Kaaterskill Falls, Catskills

Date	Distance	Time	Elevation Gain	Average Moving Time	Year to Date Miles
5/13/2018	2.2 miles?

Map: NYNJTC Catskills, Map 141
Parking: Route 23A
Directions: From the parking area, turn right and walk carefully along Route 23A. Turn left at the falls. Take the trail up. Turn left on a side trail to the pool between two sections of the falls. Return back to the trail, and continue taking the trail up until you hit the Escarpment Trail. Turn around and return to the parking area.

I feel like this post should be called "I Survived Kaaterskill Falls." We have driven by the falls numerous times. The view by the highway however is not as impressive as the view further in. The parking area on Route 23A is always jam packed, so we've avoided hiking here. Plus it has a short road walk where there isn't always a shoulder to walk on. But, we had time today, and there were actually free parking spots.

The bottom falls were crowded with people sitting on rocks near the water. We continued on. We saw people hiking in inappropriate footwear. People die every year here. There have been safety improvements in the last few years. There are signs about being careful, etc. And yet they still die. Take heed of the signs, and don't go off the trail. There are signs that say in the winter you need crampons. So, I guess its good we didn't try it in the winter to avoid the crowds.

We did encounter fewer people at least when we started getting further down the short trail. At some point, you see the two stages of the fall. I didn't seem to take a picture where you can see both sections. Glen feels rather jaded, as we've seen spectacular waterfalls in Iceland, and he doesn't think anything will compare. The falls here were still quite impressive. I enjoyed them and see how they could inspire Catskill artists. We continued on upwards towards the top of the falls on stone steps - this is one of the newer safety enhancements. Before that section of trail was added, people would try to bushwhack this section. We ended at the Escarpment Trail. There was a viewing platform further down the Escarpment Trail, but Glen was feeling really low blood sugar and had no food on him, so we headed back down.