No Parking on Rt 23a in Palenville

[dave]

Over the last couple of years the problem with kids parking along Rt 23a in the summer has become unbearable. You can read more about it here.

In the summer of 2012 The Town of Hunter moved forward with requesting and getting the NYS DOT to post No Parking signs from south of Twilight Park to Moore's Bridge. But from Moore's Bridge to Palenville the section of Rt 23a did allow parking. Recently, This section is now marked with No Parking signs.

You will be able to park in the 3 areas for hiking to Poet's Ledge in Palenville. You will also be able to park in the two parking area above and below Bastion Falls. And, you can park up near the exit of the Rip Van Winkle Trail near Haines Falls.

Our web site will also be changing the hike for the base of Kaaterskill Clove, which includes Fawn's Leap, Lower Buttermilk Falls, and Delmura Falls.


Fawn's Leap by Moore's Bridge


Moore's Bridge

[rkugel]

Thanks for passing along the news. I would also like to add there was a large dirt parking area perhaps 1/4 to 1/2 a mile east of Moore's Bridge. The parking area was on the south side of Route 23A. For reasons that are inexplicable to me, this area is now barricaded and closed. While I completely understand the "No Parking" signs along Route 23A, I am at a loss as to why people can no longer leave their cars in the dirt parking lot, which was completely off 23A and very safe. Really a shame, since the lot was quite large and could easily hold 10 vehicles. Can anyone shed some light? I've read and heard lots of stories about how Palenville does not like hikers, and I cannot help but wonder if this just another attempt to keep them out.

[mike]

The Town of Hunter became obsessed with solving the kid problems in the Kaaterskill Clove. The problems were unbearable and difficult. Drinking parties, broken bottles, parking in the middle of the road, etc. So, they decided to solve the problem by going from one extreme to the other. I think they could have kept certain spots open, but that wasn't their decision. They could have also had No Parking from June 1 to Aug 31, and that would have solved the problem too. But, now many other well-behaved groups will have a difficult time accessing the Kaaterskill Clove. Some blame also goes to the DEC for not allowing NYS DOT to create more parking along the road on an earlier project.

What should have been done, was creating a parking area along the old Rip Van Winkle Trail.

For us hikers there is a way to still be able to hike in these regions. For ice climbers, kayakers, hunters, etc, there isn't a solution with the new No Parking.

[Jon]

Well I guess it stinks that they had to close off so much, but they do need to get the message across. I think that saying no parking on that road is a great idea. I avoid driving up it during the summer because it's naturally dangerous, and with added cars and dumb hormone filled teenagers it becomes down right deadly.

In my opinion using the streams as "watering holes" is a terrible idea. Despite the nostalgic value that it may have, that people would cool off in them since the 1700s or whatever. The kids leave litter, it destroys the natural rock face and plants that grow there, potentially increasing erosion and also causes the parking problems. Having "no swimming" policies and enforcing them would solve the problems easily. These people aren't there to view nature, or go on a hike, or to do anything non-destructive. I'm just assuming, but probably 90% of the cars parked along that road would not be there if it was illegal to swim, and it was enforced regularly. Once kids start getting tickets, they'll go to a pool to cool off or get a day pass at a campground where they can swim.

I only know of one such stream here in Northern New Jersey that succumbs to the same fate every summer. It's over by Long Pond Iron works, and there are parking slots for hunters during hunting season. During the hottest days the whole road will be jammed with cars and kids are jumping into the wanaque river in a hole that is downright dangerous. Everytime I hike the Highlands trail by that section I find piles of garbage blowing all over, there is increased erosion around the hole because of all the scrambling that the show-off kids do to get to the highest rock to jump off of. Again, enforcing "no swimming" would solve this problem but because of nostalgic value the rangers/police rarely give people tickets. It becomes a disgusting abomination of nature.