Located in the northeastern Catskills, the Catskill Center’s Platte Clove Preserve is comprised of 208 acres with beautiful waterfalls and trails at the head of the rugged and scenic Platte Clove in the Town of Hunter, Greene County. The preserve remains a pristine wilderness area open for the quiet enjoyment of the public. Each year […]

Thorn Preserve is comprised of 60 beautiful acres near the Town of Woodstock, Ulster County. View the map below for detailed location information. The Catskill Center’s Thorn Preserve boasts the most painted views of Overlook Mountain. Sweeping grassland habitat, riparian forest and ponds make this spot a profoundly relaxing and peaceful area. Mowed walking paths are […]

Kaaterskill Falls is the tallest two-tiered waterfall in New York State. This area sees high use. Please see the alerts in effect for this area.

The Rochester Hollow parcel has three marked trails. The longest is the Colonel Rochester Trail (blue blaze – 2.7 miles). There are two loops off the blue trail. The Burrough’s Memorial Forest Trail (yellow blaze -0.7 miles) leads to the John Burroughs Memorial Forest, a plantation of white and Norway spruce on an abandoned farm […]

A terrific hike all times of year, this trail has a gentle uphill slope for the first 2.72 miles as you follow a path alongside the Kanape Brook. When you reach a trail junction, travel to the left and for about a mile the trail will be steeply uphill (1000′) to the summit of Ashokan […]

A paved handicap accessible path along the southern edge of the Ashokan Reservoir offers beautiful views and multiple recreational opportunities. The path is 2.7 miles one way and 5.4 roundtrip. The two parking areas are on either side of the walking path: one in Olivebridge, and the other in Kingston. Visitors can walk, ride bikes, […]

A lollipop loop hike that begins right off of Route 28A (look for signage about 0.2 miles after you pass the western Ashokan Reservoir Promenade Parking Area). This two mile trail has interpretive signage about the Catskills and the Watershed. Hikers pass by a quarry that was used in the construction of the Ashokan Reservoir […]

Some steep climbs heading out of downtown Phoenicia lead to beautiful views. Good for hikers and families looking for a moderate challenge.

A steep and rocky trail that leads up to the Mount Tremper Fire Tower. The summit of Tremper Mountain is 2730′ and the steel fire tower on the top is 47 feet tall. The traditional way to summit Tremper Mountain is from the parking area on Old Route 28 on the west side of the […]

A new trail, completed at the beginning of 2021 takes you to the top of Red Hill where you can also climb the Red Hill Fire Tower. Follow the blue-marked Red Hill Tower Trail for 1.4 miles from the trailhead on Denning Road in Claryville, NY. When you reach the junction where a yellow-marked trail […]

The Nature Trail is a 1/2 mile loop trail on the south side of the Plattekill Creek that gives visitors the opportunity to walk along the creek, see the top of Platte Clove and walk through the ruins of a former boarding house that existed on the site in the 19th century. The trail starts […]

Light snow could be headed our way this weekend, especially at the higher elevations of the Catskills. Colder temperatures and very heavy rain this past week will make trails icy at higher elevations and very wet at lower elevations. Please continue to follow recommendations on safety and social distancing from New York State and the […]

Come join us for an evening hike up Overlook. We will meet at the Overlook parking lot at 5:30pm. This is a 4.8-mile hike with even, gravel footing, but a steep trail. Once up top, we will enjoy the sunset from the fire tower before heading down the trail for a starlit hike. Please bring […]

Spend the morning walking a 1-mile, accessible loop trail at the Catskills Visitor Center (CVC). Explore forest and field habitats. Try your hand using binoculars, identifying plants and animals, and climbing the fire tower in our backyard. We’ll talk about and practice Leave No Trace concepts throughout the walk. Meet at the CVC building. Please […]

Join our Visitor Experience and Steward Coordinator Jenny Flavin for a dog walk around the Catskills Visitor Center. Please meet at 5:30pm for an evening walk with the pups. All dogs are required to be on a leash at all times. We will be talking about proper dog etiquette on the trails. If you are […]

Arrive at the Laurel House parking lot by 9am to secure a parking space and meet the Catskill Stewards at the kiosk at the beginning of the trail. We will hike down to the Kaaterskill Falls Viewing Platform. Along the way, our Catskill Stewards will talk about some of the issues of concern on trails […]