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Golden Fall in the Catskills: A Cool Day on the Mountaintop
October on the Catskills mountaintop is a slow burn.
October on the Catskills mountaintop is a slow burn. The maples go scarlet, the air turns crisp enough to make you reach for someone's hand, and every hillside looks like it was painted just to show off.
This is the season to come up the mountain and take your time. Here's how we'd spend a perfect fall day around Haines Falls and Tannersville: a walk to one of the most famous waterfalls in New York, a long lazy lunch, a little shopping on Main Street, and then home to somewhere warm.
Start at the Mountain Top Historical Society in Haines Falls, where a lovingly restored 1913 Ulster & Delaware train station waits with a small museum, trail info and free parking (5132 NY-23A). The visitor center is open through mid-November, so fall is your window.
From here, the Kaaterskill Rail Trail follows the old U&D rail bed for about a mile and a half through the Kaaterskill Wild Forest. A century ago, trains carried summer crowds up this same grade to grand mountain hotels. Today it's just you, the crunch of leaves and a canopy of gold overhead.
The best part? It's railroad-flat. You get the reward without the sweat, which leaves plenty of energy for whatever the rest of the day brings.
The trail ends near Laurel House Road, at the top of Kaaterskill Falls. Walk out to the viewing platform and watch the water drop in two tiers into a gorge full of fall color. It's one of the tallest waterfalls in New York, and in October it's at its most dramatic.
• Wear real shoes. There are roots and the occasional old rail tie, so leave the stroller and the heels at home.
• Stay on the marked trail and behind the railings near the falls. The ledges are beautiful and genuinely dangerous.
• Go early. The falls end gets busy on fall weekends, and the morning light through the leaves is worth the alarm.
• Walking both ways is roughly three miles round trip, an easy morning at a lingering pace.
Cheeks pink from the cold, drive ten minutes west to Tannersville and slide into The Pantry on Main at 6022 Main Street. It's a family-run specialty food shop and counter-service cafe serving breakfast and lunch, and it's exactly the kind of place that makes you want to linger.
Think hearty sandwiches, BLTs and pressed paninis, a bowl of soup to warm your hands around, and the kind of indulgent plates that justify the morning's walk. If you're there early enough, the bread pudding French toast is a shameless pleasure.
Before you leave, browse the shelves. The Pantry stocks local meats, fresh fish, artisan cheeses and gourmet groceries, so you can pick up everything for a cozy dinner in tonight.
Tannersville calls itself the Painted Village in the Sky, and once you see the candy-colored storefronts against a hillside of orange and red, you'll understand why. Walk off lunch hand in hand and duck into a few favorites.
Rooted. Every romantic weekend deserves flowers. Rooted, the flower shop right on Main Street, is where to pick up a bundle of autumn stems for the table back home, or something small and beautiful for the person beside you. Fresh flowers on a fall weekend away: it's a little thing that says a lot.
The Warm Shop. The name says it all. This is the stop for the cozy part of the trip, when the afternoon cools down and you start thinking about soft layers, slow evenings and staying in. Wander, touch everything, and find something that makes tonight feel even warmer.
Camp Catskill. At 6006 Main Street, Camp Catskill is an ethical outdoor shop with a carefully curated mix of hiking gear, clothing and gifts from brands like Cotopaxi, Topo Designs and Rumpl. Grab a Catskills trail map for tomorrow's adventure or a ridiculously soft blanket for tonight. The staff know these mountains and are happy to point you toward a quieter trail. Heads up: they're closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays and open Thursday through Monday.
After a day like that, you don't want a generic hotel room. You want somewhere with a little soul, a place to kick off your boots, open a bottle, put those flowers in water and let the evening stretch out as long as you like.
That's the Barnhouse. It's our own little hideaway on the mountaintop, close to everything in this post and far enough from everything else. Spend your days chasing waterfalls and fall color, and your nights doing absolutely nothing at all, together.
The leaves won't wait, and neither will the best fall weekends. Book your stay at the Barnhouse at StayCatskills.com and come see what the Catskills feel like in October.
This is the season to come up the mountain and take your time. Here's how we'd spend a perfect fall day around Haines Falls and Tannersville: a walk to one of the most famous waterfalls in New York, a long lazy lunch, a little shopping on Main Street, and then home to somewhere warm.
Morning: the Kaaterskill Rail Trail to the falls
Start at the Mountain Top Historical Society in Haines Falls, where a lovingly restored 1913 Ulster & Delaware train station waits with a small museum, trail info and free parking (5132 NY-23A). The visitor center is open through mid-November, so fall is your window.
From here, the Kaaterskill Rail Trail follows the old U&D rail bed for about a mile and a half through the Kaaterskill Wild Forest. A century ago, trains carried summer crowds up this same grade to grand mountain hotels. Today it's just you, the crunch of leaves and a canopy of gold overhead.
The best part? It's railroad-flat. You get the reward without the sweat, which leaves plenty of energy for whatever the rest of the day brings.
The trail ends near Laurel House Road, at the top of Kaaterskill Falls. Walk out to the viewing platform and watch the water drop in two tiers into a gorge full of fall color. It's one of the tallest waterfalls in New York, and in October it's at its most dramatic.
Good to know
• Wear real shoes. There are roots and the occasional old rail tie, so leave the stroller and the heels at home.
• Stay on the marked trail and behind the railings near the falls. The ledges are beautiful and genuinely dangerous.
• Go early. The falls end gets busy on fall weekends, and the morning light through the leaves is worth the alarm.
• Walking both ways is roughly three miles round trip, an easy morning at a lingering pace.
Lunch: The Pantry on Main
Cheeks pink from the cold, drive ten minutes west to Tannersville and slide into The Pantry on Main at 6022 Main Street. It's a family-run specialty food shop and counter-service cafe serving breakfast and lunch, and it's exactly the kind of place that makes you want to linger.
Think hearty sandwiches, BLTs and pressed paninis, a bowl of soup to warm your hands around, and the kind of indulgent plates that justify the morning's walk. If you're there early enough, the bread pudding French toast is a shameless pleasure.
Before you leave, browse the shelves. The Pantry stocks local meats, fresh fish, artisan cheeses and gourmet groceries, so you can pick up everything for a cozy dinner in tonight.
Afternoon: wandering Main Street, Tannersville
Tannersville calls itself the Painted Village in the Sky, and once you see the candy-colored storefronts against a hillside of orange and red, you'll understand why. Walk off lunch hand in hand and duck into a few favorites.
Rooted. Every romantic weekend deserves flowers. Rooted, the flower shop right on Main Street, is where to pick up a bundle of autumn stems for the table back home, or something small and beautiful for the person beside you. Fresh flowers on a fall weekend away: it's a little thing that says a lot.
The Warm Shop. The name says it all. This is the stop for the cozy part of the trip, when the afternoon cools down and you start thinking about soft layers, slow evenings and staying in. Wander, touch everything, and find something that makes tonight feel even warmer.
Camp Catskill. At 6006 Main Street, Camp Catskill is an ethical outdoor shop with a carefully curated mix of hiking gear, clothing and gifts from brands like Cotopaxi, Topo Designs and Rumpl. Grab a Catskills trail map for tomorrow's adventure or a ridiculously soft blanket for tonight. The staff know these mountains and are happy to point you toward a quieter trail. Heads up: they're closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays and open Thursday through Monday.
Evening: come home to the Barnhouse
After a day like that, you don't want a generic hotel room. You want somewhere with a little soul, a place to kick off your boots, open a bottle, put those flowers in water and let the evening stretch out as long as you like.
That's the Barnhouse. It's our own little hideaway on the mountaintop, close to everything in this post and far enough from everything else. Spend your days chasing waterfalls and fall color, and your nights doing absolutely nothing at all, together.
The leaves won't wait, and neither will the best fall weekends. Book your stay at the Barnhouse at StayCatskills.com and come see what the Catskills feel like in October.
Whether you're visiting for the first time or a Catskills regular, there is always something new to discover. We hope to see you at the Barnhouse soon.