Great visit to Kaaterskill Falls on Wednesday, October 7, 2026…read more Decided to visit mid-week to avoid the crowds as it approached peak fall colors...I think October 7th was a bit too early...another week or so would have been better for colors. I have read that the Main Trailhead Lot (Laurel House Road), closest to the waterfall trails, fills up quickly during the fall. I arrived there at 8:30am and was the 9th car in the 40-50-capacity parking lot. When I left at 11:30am, the lot was full and staff was routing visiting from the main road (North Lake Road) to the Scutt Road parking lot...which is a bit further away from the falls. Once parked, the fall viewing platform was a short 0.1 mile walk. It offers some lovely views of the falls from higher up. From there, the walk to the lower falls was about 0.5 miles, but be advised that there are lots of steps (over 300) to get from the top of the falls to the bottom of the falls. You can walk even further from the base of the falls, along Spruce Creek, toward Route 23A and you will get to Bastion Falls. Since I arrived earlier, there were too many people on the trails...which made picture-taking a lot easier. I suspect the crowds increase as the area approached peak fall colors and on the weekends...so plan accordingly. The falls were great...I actually preferred the lower falls viewing area, for its consistent lighting and heavier waterfall flow. The upper was very high but the flow wasn't as heavy. The park is well-maintained with efficient trail marking and directional signage throughout. Free to park and enter the park/waterfall area. Port a potties in parking lot...are as clean as you can expect from a popular public parking port a potty.

Be prepared, the trail down to the falls is very long and while its quite easy going down ,getting…read moreback up is a definitely a treck. It's so worth it though. If however you decide not to go down to the bottom, there is a viewing platform . The waterfall pressure/flow can vary depending on when you visit. Heavy after rain or less during the summer months. Swimming is allowed in the basin , the water is cold . The fall and parking are free in designated parking lots. There was a porta potty in tje lot we parked in. Not sure if there's one in each parking lot though. Don't park anywhere along the roads as you will get ticketed and/or towed. Arrive early aa the parking lots fill up quickly, especially on weekends. Personally I wouldn't do this trail on a rainy day especially if you're a beginner. Lots of stepping stones that can be slippery when wet. Other than that it's one of the most beautiful trails I've been on.

We have been coming to thatcher park for years. Such a quick little hike (can be challenging) but…read moregorgeous views. The bathrooms were extremely clean.

Before you come here, if you want to hike behind the waterfalls, Indian Ladder Trail is closed…read moreduring the winter and through April due to ice. Other than that, all the trails are open and still fun to hike and enjoy the views. Also the state park is free during off season and much less traffic, which is a bonus. Luckily, I came in late March where most of the snow and ice has melted, and I could explore with regular hiking shoe. I did a loop at the Paint Mine trail. Maybe 2miles total. There are some small waterfalls there, fairly easy loop, no real elevation change. There are a couple overlooks at the park where you can see over the valley. If weather permits, you can see city of Albany at far away with a waterfall on the side. It was very foggy at my first day, so I had to go back again.

This was such a lovely surprise -- an easy nature trail with gorgeous waterfall views located right…read morein the city of Troy. It's even next to a bus stop -- the Vandenburg/Campbell Ave stop is about a two minute walk from the trailhead. Though this won't present much of of a challenge to someone looking for a serious hike, and the trails could be cleaner and better marked (at one point we ended up accidentally wandering off the path and into a litter-filled clearing), this is mostly just a delightful mini nature escape that more locals should definitely know about.

This IS a beautiful spot. Tucked in between urban areas, you'd never even know it was there! Well…read moreworth a visit. (As a single female, I don't feel comfortable walking this alone- so, go with company.)

Lots of fun. Have to go with someone if you never did this before. Will go again. Hopefully soon…read more Maybe I will bring some friends. If I can talk them into it. Thay all think I am crazy.

Great little hike to the cascades which were beautiful. At the peak the pools are deep enough to go…read morein about knee deep. Water is cool and refreshing.

It was a bit difficult to find accurate directions to arrive at the trailhead, which is located at…read morethe end of a residential road. Online sources say to park at the YMCA nearby. The YMCA is permanently closed, and instead we found an elementary school where you can park, alongside which you begin through a short woodsy path and then must walk maybe 1/4 mile through the neighborhood before discovering the trail. The hike is a beautiful gentle up and down through the woods and along a river. It's only about 2 miles in-and-back, mostly very easy, but has a few tricky but fun spots where you may have to navigate over a tree trunk or carefully walk over rocks/uneven terrain at the edge of a shallow point in the river . The waterfall is a nice feature where you can sit and enjoy the sound and vibe before you turn around to head back.

The topography of this place is undulating but not too challenging, even for someone like me, a…read morecouch potato. A river runs through it. Along the way, there are some waterfalls of differing levels. Obviously, the volume of water is dependent on recent precipitation. The "mood" of the place depends of that flow. On most occasions, I could hear the rush of water before actually seeing it. It's an added bonus to this place, changing on a daily basis. Like a lot of things upstate, you've got to be informed about a place before you know it exists. If a co-worker hadn't told me about this sanctuary, I doubt I would have found it on my own. There is no fee but the parking lot is small; there's space for about eight vehicles. Check it out. It's a neat place. It'll do some good to get some fresh air.

Note to self: September may not be the absolute best time to come here because of the very low…read moreflow. Still, there are plenty of things to like about this...once you find it. The falls seem to be commonly known as Bozenkill Falls but the road sign (pictured) says Christman Sanctuary, and the gravel parking lot isn't massive so it may be easy to miss. The first 100+ metres is mostly boardwalks so it's easy enough to navigate. Then comes rocky, uphill trail, but at least markers are readily visible and aplenty. On our first visit I feel like we barely scratched the surface, so will look forward to another visit. Thank you whoever you are, for helping to preserve and maintain this sanctuary!

This is one of my favorite parks in the area. Not only is it convenient for me, but it also have a…read morelot of the amenities I am looking for. First, it has plenty of hiking trails and paths for scenic walks for families, including dogs. It has two well-maintained tennis courts, a basketball court, a baseball field, pool and plenty of picnic tables. It even has a big playground for the kids, and a pool. I love taking a walk at the paths, especially towards the top of the hill, and towards the back of the golf course. The park is dog friendly as well. I love taking my pup for a walk here. If you go now, they have banners honoring local military veterans, and war heroes. They also just added a memorial for heroes who served in wars. It's definitely worth checking out! There's a fee for parking on some weekends, but weekdays are free.

This park has a lot of shade, very nice for having a little more privacy than most other parks. The…read moreplayground has a rather high jungle gym so you'll wanna keep a close eye on your little ones. But overall very nice and very pretty during the autumn season.

What a gem. We have been visiting Plotter Kill for over a year and the changing seasonal characters…read moreof the part are just one of the many draws for us. The place is deceptively vast and you could easily get lost in it - not literally and in the most delightful ways. First off, parking is usually no problem since the parking lot fits about 20 vehicles, although there has been one occasion where it spilt over to the main road in the summer. The short trail from the parking lot to the first two forks is gorgeous with tree shade and mostly gravelly than the majority of the trails which are more natural. The creek and the falls are beautiful, although water level can be quite low in the summer and early fall. All in all this is a great park suitable for most people to navigate, and I'm glad for another natural reserve like this.

Gorgeous scenery here, but we had some issues with the trails/trail maps that I suspect weren't…read morecompletely down to my being bad at reading them. What's shown on the map at the entrance doesn't seem to conform to reality, and many trails are very obviously blocked off with warning signs, end in abrupt dead ends, or head off in directions that don't seem to reflect what the map shows. The blue trail on the map brings you past several waterfalls, but the real one seemed to reroute you away from the water and onto a muddy track through the woods heading in the opposite direction. This might have eventually led back in the direction of the falls, but we decided to turn back from when the mud got tough to deal with. To find the interesting bits in my pictures, we went to the first observation point on the blue trail, doubled back to take the bridge to the red trail, then went past there and took the yellow trail to the water before heading back to the parking lot, with a few accidental detours in between. With all of the backtracking and wrong turns I'd guesstimate that we walked a total of about three miles, but if you were more systematic about it you could probably do it under two. However, the short dead-end yellow trail especially was very steep and somewhat challenging for keeping our footing on the downhill, so appropriate hiking/walking shoes are still a good idea. Don't come here in flip flops! All in all this was still totally worth it, but I'd be really happy to learn that they've managed to re-open the trails that have been closed (for safety reasons?) and/or updated the maps to make it a bit easier to hit the scenic highlights.

Nice easy hike Gorgeous anytime of year…read moreThe Hannacroix creek is a beauty there trails to explore and two main entrances!

So much for the "creek," because it was a full-on raging river during our recent first visit…read more Firstly, the trails here are mostly not wheelchair accessible, and the heavy rainfall in the week prior caused many parts of the trails a tad treacherous to navigate. Still, a nature preserve gets extra love from me because I love nature, and I'm grateful for efforts to protect and preserve natural spaces like this. Parking is aplenty, trails are colour-coded, and some of the trails are gravely, which is not my favourite type. The old paper mill site so close to the water's edge was an unexpected treat and I appreciate its historical connection. I look forward to a revisit.

Great place to hike and enjoy the outdoors!…read more You have your choice of 3 trails! Starting in the lot, facing the mountain, go to the right, the yellow trail. Yes it is the more difficult path, but its the shortest way to the top. It is great if you're looking for a challenge or a workout. It is great if you want to see nature, including the many playful chipmunks, at its finest! We took the Red, into the blue trail down. It was longer than the gold/yellow trail. I was bored and just ready to get back. The blue path is super long and it wasn't much of a challenge. Part of this trail was along the main road, so it was a reminder that modern civilization was just beyond a few trees. I think the blue trail was more for people who are looking to take a stroll in the woods, or for people who are less athletic. Parking is $5 and you can pay at the machine on the lot. There are also a few picnic tables to enjoy a meal! There are a couple high points and peaks. It just feels great to say that you hiked up a mountain and made it to the top! So "just do it" and "take some time to enjoy the view!"

Beautiful trails and an amazing view from the top. We arrived around 11AM on a fall Saturday and…read morethere were only a few spots left in the parking area. There is a $6 fee for parking, and the machine takes credit cards. We hiked up to the summit on the Blue trail which connected to the red trail. Trails were clearly marked and not too difficult. We even found a few geocaches along the way. Be sure to take the short spur trail to Devil's Pulpit for a spectacular view. Even though the parking lot was nearly full, there are enough trails to that we never felt crowded. It took us about 2 hours total for our climb up and down the mountain, with some time spent enjoying the view from the summit.