Backpacker

BACKPACKER.COM 15PHOTOS BY BILL STEVENSON / AURORA PHOTOS (LEFT); ANTHONY G. TASSAROTTISome popular hikes deserve theattention, and you just have to decidewhen to join the crowd. October maybe the perfect time to visit 260-footKaaterskill Falls. Not only is it when thebirches turn, but this year, the revampedtrail system means options to extend.So join the tourists on the .6-mile hiketo the two-tiered cascade (go midweekto avoid the rush), but don’t turn aroundthere. Find the newly installed staircaseand climb to the top of the falls where,around mile .8, you can link up with anynumber of footpaths, including therenowned 23.9-mile Escarpment Trail.But for a bite-size trip, we recommendpicking up the Blue Trail. Follow it 1.miles counterclockwise around theflank of South Mountain to a sandstoneoutcropping called Inspiration Pointfor a view of hardwoods fanning outin every direction. Contact bit.do/kaaterskill-wild-forest6Get found.CATSKILL PARK, NEW YORK