Hiking Kaaterskill Falls: The Peak Fall Foliage - Catskill Mountains, NY | 4K Video

When visiting the Catskills & Hudson, NY during the final best week peak Fall foliage, let's take a walk through Kaaterskill Falls, one of New York State's highest waterfalls for a total of 260 ft (79 m) with the longest drop at 180 ft (54.8 m). Kaaterskill Falls is a well-known historical site since the 19th century due to Washington Irving's short story: Rip Van Winkle (1819). Thomas Cole's oil-on-canvas: Kaaterskill Falls (1826) & Asher Brown Durand's oil-on-canvas: Kindred Spirits (1849). The history of Kaaterskill falls is also discussed throughout the walk and it's can be a challenging hike for some. To get to the base of the falls, the trail distance is about 0.7 miles taking about 20 minutes each way. Highlights: 0:00 Intro, Information Board & Overview 7:24 Upper Viewing Platform 11:05 Top of the Falls - Peak 12:41 Walk to the Base of the Falls 27:28 Base of the Falls 30:32 Second Level of the Falls 33:40 Sunset at the Pedestrian Bridge 34:40 Closing & Final Thoughts Filmed: Oct. 28, 2025 From Wikipedia: Kaaterskill Falls is a two-stage waterfall on Spruce Creek in the eastern Catskill Mountains of New York, between the hamlets of Haines Falls and Palenville in Greene County. The two cascades total 260 feet (79 m) in height, making Kaaterskill Falls one of the highest waterfalls in New York, and one of the Eastern United States' tallest waterfalls. The waterfalls are one of America's oldest tourist attractions, being depicted or described by many books, essays, poems and paintings of the early 19th century. Beginning with Thomas Cole's first visit during 1825, they became a subject for painters of the Hudson River School, setting the wilderness ideal for American landscape painting. The Falls also inspired "Catterskill Falls", a poem by William Cullen Bryant.