Kaaterskill Falls

Kaaterskill Falls forms where a mountain stream reaches the edge of the Catskill escarpment, the abrupt eastern wall of the Catskill plateau that drops steeply toward the Hudson Valley. The water plunges over a hard rim of ancient sandstone, then falls again over a lower step, carving a deep, rounded amphitheater out of the softer rock beneath.

The two tiers together make the falls unusually tall, and the wooded, cliff-ringed bowl at their base gives the scene its dramatic, cathedral-like feel. This land lay long within the reach of the Lenape and Mohican peoples, living nations whose ancestors knew these cloves and streams. The Catskills' steep, stream-cut edges made the region a wall of forest and waterfall above the settled valley below.

In the early 19th century, as Americans began to see their wild landscapes as a source of national pride, Kaaterskill Falls became a magnet for artists. The painter Thomas Cole, founder of the Hudson River School, painted the falls and the surrounding mountains, and a whole generation of landscape painters followed him into the Catskills to work.

Their glowing, dramatic canvases of the falls, the clove, and the escarpment views helped create the country's first great school of landscape painting and taught Americans to prize their wild scenery. The falls also appeared in the era's literature, including tales that used the Catskills as a setting for a vanishing wilderness. Through art and story, Kaaterskill became one of the most famous natural landmarks in the young nation.

The fame of the falls helped spark a tourism boom in the Catskills. By the middle of the 1800s, grand mountain hotels rose on the plateau above, most famously the Catskill Mountain House perched on the escarpment with its sweeping view over the Hudson Valley. Wealthy visitors came by steamboat and stage to take the mountain air and to visit scenic wonders like Kaaterskill Falls.

For decades this was one of America's most fashionable resort regions, and paths and stairways were built to guide sightseers to the falls. The grand hotels eventually declined and vanished, but their sites and viewpoints remain, and the falls that helped draw those crowds still tumble down the same cliffs. Today's trails follow in the footsteps of those early tourists.

Reaching the falls means hiking steep, rocky, often wet trails, and viewing platforms now let visitors see the cascade safely from below and from the rim above. The rocks near the water are notoriously slippery and have caused serious accidents over the years, so staying on the marked trails and behind the barriers matters greatly.

Spring is when the falls run fullest, swollen with snowmelt and rain and thundering down both tiers. Summer is greenest and busiest, though the flow can thin in a dry spell. Fall brings the famous Catskill foliage framing the water, and winter can transform the falls into a spectacular column of ice, drawing climbers, though the trails then turn treacherous and demand real care.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is a place we chose through independent editorial review, never a paid placement.

This is the most important thing to know before you go. Despite its beauty, Kaaterskill Falls has been the site of numerous deaths, as people slip on the wet, mossy rocks at the top or fall while sitting or standing near the edge of the enormous drop. Stay strictly on the marked trail and at the designated viewing platform and staircases, never venture to the top edge or climb on wet rocks, and keep children close at all times.

For the safest and easiest view, a short, roughly half-mile round-trip walk leads to a viewing platform overlooking the two-tiered falls and the dramatic Kaaterskill Clove. A stone staircase descends toward the base for a closer look. The classic trail up from the valley is steeper and rougher. Whichever route you choose, stick to the built paths and platforms rather than scrambling around the falls themselves.

Parking is strictly managed for safety, and roadside parking along Route 23A through the clove is prohibited, with illegally parked cars ticketed and towed. Instead use the designated lots, such as those on Laurel House Road, Schutt Road, or near North and South Lake. These fill early, often by mid-morning on weekends, so arrive early in the day or visit midweek to be sure of a spot.

It is one of the oldest tourist attractions in America, a two-tiered waterfall among the tallest in New York that captivated the nation in the early nineteenth century. It inspired celebrated Hudson River School painters and appeared in famous poems and essays of the era, drawing genteel visitors to grand mountain hotels nearby. Visiting today, you follow in the footsteps of some of the country's earliest scenic travelers.

Spring brings the fullest, most powerful flow from snowmelt, and autumn wraps the falls in spectacular Catskills foliage, both prime times. Arrive early or on a weekday, since lots fill fast. Check the weather, since rain makes the rocks and trail treacherously slick, and never start the hike down late in the day when darkness adds danger. Winter ice makes it hazardous for all but experienced, equipped climbers. Carry out all trash, and no glass is allowed.