Kaaterskill Falls Trail

The Catskills, as it is called by New Yorkers, is a nature reserve about 150 kilometers north of the city. It is therefore no wonder that this region was a tourist attraction for the richer class in the mid-20th century. On weekends they drove their car out of the city to escape the crowds. Meanwhile, tourism has declined somewhat. Now we can walk quietly and enjoy the tranquility.

We choose Kaaterskill Falls today. This waterfall is also the highest in the state of New York. We are surprised by this ourselves, because we thought that honor would go to the world-famous Niagara Waterfalls. At 79 metres, Kaaterskill Falls is indeed much higher than its better-known counterpart, which ticks off at 'barely' 51 metres.

The waterfall consists of two floors. Every part of the waterfall is impressive, especially because we can get very close to it. After a nice walk along Spruce Creek, mainly over boulders and forest paths, we reach the first level of the waterfall. Here we have a nice overview of the entire waterfall.

After a steep climb we reach the middle of the waterfall. Here we linger on a boulder while the water seeps down from the huge rock above our heads. The rocks form a natural semi-amphitheatre. The silence is overwhelming: we really hear every drop falling from the waterfall. We run into people from Long Island. They enthusiastically tell how they used to come here every weekend as young people to enjoy the beauty of nature. Due to the decreased tourism, the hiking trail has once again become more natural and rugged. The waterfall itself has of course remained the same: impressive as ever.

As if this were not enough, you can also walk to the top of the waterfall. The internet here talks about closed roads and numerous accidents in the past. However, we see arrows towards the top, so we decide to follow them anyway. A steep climb takes us to the top of the waterfall.

Here, too, we are short of eyes. In this dry period, little water flows to the waterfall, but the view is breathtakingly beautiful. The waterfall plunges 79 meters down through a canyon with rugged rocks. At the top of the waterfall, crystal clear pools form where other visitors swim. We do not have swimming trunks and the water is ice cold, so we decide to discover the natural beauty on foot.

We jump from stone to stone over the water, often slippery from the ancient moss. Time and again we are impressed by the new view we discover behind every corner. The Catskill Mountains are a paradisiacal place: relatively unknown, but definitely worth a visit.