If you want to know the truth, the whole thing depressed the hell out of me right from the start…read more People talk about the Devil's Path up in the Catskills like it's some kind of grand, soul-searching experience, but mostly it's just thousands of feet of jagged rock sitting there waiting to break your ankle while some guy in brand-new high-tech hiking boots tells you how "restorative" the fresh air is. It's phony as hell. ​The trail isn't even really a path, it's just a continuous, miserable scramble over gigantic stone slabs, wet roots, and sheer drop-offs. You go straight up a mountain like Indian Head or Twin, huffing and puffing until you feel like dying, and then the trail just dumps you right back down into a ditch, forcing you to turn around and do it all over again on the next peak. You're grabbing onto tree roots and in the late fall,your sliding down slick, icy rock chimneys, trying not to pitch off the side of a cliff, while wet pine needles drop into your collar. ​Every time you finally drag yourself up to a ledge where the view is supposed to be "life-changing," you end up sitting on a damp stone next to three guys discussing their GPS watches and showing off their expensive trekking poles. It kills me, it really does. The forest itself is nice enough if everybody would just shut up for five minutes. Plus it smells like balsam fir and ancient damp earth, and when the fog rolls in through the hemlocks, it finally feels right to me because its dead quiet and honest. But then i ran into a troop of weekend warriors yelling across the ridge about their lap times. ​If you're crazy enough to tackle all twenty three miles of it which i certaindid not, you'll end up exhausted, soaked in sweat, and covered in mud, wondering why you didn't just stay in the city and get a sandwich and a beer. It'll test if you're tough enough, surelyim not anymore, it just makes me want to go lie down in a warm room by a fireplace with a little glass of brandy where nobody is talking about elevation gain.

Wow, talk about a beautiful drive to get here! Completely isolated with the surrounding town…read morebringing you to the past. The narrow zig-zag roads getting here from the east are a blast to drive on. Taking the devil's path is no joke if you're doing the whole trail. Highly suggest packing light for the hike. Totally regretted my 35lb backpack setup. The elevation spikes and drops will put your knees and ankles to the test. The look out points are gorgeous. Each one deserves to be taken in during a break. The biodiversity is incredible here. You'll notice the nature changes at different points of the hike. Including the areas casted in darkness from the dense trees. The next drinkable source of water from the beginning is a far distance so make sure you pack accordingly. The devils tombstone is the halfway point which is where most people set up camp. Cant harp enough... snacks, snacks, snacks. Stay safe if you choose to part take on this hike! One of the best hikes I've been on.

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.

One of the best water falls in NE! Mid-week afternoon visit…read more There was a park? officer at the entrance sitting in the car waving as people's left. There was also a table at the entrance to the trails with a person who didn't have much knowledge of the trails nor falls?? Spent 75 minutes and was able to hike upper, mid and lower falls. The trail to the viewpoint is very short and easy to find. There was little water when I visited in mid- September and leaves hadn't to change colors yet. The trail to the falls is NOT marked very well after the initial 2 signs. Many on the trail said they continued on stairs (straight) that didn't go to the falls! If you want to just hike without the Falls as the end goal, then this park works for you. Lucky for me I received an advice from returning hikers who knew the park and advised me well :). The KF hikes are not long but are pretty steep... scrambling maybe required especially to get to the cove behind the upper falls. The trail split, to the bottom of the falls and to the mid- falls, is pretty close. So the view to the entire falls was worth hiking down to. The trail near the bottom of the falls is red rock stairs and well maintained. Parking was a gravel lot and was about 2/3 full. Enjoy!

Hiking is definitely a love-hate relationship! This mountain goes UP--and I mean all the way up…read more There are barely any flat or straight sections, so you're constantly climbing, weaving around corners, and then going back down just to do it all over again. I had to take frequent breaks to catch my breath because the climb was no joke. And honestly, the tower was probably the scariest part for me. The views from the top were absolutely beautiful, but I had to go up quickly and come back down just as fast because my fear was kicking in! Before tackling the mountain, we also walked a different trail, which was already exhausting. So by the time we started the climb, my legs were definitely feeling it. But once you finally reach the ruins and the tower, it all feels worth it. The scenery and views are honestly incredible, and it's such a beautiful place to see. Just be prepared: before you reach the top, you may question every life decision that brought you there!

Love hiking here! If…read moreyou're in this part of the Catskills, I highly recommend this trail. It's easily accessible and an easier hike to do. The trail is well-groomed and very walkable. There aren't any scrambles or large boulders, which is good.. The view from the top is pretty epic, and the fire tower which has been closed every time I've hiked the mountain has great views too. I would highly recommend this hike.

Really super popular hiking spot! Please don't hang off the edge of the viewpoint for a "cool"…read morepicture because heaven forbid you fall to your death the rangers will take their time for the recover since it's highly unlikely you'd survive the fall. I see way too many tourists comfortably sitting on the view point ledge until they slip and tragedy strikes. Enjoy the photo op responsibly, pretty please with sugar on top! As for the actual hike I agree with the few reviews posted up that this is a fairly easy hike because just about all the elevation happens in the first 3/4 mile up. Once you make it to the halfway point and turn left on the blue trail the rest is fairly flat up till Giant Ledge. If you go further on to Panther Mountain you do take a small dip down into the valley toward Panther and you go back up to the peak of Panther. Honestly, unless you have the desire to hike ALL 33 catskill peaks there is no reason to visit Panther in my opinion. Giant ledge has the better view. WATER, bring plenty of water in the summer because the water source with the big ass sign on the trail about a mile up almost never has water flowing because I have yet to even find the darn source the several times I've been up there so I'd consider that water source unreliable so pack water.

Absolutely stunning for a sunrise hike. My friends and I have done this for the past two years…read morearound mid October. Get to the trailhead at 5 AM and spend the next hour and a half climbing to the peak to see sunrise. Excellent bang for your buck Hike. I think it's only like a one and a half mile track, but it's the elevation that gives difficulty. Check out my photos and videos. I highly recommend this.

Excellent place to hike…read more 1) We did a two car -- end to end hike. 2) We did the Windham High Peak, then went to the Burnt Knob and Acra Point. 3) The views were unbelievable.

The Burnt Knob Loop leads to the summit of Windham High Peak with a gorgeous view, roughly ~7 miles…read moreof hike with beautiful scenery all around. The loop is a bit of a misnomer since the hiking trail itself connects two separate trail heads via two parking lots. One side of the trail shares a parking lot with the trail to Blackhead mountain summit and the two trails goes in separate directions at about 1 mile into the hike. The connection between the two hikes allows one to extend either trail further. We didn't go to the blackhead trail, since it was marked to be difficult to very difficult. The burnt knob loop was a moderate hike, we parked our car at the parking lot shared with blackhead trail and the roundtrip to and from the summit (~3.5 mile) took about 4.5 hours with breaks for lunch on top of the Peak. The trail itself was well designed and very enjoyable, offering numerous view points with spectacular views of mountains and the grassland below. The trail markers are very clearly defined from one to the other, and instead of having continuous steep elevation, it interchanges between longer periods of flat trails and short intervals of arduous elevated trails. It was almost like interval training! This really modulates the pace of the hike, after heart pounding climbs, there are enough time to recover with a period of easy going trails. There are many view points along this trail leading up to the summit, which offers very different and beautiful views. At the summit, the shadows of the clouds on the fields and the beautiful flat grasslands with side views of mountains are absolutely stunning, we spent a lot time lazying around here before heading back down. Highly recommended to all nature lovers looking for some great hike with beautiful views!

DO NOT SWIM HERE -- This lake is known locally as Snake Lake. Water snakes and copperheads are…read morenumerous. There are also snapping turtles. The water quality is also low sure to a nearby quarry.

When you get there, you can drive on the gravel road until it dead-ends into a parking lot with a…read moreporta potty. If that lot is full then you can park in the one that's right off route 28. The trail is nicely shaded. We saw orange newts galore. It had just rained the night before so it was a little muddy in spots. We hiked the yellow loop trail and it was perfect for kids ranging in ages 7 to 13. Very scenic. We left in the early afternoon when the sun came out. Many others were just getting there to swim in the lake.

I had the BEST time at Belleayre Mountain yesterday. My and 3 best buds all used our PTO and took…read moreoff work so that we could enjoy a fresh powder day upstate. I haven't been to Belleayre mountain since I a little kid. Honestly, I appreciate it so much more now that I'm paying for my own ski pass. I loved how fast each of the lines moved and there honestly wasn't many people on the mountain at all. I really enjoyed all of their different trails. From tricky double black diamonds and really fun blues, to chill greens and even a fun terrain trail, the mountain had a ton to offer. They even had nice little sections that went through the trees, that weren't too difficult to navigate. If you're a beginner, they also have a really nifty learning center up at the TOP of the mountain. You literally have to take a gondola up the mountain to reach it.. which is just super cool and something I haven't seen anywhere else. I was about to take a star off because of the very blase (pronounced: blazzay) attitudes of the gen-z staff that work at the rental section. I rented a helmet and that just made it a bit of an awkward experience. Though I decided to keep the star as their bartender service more than made up for it. They were so chill and welcoming, and didn't even flinch when I asked about non-alcoholic beers.. which they had ice-cold and ready to go!

My 2 girls had an amazing time. My girls are still a beginner/intermediate. One of the has not…read morebeen skiing for a very long time. They have several beginner friendly slopes. At the lounge area, they have a place to drink and a food gallery. They have soups, chillies, burgers, fried tenders, Mac and cheese, pizza, premade sandwiches and salad. They also have vegaritan options. Our only downfall is the distance from nyc to the ski resort. Almost 2 -2.5 hrs. Also, if you can, go on the weekdays. Prices are alot cheaper and less crowded. We would come again.

I almost don't want to write a review for this conservation area because then it could become…read moreinundated with people. Simply put, you don't have to walk very far for some incredible views. We visited right after a heavy summer rainstorm so the trail right down to the falls was a bit hard to traverse (high water, slippery rocks, etc) but it was worth the treachery. But you don't have to hitch yourself down to get the full magic of these falls, you can also go for a slightly longer walk to see them at eye level. If you're visiting close to the Hudson area, a visit to the High Falls Conservation Area should be on your list! Then grab a drink in town.

Amazing easy/moderate hike in. No idea it existed and not that far away from Troy/Albany…read more Surprisingly big waterfalls and rock formations. Was told cause of all the rain it was not normally as high. Really peaceful. Thankfully no trash or other distractions from people. Will be back many times I'm sure.