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expedition_retirementOur accommodations in New Hampshire were booked from Friday to Friday, so our original plan was to leave Thursday morning and spend the night somewhere along the way, leaving us time to do something both on Thursday and Friday. In the end, though, we didn't leave until the early afternoon on Thursday because my wife wanted to attend a retirement party for one of her former colleagues. That meant that it was after dark when we arrived at our motel in Kingston, NY, and we didn't stop to see or do anything on that portion of our drive.
Friday morning, we checked out of the motel and drove the short distance to the trail head above Kaaterskill Falls. Some sources cite these falls as the highest cascading waterfall in New York State. With two drops, these falls combine for a total drop of 260 feet, which is the highest drop in the state. But the highest single drop waterfall in New York is the Taughannock Falls, near Cayuga Lake in the central part of the state, with a drop of 215 feet. Which ever way you parse it, though, this was an impressively tall waterfall. And in the middle of the 19th century, the Kaaterskill Falls were one of the most popular tourist attractions in the nation. This waterfall and its surrounding landscape were made famous by the painters of the Hudson River School. At its peak, this waterfall featured a hotel just steps away from the top of the falls and a series of wooden stairs that descended near the waterfalls. The owners installed a dam on the stream, allowing them to control the flow to turn the falls "on" and "off" for the amusement of visitors. All that remains today is some of the stone foundations of the hotel.
The trailhead is located at a parking lot at the end of Laurel House Road. When we arrived, there was a tour bus parked in the lot, which wasn't the most encouraging thing to find at the beginning of a hike. However, it was unlikely that the passengers were progressing beyond the upper viewing deck adjacent to the upper falls, an easy quarter mile walk from the parking lot. And, in fact, as we began our hike, we passed most of them on their way back to the parking lot. The observation deck provided a nice view of the upper falls, and a nice panoramic view of the surrounding mountains, which were just beginning to show their autumn colors. From here, it was an additional 2/3 of a mile hike down to the base of the falls. At this point we opted not to venture out to the ledge between the falls, with the idea of using it as a break on our return hike up to the parking lot. 
From the bottom of the falls, the trail continued for another half mile to the Bastion Falls, a smaller cascade right before the creek passes under NY route 23A. The cascade is visible from the road, on a switchback, but there is no parking here, so you can't get out an take pictures from the road. But the hike down wasn't too difficult, and it positioned us to get a good view of this smaller waterfall before we turned around to begin our return hike.
When we got back to Kaaterskill Falls, we took the short side trail out onto the wide ledge between the upper and lower falls. I'm not sure I would venture out here in the spring, or during other periods of high volume, but the water volume was low during our visit, and most of the rocks here were dry and not slippery, so we were able to enjoy close up view of the upper portion of the falls. Finally, it was time to climb the rest of the way back up to the car and continue our drive on to New Hampshire.
The remainder of our drive was largely uneventful. We stopped for a late lunch or early dinner in Vermont, and arrived at our accommodations just before dark. After checking in, we made a quick grocery run and then settled into our unit for the week.
Friday morning, we checked out of the motel and drove the short distance to the trail head above Kaaterskill Falls. Some sources cite these falls as the highest cascading waterfall in New York State. With two drops, these falls combine for a total drop of 260 feet, which is the highest drop in the state. But the highest single drop waterfall in New York is the Taughannock Falls, near Cayuga Lake in the central part of the state, with a drop of 215 feet. Which ever way you parse it, though, this was an impressively tall waterfall. And in the middle of the 19th century, the Kaaterskill Falls were one of the most popular tourist attractions in the nation. This waterfall and its surrounding landscape were made famous by the painters of the Hudson River School. At its peak, this waterfall featured a hotel just steps away from the top of the falls and a series of wooden stairs that descended near the waterfalls. The owners installed a dam on the stream, allowing them to control the flow to turn the falls "on" and "off" for the amusement of visitors. All that remains today is some of the stone foundations of the hotel.
The remainder of our drive was largely uneventful. We stopped for a late lunch or early dinner in Vermont, and arrived at our accommodations just before dark. After checking in, we made a quick grocery run and then settled into our unit for the week.