Checked October 9, 2026. Belleayre’s fall season ends October 11, and many kitchens here close midweek, so check before you drive.
Fleischmanns is a small village in the Town of Middletown, Delaware County, on Route 28 where the Great Western Catskills meet Ulster County. It was Griffin’s Corners until 1913. By then the family behind Fleischmann’s yeast had spent three decades summering on the hill above the railroad, and the village took their name. Grand hotels and boarding houses once filled the valley each summer. Today it’s quiet: a general store with a café, a gallery, a couple of good dinners and a park the family gave the village. Belleayre Mountain is 12 minutes up the road.
It’s about an hour from Jefferson, where we’re building Juniper Ridge, and about 35 minutes from our Clove Creek Cabin in Hunter, NY. Next door is our Margaretville field guide. For the high peaks, see Phoenicia, Hunter, Tannersville, Windham and Woodstock.
Fleischmanns at a glance
- Go for: Belleayre in the fall, the steep climb up Lost Clove, a Main Street gallery and a walk through Gilded Age history.
- Walkable: Main Street and the park, yes. For the mountain and trailheads you’ll need a car.
- This weekend: Belleayre’s Fall Festival and gondola rides end October 11. The Delaware & Ulster train runs Saturday from Arkville, about 8 minutes west.
- Saturday night: the Arts Inn in the village hosts a reading from Heidi Stonier’s Finding Mother, with dance by Glenna Yu, October 10 at 7.
- From New York City: a little under three hours by car.
- From our Juniper Ridge build: about an hour. From Clove Creek: about 35 minutes.
Coming soon · our next cabin
We’re building Juniper Ridge, a tiny cabin with a hot tub and a wood-fired sauna on five wooded acres near Jefferson, about an hour from Fleischmanns. The footings went in in September, and the cabin is being built in the workshop now. The opening date isn’t set yet, so join the list to hear first.
Things to do in Fleischmanns this fall
1. Belleayre Mountain the hard way, via Lost Clove
Trail · Lost Clove Trail and Belleayre Ridge Trail to Belleayre Mountain
- Distance: about 6 miles out and back to the summit.
- Climb: about 2,000 feet. The first mile and a quarter is steep without a break.
- Markers: red DEC markers on the Lost Clove Trail, then the blue Belleayre Ridge Trail to the top.
- Along the way: the Hirschland Lean-to, views across to the Devil’s Path at around 3,200 feet, the site of the old fire tower, and a second lean-to. From the top of the ski area you can see north to Bearpen, Vly and Halcott mountains.
- Park: the small DEC lot about a mile and a quarter up Lost Clove Road, off County Route 47 in Big Indian. About 15 minutes from Fleischmanns. The lot is small, so get there early.
- Know before you go: hunting season is on, so wear something bright. Carry all the water you’ll need.
- From our Juniper Ridge build: about 1 hour 10 minutes. From Clove Creek: about 30 minutes.
This is the way to earn Belleayre instead of riding up it. The red trail climbs hard from the parking lot to the ridge, then the grade eases on the blue trail to the summit. Come back the same way. See the DEC page for the Big Indian Wilderness for current trail notes.
What we bring for a steep Catskills climb
Knees
Cascade Mountain Tech Carbon Trekking Poles
The first mile and a quarter of Lost Clove is steep, and wet leaves hide the rocks. Poles help most on the way down.
Light
LHKNL Rechargeable Headlamp, 2-pack
The ridge loses the light early in late October. Two in the box, USB-C charging.
Warmth
HotHands Hand Warmers, 10 pairs
For a cold summit lunch, or the line for the gondola at the festival.
2. Belleayre’s Fall Festival and gondola, through October 11
Belleayre Mountain (181 Galli Curci Road, Highmount) holds the last weekend of its Fall Festival on October 10 and 11, from 10 to 5. Admission and parking are free. The scenic gondola runs both days, with the last ride up at 4:45 and the last ride down at 5. After Sunday, the gondola is done for the season. Belleayre hasn’t announced its 2026–27 ski opening day yet. For winter, see our sister site’s Belleayre guide.
3. A walk through Gilded Age Fleischmanns
Start at the village park on Wagner Avenue. Julius Fleischmann gave it to the village in 1914. Before that, it was the ballfield of the family’s Mountain Athletic Club, where Honus Wagner trained. Today the park has about five acres, tennis courts and a snack shack. The Skene Memorial Library was built with a $5,000 Carnegie gift, with its cornerstone laid in 1901, and is on the National Register. Lake Switzerland was made by a dam built in 1906 and 1907, when summer visitors filled the hotels here.
4. 1053 Gallery
1053 Gallery (1053 Main St) is an art gallery in the middle of the village. It’s open Friday to Sunday, 11 to 5. The current show, Phantom Buzz, pairs two artists, including Will Hutnick, and opened October 3.
5. The Delaware & Ulster train and Margaretville
The Delaware & Ulster Railroad leaves from Arkville, about 8 minutes west, on Saturdays through October 31 at 10:30, 12:15, 2:00 and 3:45. The ride heads west along the East Branch for about 45 minutes round trip. Reserve ahead. Keep going a few minutes to Margaretville for Main Street, the Longyear Gallery and the Saturday market at the Kelly Round Barn in Halcottsville. Our Margaretville field guide has the details.
Towns near Fleischmanns
- Pine Hill, about 7 minutes east on Route 28.
- Arkville, about 8 minutes west: the train station and the Catskill Recreation Center’s indoor pool.
- Margaretville, about 10 minutes west. See our Margaretville field guide.
- Belleayre Mountain in Highmount, about 12 minutes east.
- Halcottsville, about 15 minutes north, for the round barn market.
- Chasing color: a local tip is to start in the northwestern Catskills, around Delhi and Andes, and work your way south. From Fleischmanns, Andes is about half an hour west by way of Margaretville.
- Phoenicia, a little over 20 minutes east. See our Phoenicia field guide.
Fleischmanns restaurants and coffee
Fleischmanns is small and a lot of it closes midweek, so plan food around midweek hours.
- Doolittle’s (1121 Main St). A general store and café with coffee, pastries and pantry staples. Listings show it open every day, but it doesn’t post hours itself, so check before you go.
- Catskills Taco Shack (932 Main St). Tacos, opened in 2025. Hours change with the season.
- La Cabaña (966 Main St). Mexican food and a bar. Monday, Tuesday and Friday to Sunday, 4 to 10. Closed Wednesday and Thursday.
- For more choice, Margaretville is about 10 minutes west: pastries at Café Marguerite, Italian at Tomato Tomahto and dinner at RAE’S.
Where to stay near Fleischmanns, NY
Coming soon · Jefferson, NY · about 1 hr to Fleischmanns
Juniper Ridge
We’re building a modern tiny cabin on Blenheim Hill, near Jefferson in Schoharie County, on about five private acres of maple, beech and birch forest. It’s a single-story, 361-square-foot studio with a full bath, a kitchenette and a small covered porch. The plan includes a hot tub under the trees, a wood-fired sauna, a fire pit and a private trail through the woods.
- Getting there: about an hour from Fleischmanns, by Route 30 through Roxbury and Margaretville, then Route 28 east.
- Close by: Mine Kill State Park and Stamford, each about 15 minutes away.
- Where it stands: footings went in in September, and the cabin is being built in the workshop now. The opening date isn’t set yet.
It suits two people who want a quiet woods base, with Belleayre, the river train and the round barn market all about an hour away.
It isn’t open yet. Join the list and you’ll hear first when it opens.
Open now · Hunter, NY · about 35 minutes
Clove Creek Cabin
If you want a cabin this fall, Clove Creek is open now, about 35 minutes from Fleischmanns by Route 214 and Route 28, past Phoenicia. It sits between two creeks, with a hot tub, a sauna and an indoor fireplace, two queen bedrooms, an Ooni pizza oven and a Solo Stove fire pit on about 600 square feet of deck. Dogs are welcome when they’re on the reservation. Cell service is close to none, but the Wi-Fi is strong and handles Wi-Fi calling.
It suits two couples who want Belleayre one day and the peaks around Hunter the next.
Juniper Ridge and Clove Creek are run by Unplugged Cabins, our sister brand.
Rather stay in town? For more choices, look in Margaretville, about 10 minutes west. It has a bed and breakfast and motels, listed in our Margaretville field guide. More ideas in our Catskill cabin rentals guide.
Pack for cold nights
Fleischmanns sits in a narrow valley under a ski mountain, and October nights get cold fast once the sun drops behind the ridge. Our packing list lives on the Gear page: camping essentials for cold nights, from a warm bed to a camp kitchen that actually works.
One perfect Saturday
Coffee from Doolittle’s, then the Lost Clove trailhead by 8:30. Summit Belleayre and get back down by noon. On festival weekend, drive up to the ski center for the afternoon and catch the gondola before the 4:45 last ride. Any other Saturday this month, take the 2:00 train from Arkville instead. 1053 Gallery before 5, then dinner at La Cabaña.
Fleischmanns FAQ
What is Fleischmanns, NY known for?
It’s a former Gilded Age summer resort on Route 28, right below Belleayre Mountain. The family behind Fleischmann’s yeast built a summer compound above the railroad here in 1883, and the village took their name in 1913. The family’s ballfield, now the village park, is where the baseball great Honus Wagner once trained.
Is Fleischmanns named after the yeast company?
Yes. The village was called Griffin’s Corners, after an early settler named Matthew Griffin, until it incorporated in 1913 and took the name of the Fleischmann family, who had summered here since the 1880s.
Is Fleischmanns a walkable town?
The center is. Main Street, the gallery, the general store and the village park are all within a short walk. You’ll need a car for Belleayre, the trailheads and the train in Arkville.
How far is Fleischmanns from Belleayre Mountain?
About 12 minutes east on Route 28 to the ski center in Highmount.
How far is Fleischmanns from New York City?
About 130 miles from Midtown Manhattan, or a little under three hours by car without traffic.
What towns are near Fleischmanns, NY?
Pine Hill is about 7 minutes east, Arkville about 8 minutes west and Margaretville about 10 minutes west. Halcottsville is about 15 minutes north, and Phoenicia is a little over 20 minutes east on Route 28.
Where should you stay near Fleischmanns?
For inns and motels, look in Margaretville, about 10 minutes west. We’re building Juniper Ridge, a tiny cabin near Jefferson, about an hour away. It isn’t open yet, so join the list to hear first. Our Clove Creek Cabin in Hunter, NY is open now, about 35 minutes east.
Keep reading
- Margaretville, NY field guide
- Juniper Ridge: a tiny cabin in the Catskills, coming soon (Unplugged Cabins)
- Belleayre Mountain ski center guide (Unplugged Cabins)
- Phoenicia, NY field guide
- Hunter, NY field guide
- Tannersville, NY field guide
- Windham, NY field guide
- Woodstock, NY field guide
- Cooperstown, NY field guide
- Catskills peak foliage this week (Unplugged Cabins)
- Upstate day trips for adults