Checked October 8, 2026. Hours shift with the season, so call before you drive.
Tannersville is the Catskills town that painted itself. Purple, teal and tangerine houses line Main Street, a habit the village traces to artist Elena Patterson, and the whole place sits around 1,900 feet up. Kaaterskill Falls is ten minutes east. Hunter Mountain is a few minutes west. Our cabin, Clove Creek in Hunter, NY, is about 15 minutes away.
This is peak week. The state’s foliage report for October 7 to 13 has Haines Falls and Hunter at 85 percent color. Peak is a weekend, not a season, so here’s how we’d spend one. More towns live in our Catskills guide.
Tannersville at a glance
- Go for: waterfalls, fall color and a slow Main Street breakfast.
- Stay: two nights. One for the falls, one for doing very little.
- Car: yes. The private Kaaterskill trolley didn’t come back in 2026, and there’s no public shuttle to the falls.
- Saturday night: the free Pumpkin Walk at Rip Van Winkle Lake Park, October 10 from 7 to 9. Bring a carved pumpkin and a candle; the lighting is at 7:45. It’s also Columbus Day weekend, the busiest of the fall, so get to the Laurel House Road lot early.
- Signal: patchy in the cloves. Download your maps before Route 23A starts climbing.
- Dogs: the village points dog owners to the west side of Rip Van Winkle Lake, and both cabins below take dogs.
- Nearest trailhead: Laurel House Road, for Kaaterskill Falls.
Things to do in Tannersville, NY
1. Kaaterskill Falls, without the parking ticket
Trail · Kaaterskill Falls from Laurel House Road
- Distance: 0.3 miles to the viewing platform; 0.7 miles to the lower pools.
- Surface: firm gravel to the platform (wheelchair accessible), then a steep natural trail down.
- Park: DEC lots only: Laurel House Road, Scutt Road or South Lake.
- Fee: none at Laurel House Road.
- Best time: before 9 a.m., or a weekday.
Two tiers, 175 and 85 feet, and the tallest falls in New York by DEC’s count. The easy version is the platform at the top. The full version keeps going down to the lower pools, steep in spots, so wear shoes you’d hike in. Our Catskill waterfalls guide has more falls for a second morning.
The parking reality. Every pull-off on Route 23A in Kaaterskill Clove is off-limits from May through October, and the Town of Hunter tickets and tows. DEC sends you to Laurel House Road, Scutt Road or South Lake, and those lots fill early on October weekends. If one’s full, move on to the next item on this list and come back another day. Current rules are on the DEC Kaaterskill Wild Forest page.
House rules at the falls: no alcohol, glass, fires or speakers. Stay 6 feet back from cliff edges, and stay out of the water for 150 feet above the top of the falls.
What we bring for the falls
Map
Catskill Park Trails Illustrated Map
National Geographic #755, waterproof, with a North-South Lake inset. Works when your phone doesn’t.
Light
LHKNL Rechargeable Headlamp, 2-pack
October sunsets come early and the walk out is under trees. Two in the box, USB-C charging.
Warmth
HotHands Hand Warmers, 10 pairs
Mornings on the escarpment start cold. One pair per pocket, the rest in the glovebox.
2. The Kaaterskill Rail Trail, the back way in
A flat 1.5 miles on the old Ulster & Delaware rail bed, from the Mountain Top Historical Society in Haines Falls to Laurel House Road, just above the falls, with looks down into the clove along the way. Park at the society (5132 Route 23A; the grounds are open every day, and a small weekend parking fee may apply). Three miles out and back, and no lot scramble.
3. North-South Lake and the escarpment
The biggest state campground in the Catskills, two lakes joined into one, and a short walk to the site of the old Catskill Mountain House, where DEC says you can see five states on a clear day. Artist’s Rock and Newman’s Ledge are farther along the blue-marked Escarpment Trail. Day use is $10 per car, and the season ends October 25. Details on the DEC North-South Lake page; more fall walks in our top Catskills hikes.
4. Mountain Top Arboretum
Gardens, meadows and boardwalks two miles north of the village light on Route 23C (4 Maude Adams Road). Open dawn to dusk every day, $5 suggested donation. Our pick when the falls lots are full and you still want color.
Source: Mountain Top Arboretum.
5. Huckleberry Trail and Rip Van Winkle Lake
A shaded, mostly flat 2.7-mile rail trail through the village, past Rip Van Winkle Lake. Park on Lake Road. Good for a dog walk, a slow bike ride or the hour after a big breakfast.
6. Hunter Mountain on fall weekends
Hunter’s Colors in the Catskills festival runs October 10 to 11 and 17 to 18 this year. Entry is free, and the Scenic SkyRide is ticketed. Hunter gets its own field guide next. For now, see our Hunter Mountain guide and Unplugged Cabins’ Hunter Mountain fall foliage picks.
7. Notch Lake, on the drive from the cabin
Coming from Clove Creek, Route 214 climbs through Stony Clove Notch past Notch Lake at Devil’s Tombstone, where the red-marked Devil’s Path crosses. The campground there closed for the season on September 7.
Apple picking: the April freeze thinned this year’s crop across the region, so call an orchard before you drive. Unplugged Cabins has the current picture.
Tannersville restaurants and coffee
All on Main Street, all walkable from each other. Midweek hours are thin up here, so plan food around them.
- Deja Brew (5980 Main St). Coffee, pastries and breakfast sandwiches in a living-room kind of cafe, with local soaps and candles on the shelves.
- Maggie’s Krooked Cafe & Juice Bar (6000 Main St). Big, made-to-order breakfasts served all day. Pancakes come in oatmeal, buckwheat and blueberry. It takes a little time. That’s the point.
- Pantry on Main (6022 Main St). Breakfast and lunch, plus take-home dinners and local meats for the cabin fridge. Closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
- Last Chance Antiques & Cheese Cafe (6009 Main St). Open since 1971: fondue, burgers, 100-plus beers and a cheese and candy counter. Fall hours are Friday to Tuesday from 11.
- Brave The Flames (6080 Main St). Scratch-made BBQ and burgers, a good post-hike dinner.
- Mama’s Boy Burgers (6067 Main St). Fast and casual at the village’s only traffic light, open year-round.
Where to shop
- Tannersville Antiques & Artisan Center (6045 Main St). Fifteen-plus dealers in a 19th-century building, open daily 10 to 5. Good gear lasts forever, and some of it is in here.
- Tannersville Works (6041 Main St). Catskills candles, wool blankets, books and vintage furniture.
- Camp Catskill (6006 Main St). A small outfitter for whatever you forgot, plus honest trail advice. Closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Where to stay near Tannersville
Our cabin · Hunter, NY · about 15 minutes
Clove Creek Cabin
Between two creeks on Route 214: hot tub, 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 on 214, but the Wi-Fi is strong and handles Wi-Fi calling.
It suits two couples who want the falls in the morning and the sauna by four.
Clove Creek is run by Unplugged Cabins, our sister brand.
In town · Tannersville
Blue Heron
A quiet two-bedroom cabin a five-minute walk from Main Street. Sleeps four, takes dogs, and has a fire pit and a real workspace.
It suits a couple who would rather walk to dinner than drive to it.
Coming soon · Jefferson, NY · about 1 hr to Tannersville
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 Tannersville, west by 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 on the western side of the mountains, with Tannersville and the high peaks about an hour away.
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.
More options in our Catskill cabin rentals guide.
Pack for cold nights
Warm days, cold nights: that’s October up here. 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 morning
Coffee and a pastry at Deja Brew at 7:30. Laurel House Road lot by 8:15, platform first, then down to the lower pools while the light is still low. Back on Main Street by 10:30 for a late breakfast at Maggie’s, then an hour in the antiques center. Afternoon nap at the cabin. Sauna at four.
Tannersville FAQ
Where do you park for Kaaterskill Falls?
Use a DEC lot: Laurel House Road (closest, 0.3 miles to the viewing platform), Scutt Road, or South Lake inside North-South Lake, where a day-use fee may apply. Every pull-off on Route 23A in Kaaterskill Clove is off-limits from May through October, and illegally parked cars are ticketed and towed. You can also park at the Mountain Top Historical Society in Haines Falls and walk the flat Kaaterskill Rail Trail in.
How long is the hike to Kaaterskill Falls?
From the Laurel House Road lot it’s 0.3 miles on a firm gravel path to the viewing platform at the top of the falls, gentle enough for a wheelchair. Going down to the lower pools at the base is 0.7 miles from the lot, on a steeper, rougher trail, so wear real shoes. From the Mountain Top Historical Society, the Kaaterskill Rail Trail adds a flat 1.5 miles each way.
When is peak fall foliage in Tannersville?
Usually early to mid-October on the Mountaintop. This year the state’s I LOVE NY report for October 7 to 13 had Haines Falls and Hunter at 85 percent color and near peak, with upper Windham already at peak. Lower towns toward the Hudson turn a week or two later.
How far is Tannersville from New York City?
About 120 miles. Plan on roughly two and a half hours by car from Midtown without traffic, via the Thruway to Saugerties (Exit 20) and Route 23A up through Kaaterskill Clove. There is no Kaaterskill trolley in 2026, so you’ll want a car once you’re up here.
Is Kaaterskill Falls open year-round?
Yes. Kaaterskill Wild Forest is open for recreation all year and there’s no fee. The viewing-platform trail is the safe choice in winter; the stretch down to the lower pools gets icy, so bring traction. North-South Lake’s campground and day-use area close for the season on October 25.
What is Tannersville, NY known for?
Painted houses and height. Tannersville calls itself the “Painted Village in the Sky” for its brightly painted Main Street, and at about 1,900 feet it’s the highest incorporated village in New York, by the village’s own count. It’s also the closest town to Kaaterskill Falls and a few minutes from Hunter Mountain.
Keep reading
- Catskill waterfalls: a guide to the cascades
- Top Catskills hikes for fall foliage views
- Hunter Mountain ski guide
- Catskill cabin rentals
- Things to do in Greene County, NY
- Hiking to Kaaterskill Falls (Unplugged Cabins)
Slow mail: we send the good weekends, not every weekend.