramatic falls. Although children can wade and splash in the shallow pools of Spruce Creek well above the waterfall, they must take care not to venture too close to the sheer cliff over which the water spills.

The Kaaterskill Falls is considered one of the Catskills' most spectacular sites . . . and you never know when a few little facts about a waterfall in upstate New York will come in handy.

From New York City, take the Thruway (I-87) north to Exit 20. Follow NY-32 north approximately 8 miles to Palenville and NY-23A. Turn left (west) onto NY-23A and drive 7 miles to Haines Falls. At the junction of NY-23A and Greene County 18 in Haines Falls, turn right onto Greene County 18, heading east. Drive 1.7 miles and turn right (south) onto Laurel House Road. In 0.4 mile, park at the end of the road. (Please do not block the gate.)

From the parking area, sidestep the metal gate and head southeastward along a wide gravel road. In 0.1 mile, near a large white pine, bear right, continuing along the more substantial path as a narrow foot trail heads straight. One-quarter mile from the car, a fence guards the ravine carved by Spruce Creek. Follow the northern bank of the creek to the top of Kaaterskill Falls, holding the hands of little children or inexperienced young hikers as you near your destination.

From the top of the falls, enjoy the magnificent view into the narrow valley of Kaaterskill Clove. (Henry David Thoreau enjoyed these same views many years ago.) Watch the water disappear over the edge of the cliff and hear it thunder down the mountainside. (You won't be able to see the falls since the drop is so steep.) Kaaterskill Falls actually consists of two separate falls: the first drops 175 feet into a pool, from which the second spills 85 feet, totaling 260 feet—almost 100 feet higher than Niagara Falls.

Fifty feet back from the falls, the kids can wade and splash in the shallow pools of the creek (assuming the water level is low). Never allow children to approach the falls by way of the creek—the risk of injury is too great. (There have been fatalities here.)

You cannot reach the base of the falls from the top. Years ago, during the era of the grand hotels, a staircase did lead to the bottom. Now the only access is from NY-23A along a trail of less than 1 mile. Even though parking is approximately 0.2 mile from the head—necessitating some rather unpleasant highway walking—this is a popular route.

From the fence above the falls, follow the wide gravel path back to your car. Or, for a change, follow the northern bank of the brook upstream, on a narrow foot trail with frequent side trails branching right to the water. About 0.25 mile from the falls, the trail leads left, crossing the site of the Laurel House. Although modest in comparison to some of the other Catskills hotels, the Laurel House was a popular retreat in its day due to its unusual location. The owner of the hotel built a dam to impede the flow of water in the creek; for a fee, he would release the water and "create" the falls.

Soon the trail arrives at an intersection with the gravel road, near the large white pine. Continue 0.1 mile on the wide path to your car.