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Information about Kaaterskill Falls: |
| Name: Kaaterskill Falls |
| County: Greene |
| Region: North-South Lake |
| Location: Lake Creek Ravine |
| Order within ravine: 1st of 2 waterfalls (1=highest elevation) |
| Drops within waterfall: 2 |
| Parking Lots (Lower - Rt 23a): One before Bastion Falls AND one after Bastion Falls (almost always full) |
| Parking Lots (Upper - Rt 18): One at the end of Laurel House Road (often full) Take North Lake Road (Rt 18) in Haines Falls |
| Parking Lots (Upper - Rt 18): One at the top of Scutt Road (rarely full) Take North Lake Road (Rt 18) in Haines Falls |
| Total Height: 231' (measured by DEC with a laser) |
| Top Elevation: 2,360' |
| Bottom Elevation: 2,129' |
| Type of Waterfall: Plunge |
| Number of Drops: 2 |
| GPS location: N 42.19311, W 74.06287 (Top of falls) |
| WGS84 location: 42.1933, -74.06296 (Top of falls) |
| Deg, Min, Sec location: N42 11 35, W74 03 46 (Top of falls) |
| UTM location: 18N 577368, 4671663 (Top of falls) |
| Previous or Alternate Names: Catterskill Falls, Cauterskill Falls |
| Description: This waterfall consist of 2 drops. The first drop is 167' and the second drop is 64' high |
| Hiking Distance: ~1.8 miles (round trip). |
| Best time to Visit: After a large rain storm (4-5" of rain) and in the late afternoon |
| Trail Information: Hiking Kaaterskill Falls |
| Time: Average 1 hours round trip |
| Elevation Gain: 330' from Rt 23a to the base of Kaaterskill Falls. |
| Elevation Loss: 50' from Laurel House Road to the top of Kaaterskill Falls. |
| Difficulty: Easy |
| Access to top of waterfalls: Hike down from Laurel House Road |
| Access to bottom of waterfalls: Hike up from Rt 23a by the horseshoe in the road by Bastion Falls |
| Map No: VO: #20 on top - #11 on bottom - TC: Map #141 - NG: #16 - USGS: Kaaterskill Quad |
| Digital Mapper: Topo
Terrain
Satellite
DEC-Trail-Map (pdf)
DEC-GIS-Map
Greene-County-Property-GIS-Map |
| Known Access Safety: Over 200+ deaths over the past 200 years. Considered one the most deadly waterfalls in the world. |
| Known Access Safety: There are many ways to die at Kaaterskill Falls - Here are just a few warnings: |
| Known Access Safety: Most Deaths occur from falling off the top of the falls or being washed over the falls. |
| Known Access Safety: Falling off the top of the lower falls |
| Known Access Safety: Not safe to rock climb - rock crumbles |
| Known Access Safety: Do NOT cross creek when the water is high, and do not cross near the top of either falls |
| Known Access Safety: Stay on the trails. |
| Attractions: Great view from the bottom of the falls - Lousy view from the top of the falls |
| Common Animals: Too populated to see wildlife on a regular basis |
| Risky Animals: None known - usually very crowded |
| Access Methods: Hike from Rt 23a to access the bottom. Hike from Laurel House Road to get to the top. Do NOT climb up the closed trail from the base of the falls to the top. Very dangerous. |
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Directions to Trail Head to the Bottom of Kaaterskill Falls from the NYS Thruway |
| Take New York State Thruway to Exit 21 (Catskill). |
| Take a left out of the NYS Thruway entrance road. |
| Go approximately 1/4 mile |
| Take a right onto Route 23 West |
| Go approximately 6.6 miles to Cairo, NY |
| Take a LEFT onto Rt 32. McDonalds Rest. on corner. |
| Go approximately 7.7 miles on Rt 32 |
| Take a RIGHT onto Rt 23A |
| Go approximately 5.7 miles on Rt 23A . |
| After going around the Horseshoe turn (by Bastion Falls), park 1/4 mile past the Falls at Rip's Lookout. |
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Directions to Trail Head to the Top of Kaaterskill Falls from the NYS Thruway |
| Take New York State Thruway to Exit 21 (Catskill). |
| Take a left out of the NYS Thruway entrance road. |
| Go approximately 1/4 mile |
| Take a right onto Route 23 West |
| Go approximately 6.6 miles to Cairo, NY |
| Take a LEFT onto Rt 32. McDonalds Rest. on corner. |
| Go approximately 7.7 miles on Rt 32 |
| Take a RIGHT onto Rt 23A |
| Go approximately 6.6 miles on Rt 23A . |
| Climb up the windy mountain road (Rt 23A). When you reach the top, you will then be in Haines Falls. |
| Take a RIGHT onto North Lake Road. (Brown DEC sign on corner) |
| Follow North Lake Road until you reach Laurel House Road on the RIGHT side of the road. |
| Take a RIGHT onto Laurel House Road. |
| Go to the end of Laurel House Road and park at the turn-around. |
| Note: If you want to cross Lake Creek at high water, you will need to go further down North Lake Road to Scutt Road to get to the other side of Lake Creek. |
