Choose Your Own Catskills Adventure

When it comes to outdoor adventures, Greene County ranks among the top spots in the northeast. Home to five of the tallest Catskill Peaks and extending into the Catskill Park, a New York State designated Forever Wild area, the Great Northern Catskills offer outdoor recreation in one of America's first and most pristine areas. It doesn't hurt that most trails are within a few minutes' drive of some of the best microbreweries and burger joints in Upstate New York!

Choose Your Own Adventure – Catskills Edition

Remember those choose- your-own adventure books from when you were a kid? Man, weren’t those the coolest? We’ve taken that idea, and worked it into a few real-life scenarios for you. From this point on, adventure awaits, but you pick the place and pace!

Lace Those Boots

We're Going on a Hike

Start your adventure on the trail to Diamond Notch Falls. The Catskill mountain trail is lightly trafficked and an easy-to-moderate hike. Put your city-self to shame, and lace up those boots and head to the trailhead, located off of County Road 6, just off of State Route 42 north of Deep Notch. About three-quarters of a mile in on the trail, a 15-foot waterfall tumbles down a nearby rock ledge, creating a chilly pool that only the bravest souls dare enter. In total, the trail loops for four miles, offering an ideal mid-morning jaunt before moving on to your next adventure.

Are you A) Ready for breakfast? B) Ready for a beer? or C) Amped up and ready to tackle something a little more daring?

A) If you're ready for breakfast, head 10 miles down the road to Tannersville, and hit up Maggie's Krooked Café & Juice Bar for some of the best eggs benny you've ever had, or The Catskill Mountain Country Store where The Tall Tale breakfast special offers ample opportunity to tell a few of your own.
B) The Catskills Beverage Trail features six diverse stops, but in order to maximize time, you have two nearby options here: head to Tannersville's Hudson-Chatham Winery to enjoy a glass of what is likely the best New York State wine you've never tasted before, or drive to 15 miles to Cave Mountain Brewing Company for award-winning beer. Bonus ending: The Cave was voted as having the "Best Burger" by Hudson Valley Magazine in 2011. You've earned those calories, right?
C) If the hike only served to whet your appetite for adventure, head to Hunter Mountain where the longest, fastest, highest, and longest zipline canopy tour in North America awaits the brave at heart. Spend the next three hours flying through the air and trying not to look down.

Go for a Ride

Stomp It

Continue your Catskills adventure tour, this time on two wheels. Windham Mountain Bike Center is a MTBParks.com's "Top Five Best Bike Park" in the Northeast – and for good reason. Designed by park pros Gravity Logic, and host of the only North American World Cup Downhill mountain bike race, Windham's winter terrain has been transformed into a pedaler's paradise. Take the modified chairlift to the top with your bike, and let 'er rip. There are trails for all skill levels, and expert guides and instructors on hand to tailor your experience to your needs. End the day at the Skills Park, including berms, tabletops, a mini rock garden, and all the burly features you could ever want.

After stomping it, you're ready for your next adventure.

Do you cool down with A) A hike to Pratt Rock, B) A burger and beer or C) Kayaking on the Hudson River?

A) Pratt Rock is about 10 miles from Windham, and has one of the kookiest stories of any place in the Catskills. Carved into a cliffside by town-founder and leather tanner Zadock Pratt, the carvings, which feature highlights from Pratt's life, are like a 19th-century version of an Instagram feed. Totally worth the after-bike hike.
B) If you're anything like the rest of humanity, the only thing you're thinking about after mountain biking is "I could really go for a burger and a beer." You're in luck, because 25 miles away – trust us, it's worth the drive – The New York Restaurant offers both. Signature burgers and hand-cut fries, craft micro-brew drafts and evening entertainment await.
C) Rent kayaks or stand-up paddleboards from one of the businesses on the Catskill Creek waterfront in Athens or Catskill, and head for open water. The creek stretches for 40 miles, offering access to riverfront dining and shopping if you're into that, or connect to the Hudson River and explore the secret coves on Henry Hudson's namesake waterway.

Face the Riptide!

Get ready to conquer the Typhoon Twister, the Riptide Cove Wave Pool, or to lounge hard-core in the Lagoon Activity Pool - because mama says we're going to Zoom Flume Water Park!

Summer in the Catskills is primo - filled with long sunny days, and cool nights. But after a trek through the wilderness, a little swim is recommended. No choosing here - just head to the Zoom Flume and get ready to splash!

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