Palenville: Hiking, Gorge, and Views

Palenville is a good place to stay if you’re interested in hiking trails, Kaaterskill Clove, and Route 23A. Kaaterskill Clove is a mountain gorge bordered by eastern Palenville and western Haines Falls. When planning your day, you can choose between hikes, viewpoints, and a scenic driving route.

Gorge, Waterfalls, and Views

The Kaaterskill Clove Experience takes you to a mountain gorge that inspired the Hudson River School of Art. It includes moderate hikes to waterfalls and views of the mountains. From Kaaterskill Clove Lookout, you can see into Lower Kaaterskill Clove and across the Hudson Valley. If you’d like to combine nature and culture during your stay, this is a place where landscape, views, and art history come together.

Trail connections also help you find your way: at Kaaterskill Clove Lookout, the Long Path connects the hamlet of Palenville with North-South Lake State Campground. The route to the lookout follows much of the historic Sleepy Hollow Horse Trail. Historically, the trail led from Palenville to the Catskills’ mountain hotels.

Hiking Trails and Trailheads

Buttermilk Falls can be reached from the Harding Road Parking Area on NYS Route 23A in Palenville via a 4.8-mile route. If you’re including this hike in your plans, keep the stated distance in mind. The Harding Road Trail is an equestrian trail that leads to the Harding Road Parking Area. Another access point to the Harding Road Trail is the Whites Road Parking Lot on Whites Road, near Route 23A in Palenville.

The Sleepy Hollow Horse Trail is 4.9 miles long, open to hikers, and marked with red trail markers. These specific details help distinguish it from the moderate hikes of the Kaaterskill Clove Experience: here, the distance and trail markers are specified, while waterfalls and mountain views are the focus there. The route to Kaaterskill Clove Lookout follows much of the historic Sleepy Hollow Horse Trail.

Route 23A and Other Activities

Two named routes are also useful for getting your bearings along the road. The Grand Tour of the Catskills includes Route 23A between Palenville and Haines Falls. The Rip Van Winkle Trail follows NYS Route 23A through Palenville to Haines Falls, then continues through Hunter, Tannersville, Prattsville, and Stamford. When planning, you can distinguish between the Grand Tour section and the longer route of the Rip Van Winkle Trail; the two routes are not simply the same.

Another activity is offered by the Rip Van Winkle Country Club in Palenville, a golf course that has challenged and delighted golfers for 100 years. Hiking, scenery, and golf offer different reasons to explore Palenville. Other places in this overview are Hunter and Windham.

For the broader travel overview: Greene.