Monday, January 18, 2010

Kaaterskill Falls- Catkills, NY


We had intended on taking a big snowshoe adventure through the Catskill Mountains on Saturday. However, the weather in New York turned suddenly warm and there actually wasn't a ton of snow. After last weekend's hike in 12 degree weather, we were treated to a sunny day and a temperature near 50 degrees! It was glorious! We decided to just do some exploring and have our snowshoes on hand if they were necessary. Our friends Jeff and Toyin needed to go to Catskill to pick up a treadmill they purchased so we decided to make a day out of it.

The northern part of the Catskills is only about 45 minutes from Albany. There are a lot of beautiful hiking trails, however many of them are closed during the months of January and February because many go along cliffs and are too treacherous. We stopped off at the Greene County Visitors Center for a suggestion of where to go for some light hiking with a 2 year old. The gal suggested Kaaterskill Falls, the tallest double-tiered waterfall in New York. There is a .50 mile hike from the base of the falls up to the top, however, it was really slippery and I climbed up about five rocks before realizing it was not a good idea for Gavin or his knocked up mama! Adam climbed up a ways to get a closer look at the frozen waterfalls while Gavin and I stayed down below and had a snowball fight. We will definitely return in the spring or summer to get a look at the falls when they are flowing.

After we spent time at the bottom of the falls, we drove up to the top and took a walk to see the falls from above. It was such a beautiful day to be in New York. Here are some photos of our day- I like showing you some of the scenic gems that you may not have heard about. I really had no idea how much this state had to offer outside of NYC before we moved here. Enjoy!

Lower part of Kaaterskill Falls

Adam and Gavin, before we realized the hike was much more treacherous than it appeared.

The top of Kaaterskill Falls

Adam enjoying the view from above the falls

Gavin looking at the frozen water and enjoying the occasional handful of snow

Now this is a great way to hike!

Toyin and me


3 comments:

Hillary said...

I am so impressed with how active you're staying while prego. You're a good example for me when the time comes. :-)

Emily said...

Looks beautiful! I hope you're not falling too in love with NY and all it has to offer ... we still want you to come back home!

Missy said...

You give NY a good rep. Cool cities and beautiful landscape.