This is a well under rated waterfall hike in the Catskill…read more We mistaken took the Overlook trail thinking that there is a "overlook" for the waterfall. I was wrong. We did found some stone made into chairs on one of the walk out. That was really cool. Took a little break there and enjoyed the cool wind. Was nice. After finding out that there was no Overlook to yhe waterfall, we head back to the start and took a left this time, the Waterfall trail. It was a ln easy hike down. A good 5-10 minutes down. If it rained before, it could be a messy down as the trail is not paved. It is a little slope down as well but not that bad. We stayed there for a long time enjoying the waterfall cause there was really not alot if people and after at last we actually had the waterfall to ourselves. Though the parking lot was small. You just basically pull your car over to the side. Just try to avoid the "No Parking" signs and you good to go. I pick this waterfall to go then the Kaaterskill as it's very crowed and there was a wait to park to car.

A group of sister friends and I decided to do a hike to Huckleberry point. There are many trails…read moreas you can see in my first photo ( more in other parts of the park). It took us an an hour from the Latham area it was a great drive down the Thruway on to 87 and we exitEd on to exit 21 from there you have to pay attention to the go's because there is a number of twist and turns. Parking is a bear. The parking lot is small and not enough room for all of the hikers. A number of drivers had to park on the side of the road. You have to be careful because drivers on that stretch of Platte Clove Road are driving quite fast. The climb is up most of the way and narrows and the elevation from the parking lot to the top is 644 ft. It gets quite muddy in spots and you have to cross a creek so waterproof hiking boots are recommended. There are many spots where there are steady inclines so you have to be prepared for that. The beauty of the park and nature was beautifully overwhelming for me yesterday. The many cascading waterfalls and the sounds of nature were refreshing and peaceful. You need to bring water and fuel for the ascending and descending. I'm looking forward to my next hike. You need to be carefully looking for the trail markers. There were spots you really had to search for them when the path wasn't as obvious. The park need to put a bit more in.

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!

Easy trails. Well circulated with other people. Relaxing views. A great place to paint outdoors,…read morehave lunch under the pavilion or/and explore.

Doing some research online, I came across this park. It's nice to see what the Hudson Valley offers…read morefor its park! Parking can be limited at times, so the best time to go is early in the day. There are multiple paths that anyone can take, but for our convenience, we did the red and yellow path (those are the main ones). Other paths are found along the trails. Some of the markings can be unclear along the way, so keep an eye out on that. It's best to follow the dirt path at all times. Be aware, most of it is windy. The fire tower wasn't what we expected. As we approached near the top, there were a lot of bees on the railing. The view is excellent from where we stopped, but not enough to fulfill a hiker. Another thing is to watch out for is bugs. There is a lot of shady spots on each path, therefore, I strongly recommend bringing bug spy. Something I learned too. As long as you look at the map, there won't be any problems.

Nice trail mostly steep down to the Hudson. Only saw 2 other hikers. Be sure to grab pizza lunch…read morefrom Tosco's around d the corner. Delish!

I had no idea this Preserve was here, and my husband and friend stumbled on one of the "not…read moreofficial" trail heads. The trails aren't very well marked, and not very easy to see, but it's a nice little preserve. It's not an "easy" walk, kind of steep at times, but decent for not knowing it even existed! Not much parking, dogs are allowed in some areas, no bikes allowed.

For awesome sounds of nature and views all around, this is a great trail to stop at. Hopeland…read moreTrails is part of Norrie State Park. Getting here is not difficult at all while it's not hard missing the exit. There's plenty of parking to fit cars. The word trails indicate there are 5 in this trail park that does a big loop with multiple of them within it. It's awesome to see the layout of it as its filled with mainly gravel and also some grassy areas in some places. Luckily it's not too fully over grown to make it challenging, but do check for ticks after the hick. One minor turn off on the walk I saw is, there is no sign showing the yellow trail for Songbird Lane, so I thought maybe we went off the path for a section until reaching the other connection. There's no sign showing the red trail at the split (see my map photo for a full explanation). An update on the map would be very helpful. The website has it updated. Plan a stop here at Hopeland.

Just camped here again and was extremely impressed with the cleanliness of this campground. The…read morebathrooms and showers were meticulous, and every campsite in loop 4 was flat and well-maintained, perfect for any tent. While we were here, we saw staff removing tree roots that were impeding the campsite next to ours. I also appreciate that the DEC drives around and ensures that campers are abiding by the fire and bear safety rules and wish that other NYS parks did the same. There was SO much wildlife we saw just on the grounds - friendly deer, baby turkeys, and baby ducks. We were fortunate to have a few nights here without any neighbors and it was so serene and beautiful even in intense rain and fog. There are boat and canoe rentals on South Beach, and so many hiking trails that lead to breaktaking views. I really can't say enough good things about this campground and am already looking forward to our next trip here!

I don't normally write reviews especially a negative one. We had a very upsetting experience at…read moreNorth-South Lake. We drove over two hours to visit my husband's childhood campground for the first time with our three kids (ages 5, 7, and 9). When we arrived at the entrance, we were asked if it was a day visit, and we said yes, we were only staying for the day. We paid the fee, received a map, and drove in. My husband was so excited to finally share this place and create memories with our children. Looking for a place to park, we thought we were lucky to find an empty campsite in one of the loops where he used to camp as a child. We parked the car hoping to enjoy the view of the lake, take a walk, and maybe make the kids a couple of s'mores before heading home. At around 2:15-2:30 p.m., the "SUPERVISOR" in the white Kia approached us in an extremely rude and nasty manner, speaking as if we were committing a serious crime and comparing our situation to "sleeping in someone else's hotel room." She asked us if we had a reservation; we said no. She said, "Someone else reserved this spot." We were very apologetic, embarrassed, and immediately put our stuff in the car. I said they could have told us; we would have moved right away. I'm sorry. She said, "They aren't supposed to talk to you; that's why they send me here." She told us we had ten minutes to leave, waited there while we put our chair, blanket, and s'more cookies in the car, and refused our 9-year-old daughter access to the bathroom while we packed up our three things, and even followed us out of the loop to make sure we didn't park elsewhere. My daughter came to us crying because the lady told her she couldn't use the bathroom and had to get in the car. Well, she had an accident in the car right as we were pulling out. We were mortified and apologetic. My husband even offered to leave the firewood we had just purchased for the next campers, but she was dismissive and harsh about that as well. The following day, I called and asked to speak with a manager to explain how we were treated. The manager was just as unfriendly and miserable sounding as the supervisor. I was told they had been looking for us "for hours" and that it's "common sense" not to park in a campsite. She actually said it's considered trespassing. So, a friendly warning for first-time visitors: Apparently, if you don't know that "day use" doesn't mean "park in any empty campsite," just for the day, you're officially a trespassing criminal--at least according to the manager. Yes, really. Reading the website now, I see that check-in for people with reservations is at 2 p.m., which was the time we were trying to make a small fire, so unless someone left their site and returned, it's unclear how they could have been looking for us "for hours." We were right there at 2pm. The website also states: Day Use * Anyone who is not camping is a day-user. Day-use hours are from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Day-users are not allowed between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. We were not camping but didn't realize we couldn't park in an empty campsite. I think "common sense" would be to inform DAY USE visitors at the ENTRANCE to use public parking, especially for families or first-time visitors who may not be camping experts. Bottom line: this was my husband's childhood family spot. We just wanted to take a beautiful fall drive and have a special day with our kids. We understand now that we needed to reserve the parking spot ahead of time, and it was an honest misunderstanding. I would have even offered to pay for the campers' stay for their trouble. What we wish for is that the staff had approached us respectfully and explained the situation instead of treating us like criminals. Imagine being such a miserable person and working in such a BEAUTIFUL and peaceful place for families. This was meant to be a special family day, honoring memories of my father-in-law and creating new ones with our children. Instead, it became stressful and humiliating. Sadly, this is what our children will remember about the day and about North South Lake The photo is the space we took up and the stuff we had with us. Lol

Beautiful waterfall trail! The only thing I wish the state could do better is have a map of the…read moretrailhead- my friends and I were confused on which direction the waterfall trail was as there weren't any clear signs like there at other trails. We had to ask others on the trail who have been there before. It is a moderate trail, and can be slippery if it rained the day before. The fall foliage is beautiful and would highly recommend to anyone who likes hiking!

There are a few trails here that circle around the marshland. We took the yellow trail, which was…read morean easy shaded walk. My family loved that this was a different experience from our typical hikes in the woods, as we were able to take in the beauty of the Marshlands.

This is a brand new trail that opened on June 5th. I don't know if it's still a secret or if it was…read moretoo hot but there weren't many people for a Sunday morning. There is currently an Enchanted Forest art installation along the main trail which is very cool. The red, green, and yellow trails are well marked with frequent flares and give amazing views of the otherworldly beauty of the marshland. Most of the 1.5 miles of trails are easy, gentle, and well shaded by forest. Parking is along the road or driveway. I imagine it could be a challenge if crowded. The yellow trail head is to your right from the parking area. The red trail is the main one which turns into the green loop. Overall, I'm impressed and it was worth the drive. This is exactly what a new trail should be like.