Kaaterskill Rail Trail |
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OVERVIEW |
| | Type of Trail: | 100% DEC Trails |
| | Distance: | 3.16 miles - From Laurel House Road to the Mountain Top Historical Society Trail Head and back |
| | Time: | 2-3 hours round trip (hiking time) |
| | Best Time to Hike: | Any time of the day. |
| | Difficulty: | Very easy. Some rail road ties still exist in a small part of the trail |
| | Highest Elevation: | 2,081' |
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Topo
Terrain
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| | Access Methods: | Foot or ski. (Mtn bikes not allowed - too crowded) |
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Maps |
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| | DIRECTIONS TO TRAIL HEAD for Laurel House Road |
| | Laural House Road Parking Lot WGS84 (DEC): 42.19575, -74.063433 - Elevation is about 2,081 feet |
| | Laural House Road Parking Lot Deg/Min/Sec: N42 11 44, W74 03 48 - Elevation is about 2,081 feet |
| | Laural House Road Parking Lot GPS: N 42 11.745, W 74 03.806 - Elevation is about 2,081 feet |
| | Laural House Road Parking Lot UTM: 18N 577326 4671935 - Elevation is about 2,081 feet |
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| | 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 7.4 miles to the intersection of Rt 23a and North Lake Road. |
| | Take a RIGHT onto North Lake Road (DEC sign on corner of road). |
| | Go approximately 1.7 miles to Laurel House Road. |
| | Take a RIGHT onto Laurel House Road |
| | Go approximately 0.4 miles to Laurel House Road Parking Area. |
| | Do NOT park on the side of the road. Your car will be TOWED if you do. |
| | NOTE: if the parking area on Laurel House Road is full, then return back to North Lake Road.
NOTE: Take right onto North Lake Road - Go 0.4 miles.
NOTE: Take a RIGHT onto Scutt Road. Parking is near the top of the road. |
| | Do NOT park on the side of the road. Your car will be TOWED if you do. |
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| | DIRECTIONS TO TRAIL HEAD for Mountain Top Historical Society |
| | Mountain Top Historical Society (DEC): 42.195517, -74.091833 - Elevation is about 1,942 feet |
| | Mountain Top Historical Society Deg/Min/Sec: N42 11 43, W74 05 30 - Elevation is about 1,942 feet |
| | Mountain Top Historical Society GPS: N 42 11.731, W 74 05.510 - Elevation is about 1,942 feet |
| | Mountain Top Historical Society UTM: 18N 574982 4671884 - Elevation is about 1,942 feet |
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| | 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 7.1 miles to Mountain Top Historical Society. Located at the top of the hill after driving up the Kaaterskill Clove |
| | Take a RIGHT into the driveway to the Mountain Top Historical Society. (light green building) |
| | Drive to the back of the building and park in the Parking Area that is all the way in the back (look for Trail Head kiosk) |
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MILEAGE CHART |
| | Mile Point | Altitude | Notes |
| | 0.00 | 2,081 | DEC Parking Area - At the end of Laurel House Road. If full use the DEC Parking Area at the top of Scutt Road. |
| | 0.01 | 2,079' | Trail Junction - Turn RIGHT. |
| | 1.50 | 1,955' | Exit woods - Trail Station directly in front of you. |
| | 1.58 | 1,942' | Parking Area for Mountain Top Historical Society. |
| | 3.16 | 2,081' | Laurel House Road Parking Area |
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Hike the Kaaterskill Rail Trail |
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This is the LAUREL HOUSE ROAD DEC PARKING AREA.
If this Parking Area is full, do NOT park on the side of the road. The Town of Hunter WILL tow your car! Instead, drive back to North Lake Road. Take a RIGHT onto North Lake Road. Drive about 1/4 mile. Take a RIGHT onto Scutt Road. There is another DEC Parking Area near the top of Scutt Road.
The Trail Head starts at the bottom middle of the Parking Area. Skip over the next two section to start your hike.
Do not leave trash in the Parking Area or outhouses!
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This is the MOUNTAIN TOP HISTORICAL SOCIETY PARKING AREA.
Pull into the driveway for the MTHS. Drive to the back of the building. Use the parking lot that is all the way in the back. You will see the Trail Head Kiosk by the parking area. The parking lot holds about 50 cars.
Do not leave trash in the Parking Area or outhouses!
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This is the SCUTT ROAD DEC PARKING AREA.
The picture shows the upper part of the Scutt Road Parking Area. There is also a lower Scutt Parking Area. There is an outhouse located in the lower lot.
To get to the trail head you need to walk to the lower lot. Across the street to the entrance to the Scutt Road Parking Area is the Trail Head. Look for the BLUE Trail Marker across the street. Walk down the trail 0.50 miles (1/2 mile) until you reach the DEC Registration Box and 4-way intersection. Skip down a few section to start at the 4-WAY INTERSECTION.
Do not leave trash in the Parking Area or outhouses!
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The image on the left is the Trail Head. It is located at the center of the bottom part of the Parking Area. 50' down the path is a Bear-Proof garbage can and the Kiosk.
NOTE: This region has the highest concentration of black bears in New York State! Make SURE you put any garbage in the brown bear-proof garbage cans! If the garbage cans are full, then take the garbage with you. DO NOT LEAVE ANY GARBAGE ON THE GROUND! Or, in the Outhouses, registration boxes, on in the trees.
When you get to the Kiosk, take a RIGHT. This is the Kaaterskill Rail Trail (1.58 miles one-way). Straight will take you to Kaaterskill Falls and the Escarpment Trail.
The image on the right is what the beginning of the Kaaterskill Rail Trail looks like.
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If look at the trees as you walk down the trail you will see two trail markers. The Yellow trail markers are a DEC trail marker. The White trail markers is for the Kaaterskill Rail Trail.
After about a 1/2 mile you will cross this small little bridge.
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More views of what the Kaaterskill Rail Trail looks like from Laurel House Road to the Mountain Top Historical Society.
Make sure you stay on the trail where you do not see DEC signs. Parts of this trail run over Private Property. The side roads off the KRT are private property. If you decided to ignore the No Trespassing signs, and walk down them, expect to be arrested.
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This is the beautifully restored trail station in Haines Falls. It is located 1.5 miles from the Laurel House Road Parking Area, and several hundred feet from the Mountain Top Historical Society Parking Area.
It was restored by the Mountain Top Historical Society. The MTHS has events inside the building during the parts of the year. Check with their schedule for events you may be interested in. The link to their web site is listed in the Reference section of this page (near bottom of page).
Both this beautifully restored train station and the Rail Trail were created by the MTHS. They do have a donation box near the MTHS Parking Area kiosk.
After you get done, continue to walk down the gravel path that will lead you to the MTHS Parking Area and Trail Head.
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This is the Mountain Top Historical Society Parking Area. It has room for approximately 40-50 cars. The kiosk you see in the picture is the Trail Head on the MTHS side of the Kaaterskill Rail Trail.
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This is a picture of the Mountain Top Historical Society. Stop in if you have time.
Once you get done, reverse the course back to your car.
If you are interested in side-hike, visit our page on the Kaaterskill Falls
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S E C T I O N S
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W E A T H E R
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O T H E R
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