Checked October 8, 2026. Hours shift with the season, so call before you drive.
Phoenicia is where Route 28 meets the Esopus Creek and Route 214 heads north into the notch. It was a rail town first. The Ulster & Delaware line ran through here, and the 1899 station still stands by the tracks. These days it’s a few blocks of Main Street, a diner people drive up from the city for, and trailheads in every direction. Our cabin, Clove Creek in Hunter, NY, is 13 minutes up Route 214.
Fall is the busy season. The state’s foliage report for October 7 to 13 calls for pockets of peak color across the Catskills this weekend. This guide covers the village and the valley around it. For the high peaks to the north, see our Hunter and Tannersville field guides. More towns live in our Catskills guide.
Phoenicia at a glance
- Go for: Giant Ledge at sunrise, breakfast at the diner and a railbike ride along the Esopus.
- Stay: two nights. Weekends here are slow on purpose.
- Car: yes. Main Street is walkable, but the trailheads are spread across three valleys.
- Signal: patchy once you leave the village, and gone in stretches of Route 214 and Oliverea Road. Download your maps before you leave Main Street.
- Water: no tube rentals in 2026. More on that below.
- From Clove Creek: 13 minutes to Main Street, about 40 to the Giant Ledge trailhead.
Things to do in Phoenicia, NY
1. Giant Ledge, the short hike with the big view
Trail · Giant Ledge from Oliverea Road
- Distance: 1.6 miles each way, about 1,100 feet of climbing.
- Route: yellow Phoenicia East Branch Trail for 0.75 miles, then the blue Giant Ledge-Panther Trail for 0.85 miles to the ledges.
- Park: the DEC parking area on Oliverea Road (County Route 47), 7.5 miles south of Route 28. The trail starts across the road.
- Fee: none.
- From Clove Creek: about 40 minutes, back down 214 and west on Route 28.
Giant Ledge is a row of open rock shelves on the side of a ridge, with views east and west over the Slide Mountain Wilderness. It’s the best payoff for the effort in this part of the Catskills, which is also why it’s crowded. The climb is short but steep and rocky, and the last stretch to the ledges is more scramble than trail. Keep dogs leashed and kids close at the edges.
The parking reality. The lot holds a couple dozen cars and fills by mid-morning on fall weekends. Don’t park on the shoulder where it’s signed against it. Get there by 8, or go on a weekday. If it’s full, go a little farther south to the Slide Mountain lot (9.4 miles from Route 28). Slide is the tallest peak in the Catskills, 2.7 miles each way, and it’s a bigger day. Trail notes are on the DEC Slide Mountain Wilderness page, and our Catskills backpacking guide covers overnights out here.
What we bring for the ledges
Map
Catskill Park Trails Illustrated Map
National Geographic #755, waterproof. Oliverea Road loses signal fast, and paper doesn’t need any.
Knees
Cascade Mountain Tech Carbon Trekking Poles
The way down from the ledges is steep and rocky. A pair of light poles takes it off your knees.
Light
LHKNL Rechargeable Headlamp, 2-pack
For sunrise on the ledges, or for walking down after sunset. Two in the box, USB-C charging.
2. Mount Tremper Fire Tower
The local fire tower hike. The red-marked Phoenicia Trail climbs about 2,000 feet in 2.75 miles to the fire tower on the summit, with a lean-to a little past the halfway point. Parking is a small DEC lot for about ten cars on County Route 40, roughly 3 miles east of Main Street. It’s a steady climb with no scrambling. Details are on the DEC Phoenicia-Mt. Tobias Wild Forest page.
3. Railbikes along the Esopus
Rail Explorers runs pedal-powered railbikes, all with electric assist, on the old Ulster & Delaware tracks. The River Run starts at the depot next to the railway museum and goes about 8 miles round trip along the creek. The Mt. Tremper Express is a shorter 4-mile version. Tours are timed and ticketed, so book ahead on fall weekends.
4. The Empire State Railway Museum
The Empire State Railway Museum is in the 1899 Phoenicia station at 70 Lower High Street. It’s open weekends and holidays, 10 to 4, from Memorial Day through Columbus Day, so this weekend (through Monday, October 12) is your last chance this year.
5. The Catskill Mountain Railroad, from Kingston
Scenic train rides no longer leave from Phoenicia. The Catskill Mountain Railroad runs from Westbrook Lane Station in Kingston, about an hour from Clove Creek. The Fall Foliage Adventure is about 75 minutes and 8 miles round trip, running October 9 to 12. The Pumpkin Express follows on October 17 to 18 and 24 to 25. Good for a rainy morning on the way home.
6. The Esopus Creek, from the bank
For years, summer in Phoenicia meant floating the Esopus in a rented tube. Town Tinker, the outfitter on Bridge Street, hasn’t opened since 2019, and the building has been up for sale this year. Nobody is renting tubes on the creek in 2026. The Esopus is cold and fast with class II stretches, so don’t improvise with a pool float. Watch it from the bank instead. Anglers come here for the trout. Ten minutes east in Boiceville, the creek runs under the new bridge on the Ashokan Rail Trail, 11.5 flat miles along the reservoir.
7. The Catskills Visitor Center and the Upper Esopus Fire Tower
Ten minutes east in Mount Tremper (5096 Route 28). The Catskills Visitor Center has trail maps, rangers’ advice, 1.5 miles of easy trails, creek access and the 80-foot Upper Esopus Fire Tower, which you can climb without a hike. It’s open every day 9:30 to 4 through November 30. Stop here first if you have kids or a rainy forecast.
8. A show at the Phoenicia Playhouse
The Phoenicia Playhouse (10 Church St) is in its 50th season. Mel Brooks’s Young Frankenstein runs October 9 to 25, Fridays and Saturdays at 7 and Sundays at 2. The Kennedys play a costume concert on October 31.
9. Sunday market at Parish Field
The Phoenicia farmers market sets up Sunday mornings at Parish Field (16 Mt. Ava Maria Road), which is also the trailhead for the short Tanbark Loop. On October 11 it adds a Fall Makers Faire from 10 a.m., free to get in.
Phoenicia restaurants and coffee
Main Street and Route 28. Wednesday is the hard day, since the diner is closed, and the steakhouse is closed Monday and Tuesday. Plan food around midweek hours.
- Phoenicia Diner (5681 Route 28). The reason half of Route 28 slows down on Saturday morning. Open every day but Wednesday, 8 to 6. No reservations, so go at 8.
- Bettina Cafe & Market (49 Main St), in the old Sweet Sue’s spot. Breakfast and lunch, with dogs welcome at the outdoor tables. It’s daytime only, roughly Wednesday to Sunday, so check hours.
- Brio’s Pizzeria & Restaurant (68 Main St). On Main Street since 1973. Wood-fired thin-crust pizza, breakfast until 1, open every day, and leashed dogs on the patio.
- Woodstock Brewing (5581 Route 28). Despite the name, it’s in Phoenicia. A taproom for after the hike. Check hours before you go.
- The Phoenician Steakhouse (10 Main St). The sit-down dinner. Wednesday to Sunday from 5.
Where to stay in Phoenicia, NY
Our cabin · Hunter, NY · 13 minutes up Route 214
Clove Creek Cabin
From Phoenicia, Route 214 runs straight north up Stony Clove to our door in the Lanesville hamlet: 7 miles and about 13 minutes. The cabin 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. There’s almost no cell service on 214, but the Wi-Fi is strong and handles Wi-Fi calling.
It suits two couples who want the diner at 8, Giant Ledge by 10 and the sauna by four.
Clove Creek is run by Unplugged Cabins, our sister brand.
Nearby · Tannersville · 25 minutes north
Blue Heron
A quiet two-bedroom cabin a five-minute walk from Tannersville’s Main Street, over the notch from Phoenicia. Sleeps four, takes dogs, and has a fire pit and a real workspace.
It suits a couple splitting a weekend between Phoenicia’s trails and the Mountaintop’s waterfalls.
Rather stay in the village? The Graham & Co. is a 20-room boutique hotel on Route 214, two blocks off Main Street, with loaner bikes. Phoenicia Lodge has suites, inn rooms and dog-friendly cabins on Route 28 near the creek. The Phoenicia Belle is a bed and breakfast at 73 Main Street. For a tent or an RV, Phoenicia Black Bear Campground is on the Esopus on Bridge Street and stays open into December. More ideas in our Catskill cabin rentals guide.
Coming soon · Jefferson, NY · about 1 hr 10 min to Phoenicia
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 1 hour 10 minutes from Phoenicia, north by Route 42, then Route 23A, Route 23 and Route 30.
- 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 in the northern Catskills, with Phoenicia as a longer day trip.
It isn’t open yet. Join the list and you’ll hear first when it opens.
Juniper Ridge is run by Unplugged Cabins, our sister brand.
Pack for cold nights
The valley gets cold quickly once the sun drops behind the ridge, even in early October. 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 day
At the Giant Ledge lot by 7:45 and on the ledges by 9, with coffee in a thermos. Back down before the lot overflows. A late breakfast at the diner once the morning rush thins out. Railbikes along the Esopus in the afternoon, or the museum if it’s a weekend before Columbus Day. Drive 13 minutes up 214 for the sauna, then come back down for pizza at Brio’s.
Phoenicia FAQ
Can you go tubing on the Esopus Creek in 2026?
Not with an outfitter. Town Tinker, the tube rental on Bridge Street, hasn’t opened since 2019, and nobody else is renting tubes on the creek this year. The Esopus is cold, fast in places and has class II stretches, so we’d skip going it alone. For time on the water, look from the bank at the Catskills Visitor Center in Mount Tremper, or ride the railbikes along it.
How long is the Giant Ledge hike?
About 3.2 miles round trip with roughly 1,100 feet of climbing, per DEC. From the Oliverea Road parking area, 7.5 miles south of Route 28, take the yellow trail 0.75 miles, then the blue trail 0.85 miles to the ledges. Plan on two to three hours with time at the top.
Is the Phoenicia Diner open every day?
Every day but Wednesday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. It’s first come, first served with no reservations, so a weekend wait is normal. Go at opening or after 2.
Does the Catskill Mountain Railroad leave from Phoenicia?
Not this season. Its trains leave from Westbrook Lane Station in Kingston, about 40 minutes east. The fall foliage rides run October 9 to 12 and the Pumpkin Express runs October 17 to 18 and 24 to 25. In Phoenicia itself, the old rail line is used by the Rail Explorers railbikes, and the Empire State Railway Museum is open weekends through Columbus Day, October 12.
How far is Phoenicia from New York City?
About 117 miles, or roughly two and a half hours by car. Take the Thruway north to Kingston, then Route 28 west for about half an hour.
Where should you stay near Phoenicia?
In the village there’s The Graham & Co., Phoenicia Lodge and the Phoenicia Belle bed and breakfast. If you’d rather be up a quiet road, our cabin, Clove Creek in Hunter, NY, is about 13 minutes north on Route 214, with a hot tub and a sauna. Blue Heron in Tannersville is about 25 minutes north.
Keep reading
- Hunter, NY field guide
- Tannersville, NY field guide
- Top Catskills hikes for fall foliage views
- Backpacking in the Catskills
- Catskill cabin rentals
- Plan Catskills fall foliage by town base (Unplugged Cabins)
- Catskills peak foliage this week (Unplugged Cabins)
- 10 best hikes in Catskill Park (Unplugged Cabins)