Few things are more serene than a hike to a rushing cascade where you can tune everything out—or better yet, several waterfall hikes over a long weekend
When it comes to New York State waterfalls, the majestic Niagara Falls is top of mind. The 260-foot-tall Kaaterskill Falls in Haines—the tallest waterfall in the state—also draws hordes of visitors every year. But there are plenty of lesser-known falls where you can bask in the mesmerizing flow of nature with little or no company to enjoy the immersive experience that waterfalls provide.
The perfect antidote to the madness of city life, waterfalls force you to be in the moment -- and combining a hike with stunning Catskill Mountain or Hudson River views with a visit to a waterfall transports you to a tranquil realm. Some of the more obscure Hudson Valley
“Walking through the woods is a meditative experience on its own, but a big waterfall really helps tune everything out,” said Nicole Renna, 34, an actor from Philadelphia who was heading to Verkeerder Kill Falls in Wawarsing with her husband, Chris Kolb, 36, a project manager for a product-development company. “It’s easy to get bogged down in the manmade pressures that exist in life, and this is a good reminder that it’s all made-up. The only thing that’s real is the waterfall in front of me.”
Waterfall at John Burroughs Nature Sanctuary/Black Creek State Forest in Esopus
no admission fThe naturalist John Burroughs described water as “exhilarating” in his 1908 book “Leaf and Tendril.” That’s also a fitting adjective for this long cascade reached by hiking roughly four miles round trip through the nature sanctuary that was once Burroughs’ rustic retreat.
The South Pond Trail will transport you to a mystical world of stone steps and small falls trickling through mossy rockfaces, forming wetlands below that provide habitat for beavers and skunk cabbage. Along the way, we spotted a big black snake, a northern leopard frog, painted turtles sunning themselves on logs, and delicate lavender, violet and white hepatica blossoms springing up beneath hemlocks and birches.
As you approach the waterfall, the path opens up to a view of Black Creek with a sea of cattails shimmering in the sun, and a rushing sound announces the presence of the falls. The falls gradually descends about 25 feet over a dramatic stretch of about 350, and there is a flat stone on the bank near the top where you can sit and soak up the sights and sounds. Follow the trail to the bottom of the falls, where the remnants of an antique stone mill stand, and dip your bare feet in the nippy creek before lacing up to head back along the same route.
Awosting Falls, Rainbow Falls, and Stony Kill Falls at Minnewaska State Park Preserve in Kerhonkson and Wawarsing
$10 admission fee per carAwosting Falls is the most accessible waterfall at Minnewaska and the park’s second-most popular attraction after Lake Minnewaska, according to Jorge Gomes, the park’s assistant manager. This stunning 65-foot cascade on the Peter’s Kill is surrounded by the quartz conglomerate bedrock that makes up the Shawangunk Ridge, providing a scenic natural viewing platform from the top of the falls. Grab a seat on a stone by the large pool that forms below to take in the full power and force of the waterfall from another perspective.
“It’s like a pilgrimage,” said Glenn Gidaly, 72, a Gardiner resident and retired marketing manager as he walked past the falls with his brother, Ronald Gidaly, 75. “We like to come after the snow melts.”
While the meticulously groomed Awosting trail could easily accommodate an all-terrain wheelchair, be prepared to navigate a rocky, eroded path to reach the bottom of Rainbow Falls. Though near a well-traveled path, this 70-foot falls feels remote because it’s in the middle of the forest, near a stand of tall hemlocks, where you can savor the sensation of the spray on your skin and listen for songbird calls. The falls is fed by an unnamed tributary of the Peter’s Kill and can dry to a trickle or less if there’s no rain, so it’s best to try to plan your trip there during a wet time.
Stony Kill Falls, about a 15-minute drive from Minnwaska’s main entrance, takes you inside a fairy tale of stone steps, quaint wooden bridges and water cascading over striated sheets of rock. The stone landing midway up the half-mile climb is the perfect place to catch your breath and drink in the sounds of nature as the 87-foot cascade shoots over the cliff in front of you. Just above the big cascade, which is fed by several smaller ones above it, there’s a tranquil pool once used as a nudist swimming hole, and nudists still are occasionally spotted there.
Verkeerder Kill Falls at the Sam’s Point Area of Minnewaska State Park Preserve in Cragsmoor
$10 admission fee per car plus a $0.95 reservation fee (reservations required on weekends from spring through fall)At 187 feet, this waterfall is the largest in the area and arguably the most dramatic. A loud whooshing sound heralds the presence of this mighty falls from around half a mile away. Fed by a creek called the Verkeerder Kill, the water courses over giant slabs of rock before heading over a cliff, where it has carved an enormous ravine below. Two large rocks at the end of the footpath, across the ravine from the falls, make an excellent viewing spot.
This 5.5-mile hike, with four of those miles on a very rugged trail with a robust timber rattlesnake population, makes Verkeerder Kill the least accessible of the waterfalls on this list. The walk feels longer than it is because of the relentlessly rocky footpath, but the mountain views along the way and the view of the falls are stunning.
Shaupeneak Ridge waterfall and Middle Falls in Esopus
no admission feeA third-of-a-mile stroll through tall sun-dappled hemlocks alongside Black Creek will take you to the series of cascades known as Middle Falls. Each is relatively small, but the series continues for roughly 600 feet. Although not far from the road, you will feel a million miles from civilization sitting on a tree stump by the bank amid bright yellow trout lilies listening to the hypnotic whoosh of the frothy water.
At Shaupeneak Ridge, flat stones lead downward to a large rock landing at the base of an unnamed 20-foot falls across the Swartekill, which pours off a mossy cliff with several rivulets surrounding the main chute. The hike there is a steep and hilly 0.75 miles through deep forest graced with an old stone fence.
Falling Waters Preserve in Glasco
no admission feeThis preserve combines accessible trails, striking Hudson River views and two relatively small, sweet falls within a mile of each other, both across unnamed tributaries of the Hudson River.
The first falls is a short stroll from the parking area on the blue trail, which continues to the riverfront. The walk to the second falls of less than a mile offers stunning shoreline overlooks, and when you arrive, there’s a rustic gazebo with several benches where you can watch the water zigzag over a series of rock shelves.
Vernooy Kill Falls in the Sundown Wild Forest in Accord
no admission feeA wooden bridge spanning the Vernooy Kill affords upstream and downstream views of this seemingly endless series of cascades that gradually drop about 35 feet over rock slabs and form two large pools surrounded by big rocks. The rocky 1.7-mile trail doesn’t offer much in the way of views, but there are thick pockets of pink and white mountain laurel in the late spring and early summer. Sections of the trail often are flooded and slippery, and there’s a healthy timber rattlesnake population here.
Chance Hill, an aerialist in the Broadway play “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” took advantage of a Monday off from performances in late April to unwind at Vernooy Falls. “I sat next to the waterfall and meditated,” said Mr. Hill, 33, from Washington Heights. “I’m excited to come back and see it in different seasons.”
