Vagrant Visits - Kaaterskill Falls and Catskill Mountain House

Posted by Derek at 10/4/2008 7:52 PM
Categories: Vagrant Visits


Cheyenne and I headed out for another visit to Kaaterskill Falls.  For those unaware (which for some strange reason seems to be most people), Kaaterskill Falls is the highest waterfall in New York.  The falls are a mighty 260 feet in total, broken into two tiers.

In typical Cheyenne fashion, we get no farther than just past the parking lot before she rolls her ankle and falls to the ground, scraping her knee in the process.  Thankfully, it was merely a flesh wound.



After avoiding the traffic on 23A we arrive at Bastion Falls.  The water is coming over at a decent rate, so I know we're in for a treat when we get to the top.  There are quite a few people lurking about, including the usual type who see Bastion Falls and then just leave (I guess they figure that's all there is to see).

We head for Kaaterskill, and the trek is quite easy this time - not so much mud and wetness where slippery footing becomes an issue.  Chey also has a far easier time than the previous few years when you'd have to hold her hand or keep an overly watchful eye on her 90% of the journey. 

Just before we hit the clearing you can hear the roar of the water coming over the falls.  True enough, we break thru are privy to the majestic Kaaterskill Falls.  Despite being there several times before, I never get tired of seeing them.  The water cascades down from the top tier, launched like it was thrown from buckets.  The large pool in-between then overflows into the lower section where the falls are much fuller and traditional.

I'm always amazed to see the number of people present who have never seen the falls.  Despite being the tallest in the entire state and only being a half mile hike, the site is one of the areas best kept secrets.  We meet two such gentlemen, who have made the journey from Philadelphia and New York City to see the falls.  We talk a little about the area and what it has to offer.  After taking a few pictures of the two men together (proof for their wives that they were doing something productive on their trip), they offer to snap a few of Chey and I.





Afterwards, we take in the scenery for a while as we usually do.  We hop up on one of the large rocks and enjoy the never ending theater the falls present.  There are many visitors on this day, some with large "commercial" type cameras - lengthy fancy lenses, tripods, etc.  Others frolic near the resulting stream, Kaaterskill Creek. 



Eventually, we make our way back down the trail towards the car - we've got another stop to make on this day!

Here are two links - one for a photo gallery and one a video of our hike from Kaaterskill Falls back down to Bastion Falls.



From there, we head to the top of the mountain, thru Haines Falls.  The plan is to visit the North South Lake camping area to check out the site of the no-longer-in-existence Catskill Mountain House.  I'm excited, as I've read about the Mountain House, but have never been to the site.  The Mountain House was built in the early 1800's, and was visited by many prominent figures of our country's past - presidents, dignitaries, and other such figures.  Initially, the only way to visit the hotel was via a five hour stagecoach ride up the side of the mountain.  Eventually, a railway was built right into the side of the mountain to provide better access.

We pay the $5 day use fee and head to the back side of North Lake, where there is a parking area not far from the site.  After some wandering around the Escarpment Trail, we find the proper trail.  After a short incline, the trail curves left and you pass through the old gateposts.  Not far from there you can start to see the views, even from through the trees.  Shortly thereafter, you hit a clearing where you're privy to the sweeping views the hotel's visitors saw many ages ago.  You can see the Hudson, and beyond that assumedly Massachusetts and Connecticut.  Cars look like ants moving along the roads below.  All in all, an amazing sight!

Here are two links, one a photo gallery of the Catskill Mountain House site and North Lake, the other is a short video of the view from the Mountain House site.


That concluded the day's adventures, but I'll leave you with one last fun picture.  

The human candy cane:






 

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