Hiking Kaaterskill Falls | Trail Review

Kaaterskill Falls, NY

Below is everything you should know before hiking the Kaaterskill Falls Trail in the Catskills region of New York State. I’ve also rated my experience with the trail based on a few different categories.

Length – 1.7 miles
Elevation Gain – 416 ft
Kid-friendly

Difficulty

 2.3/5

Moderate – The trail to the falls is relatively short and very well maintained, but there are LOTS of steep stairs on your way down to the base of the falls.

Views/Payoff

 5/5

There are multiple viewing points to catch a glimpse at this gorgeous 260-foot-tall waterfall and you can even take a dip in the cool waters at it’s base. Definitely one of the best payoffs for the short hike that it is!

Getting to the Trailhead

 2/5

When we tried the GPS it told us we had arrived in the middle of a windy road with no waterfall or trail in site, but LOTS of cars parked on the side of the road. There was no space to park on the side of the road, even if it was allowed- which it wasn’t! As we continued on, we saw a cop placing tickets on the window of each car. We drove for another 5 minutes and found a parking lot that said it was for a trailhead. The trail brought us about 1.5 miles down an old railroad which eventually lead us to the start of the Kaaterskill Falls trail that everyone talk about. There was another, more convenient (but full) parking lot there as well (possibly off Laurel House Road).

Date hiked – June 28, 2020

My Experience

Even though we accidentally hiked a longer distance, the old railroad track was really cool to see, especially in places that the wood poked out of the grass- not yet fully consumed by nature. The falls were fairly busy even on a less-than-perfect weather day during the midst of a global pandemic, but people seemed respectful for the most part. There were lots of people swimming in the falls. If I go again, I will definitely bring my swimsuit!

We knew there was a chance of thunderstorms, but we got pretty lucky for most of the day. That said, the sky began to darken as we made our way back up from the falls and by the time we made it to the old railroad track it began to thunderstorm and eventually torrential downpour. We ran a bit of the way back and eventually made it back a few pounds heavier from being waterlogged. It just ended up being part of the fun!

Fun Fact:

Kaaterskill Falls is the inspiration for many artists- both painters and writers alike. The interest in it’s natural beauty began with the author Washington Irving and his depiction of the falls in his 1819 novel Rip Van Winkle. (source)

If you enjoyed this trail review, be sure to check out my other trail review of Sleeping Beauty Mountain in the Adirondack Park of New York State!