Kaaterskill Falls

Drop everything

Is it plungeworthy?

167feet tall

A 2-tier plunge on Lake Creek.

Scale54/60

Documentation20/20

Character20/20

The details

Tiers: 2 drops
Type: Tiered Plunge
Watercourse: Lake Creek
Coordinates: 42.19328, -74.0635

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About Kaaterskill Falls

Kaaterskill Falls is a 167-foot tiered plunge in New York, on Lake Creek. The water falls in 2 distinct tiers.

It's fullest after rain, and flow can drop off during dry spells — plan around recent weather.

Plungeworthy rates Kaaterskill Falls 9.4/10 — drop everything. The score weighs its scale, how confidently it's mapped, and its character.

What you'll find

Two tiers, 260 feet, the tallest falls in New York and the muse of the Hudson River School painters. A short, honest trail to the viewing platform — and a hard boundary past it that nine people have died ignoring.

Getting there

Trailhead: Laurel House Road lot, off County Route 18, Haines Falls
Parking: Free ~20-car lot, full by 10am on weekends; Schutt Road and South Lake are the overflow
Road: Paved
Hike: 1.6 mi round trip, 400 ft of climb (moderate)
Heads up: Platform at a quarter mile; the base spur beyond is steep, rooty, and exposed.

When to go

Foliage season is world-class; spring carries the flow; January turns the falls into a climbing-grade ice column — microspikes minimum.

Rules & fees

Fee / pass: None — Forest Preserve
Dogs: Leashed; think twice past the platform
Hours: Day use recommended
Camping: North–South Lake Campground two miles up
Warnings: Nine deaths since 1988, all beyond the marked viewing areas — the DEC closed a parking lot and added ranger patrols over it. Stay on the platform side of the signs.

Researched from NYSDEC — Kaaterskill area safety actions · Wikipedia — Kaaterskill Falls. Conditions change — verify before you drive. Been to Kaaterskill Falls recently? Post a conditions report below.

Where it is

Before you go

The pin marks the feature, not a trailhead or a legal route in. Some sit on private land or need a real hike, and conditions change with season and rain. Check local access, don't trespass, and never enter water — hot or cold — where it isn't safe.