Ah, The Catskill Mountains. This is one of my favorite places in the world. When most of us hear Catskills, we think immediately of "Dirty Dancing" and all the old resorts from the 50's and 60's. It's easy for us to assume that since the grand old resorts have fallen into disrepair and all but fallen down, that the area isn't nearly as much fun as it used to be.
Not true.
It's true. Grossinger's isn't what it used to be in those mega resort years where you spent the entire summer away from the city. You can see many of the resorts, or what used to be resorts, as you drive around the area. It's sad that the grand days of the all entertaining resort have gone away in lieu of other expensive locations for the New York elite to travel to. But, if you think that means that there's nothing to do in the Catskills, you're just wrong.
Hunter Mountain, location of Hunter, NY and the Hunter Mountain Resort is a great place to be. The resort is open nearly year round and has all kinds of activities, festivals, and oh yeah, you can ski there. Hunter Mountain has one of the most notable Oktoberfests around, it also has a bluegrass festival, sports and music events, and so on. I don't know about the famous Highland Games Festival, but it used to be my favorite.
Hunter mountain has a huge resort and the entire town is devoted to tourists and everything Hunter Mountain. The village has hotels, great food, shopping, art, and friendly people. The main resort is enormous and has all kinds of amenities, including pools that you can swim indoors and outdoors year round in. There are condos too. It's an amazing place.
If you want to do something, you can ski all winter. You can also take a scenic lift ride, go hiking, go biking, or go zip lining on the highest zip lines in the East. The views are amazing no matter what you do, so trust me; it's awesome!
Foliage season is not to be missed in this region. Keep in mind, everyone in the world wants to see the leaves in the Catskills. It's one of the best places to see nature's beauty in person. Late September to early October is the best time to see the leaves at their peak, and it's also about the time that the Oktoberfest is in full swing. Hotel space might be hard to find during the season, but if you can find a place to stay; the views are worth it. The scenic lift and the zip lines are in full swing during the foliage season, so it's a lot of fun.
One of my favorite parts of the Catskills are the waterfalls. Any of you who know me, are you surprised? Kaaterskill Falls is probably the best known falls in the park. I've been going there for at least 25 years. This time, I found a surprise.
Before, you had to park your car on a switchback road in a little parking area, hike down the road to the trail head, and then walk a mile or so to the bottom of the falls on a primitive trail at best. That is no longer. The parking area is closed. You now drive around through Haines Falls to the trail that has always been at the top of the falls.
From the upper parking area, you now have a viewing area platform, a bridge to cross the creek, and a trail that goes all over the place and even all the way to the bottom of the falls via 181 steps. It's not an easy trail, but it beats the old way of dodging traffic and climbing cliffs. I really enjoyed it.
Another thing that I did while I was in the area last time, was to take a scenic drive. There are brochures wherever you stay and conveniently signed roadways that you can travel to see some great views, sights, waterfalls, ski areas, villages and whatever. I took the Clove Loop. Beautiful.
Another great thing about the Catskills is the village of Catskill. Close to the iconic Rip Van Winkle Bridge that crosses the Hudson River on your way into town, Catskill is a relaxing place to spend some time. When staying in the area, it's the best place to get supplies. It's also a great place to do a little shopping, get something to eat, or just spend some time in the park by the river. There is also a downtown full of painted cat statues to wander around and look at.
There are other towns in the area. Windham is the other big ski town. They have the Windham Mountain Resort there, lots of shopping, eating and lodging. They also have a scenic lift ride. They are also closer to Zoom Flume Water Park, one of the largest water parks in New York.
There is so much you can get out and do in the area. Both Athens and Saugerties have lighthouses to see. Olana is just one of the many Hudson Valley estates that you can tour. And that Rip Van Winkle Bridge? You can walk that. It's an amazing view.
The New York Parks Department make some of the most user friendly outdoor areas in the country. They highlight the best views, make it easier for you to get to that view. They are amazing, and that's only one of the things that makes it so wonderful to get outdoors in New York.
But, if waterfalls are your thing as they are mine, you will find dozens of them to look at in the Catskills. I found one this last visit that I'd never found before, and it was the beautiful Platt's Clove Falls in the Platt's Clove Nature Preserve. It was several miles up a death road with some of the most amazing views I've ever seen. It was down a switchback trail and was on the top of a mountain. It was beautiful, a great adventure, and so worth it.
Just remember, the Catskills are an amazing little mountain range the shoots up out of the farmland in upstate New York. They are rugged, beautiful, steep, scenic, and full of adventure from hiking and biking to zip lining and 4 wheeling. There's a lot to do. The huge resorts of the earlier days are gone, but there's still a lot of great places to stay, eat, and recreate. It's a great place to visit, and for me close to home. It's a must see if you like mountains. So, take some time, get out doors in the Catskill Mountains and enjoy!
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