Kaaterskill Falls and the Eastern Escarpment

## The Falls, First Kaaterskill Falls drops 260 feet across two tiers, which makes it the tallest waterfall in New York state. The upper tier drops 175 feet into a plunge pool; the lower tier drops another 85. The water was painted by Thomas Cole, described by James Fenimore Cooper in *The Pioneers*, and functioned as the single most famous American tourist destination for much of the 19th century. The Catskill Mountain House, a 1824-built resort on the escarpment above, made its reputation partly on the falls-view day trips it arranged. Today the falls are accessible from two directions: the Laurel House Road parking lot at the top (the easier approach) and the old Rt 23A trailhead below (the harder, historic route). The upper loop is about 1.4 miles round trip and takes about an hour. The whole site is state forest preserve. **New York state law prohibits cannabis consumption on state-owned land and in public spaces**, which includes the parking lots, the trail, both viewing platforms, and the base of the falls. Edibles before or after, at the cabin. ## Two Ways to See It ### The Laurel House Upper Approach Park at the Laurel House Road lot (off Rt 23A east of Tannersville). A short walk takes you to the upper viewing platform right at the top of the falls. Continue down the staircase to reach the lower platform looking up at the full 260-foot drop. This is the easier, newer (2015) access and now handles the bulk of visitor traffic. ### The Old Rt 23A Lower Approach Park in the North-South Lake area or at the old roadside pullouts near Haines Falls. The historic trail climbs up through the ravine to the base of the lower falls. Shorter and steeper; the trail is less maintained; no upper-platform access from this side. Worth it if you want the classical 19th-century view painters like Cole used. ## The Eastern Escarpment Above The cliff line that runs above Kaaterskill Falls is the eastern escarpment, a 1,500-foot wall of rock looking east over the Hudson Valley and beyond. The Catskill Mountain House stood at the top from 1824 to 1963; today the foundations are traceable but the site itself is gone, burned down by the state in 1963 after decades of abandonment. What remains is the view the hotel was built to frame. From the escarpment cliff line you can see five states on clear days: New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The sun rises over the Berkshires and, in September, lights the entire Hudson Valley from above. ## North-South Lake The North-South Lake Campground sits at the top of the escarpment and is the largest campground in the Catskill Park. It offers campsites, cabins (limited), a swimming beach, and access to the Escarpment Trail. Reservation-heavy in summer; walk-up often works in shoulder seasons. From the campground the major day hikes are: - **Artist's Rock and Newman's Ledge** — a 2-mile out-and-back to two of the classical escarpment viewpoints. Easy grade. - **Inspiration Point** — the best single view on the escarpment; 3 miles round trip from the campground. - **North Point** — the northernmost and highest viewpoint on this section; 6 miles round trip and a full half-day. No consumption anywhere on the campground, trail, or at the viewpoints. All state land. ## The Escarpment Trail The full Escarpment Trail runs 24 miles north from North-South Lake to Windham. It is one of the great Catskills ridge traverses and follows the cliff edge almost the entire way. Unlike the Devil's Path, the Escarpment Trail is moderate grade with spectacular east-facing views throughout. Most hikers section-hike it over three or four days: North Point day, Blackhead Range day, Windham High Peak day. Lean-tos are spaced along the way. As state-land camping, no consumption applies. ## The Weekend Template - **Friday evening** — arrive Tannersville or Catskill (town). Dispensary stop at Wintergreen or Budd's. Edible at the cabin, early night. - **Saturday morning** — Kaaterskill Falls from Laurel House. Lunch in Tannersville. - **Saturday afternoon** — North-South Lake + Inspiration Point. - **Sunday morning** — Drive up to Haines Falls and walk the shorter escarpment trails, or stop at Thomas Cole's Cedar Grove in the town of Catskill for the origin-story side. For the base-town framings see [Tannersville](/blog/tannersville-painted-village-cannabis-kaaterskill-weekend) and [Catskill](/blog/catskill-town-main-street-music-venues-weekend). ## The Hudson River School Connection Cedar Grove (in the town of Catskill, 25 minutes east) is Thomas Cole's home and the founding site of the Hudson River School. What you see from the escarpment is literally the landscape Cole invented the school to paint. The trip is worth sequencing: the view up top Saturday, the painter's house below Sunday. That sequence has been done by visitors to this region for close to 200 years. ## Compliance, Quickly - **21+ only**, licensed shops only. Verify via OCM QR code at [cannabis.ny.gov](https://cannabis.ny.gov). - **No consumption at Kaaterskill Falls, North-South Lake, or any escarpment viewpoint** — all state forest preserve. - **No consumption in Laurel House or the Haines Falls trailheads** — state parking. - **No consumption in cars**, driver or passenger. - **Start low, go slow** on edibles, especially for weekends with early hiking starts. ## Where to Go Next - [Tannersville — Painted Village at the foot of Kaaterskill](/blog/tannersville-painted-village-cannabis-kaaterskill-weekend) - [Catskill — Main Street, Avalon, and the Hudson gateway](/blog/catskill-town-main-street-music-venues-weekend) - [Catskill Park trail guide for first-timers](/blog/catskill-park-trail-guide-first-timers) - [Cannabis and hiking the Catskills responsible-use guide](/blog/cannabis-hiking-catskills-responsible-use-guide) **This is editorial, not legal advice. New York state law prohibits cannabis consumption on state-owned land and in public spaces.**