Checked October 8, 2026. Hours shift with the season, so call before you drive.
Windham sits in the valley of the Batavia Kill on the north side of the Catskills, with one Main Street on Route 23 and a ski mountain at the edge of the village. It’s known as the Gem of the Catskills, and it’s quieter than its reputation, at least until the first snow.
Right now it’s fall, and it’s a good one. The state’s foliage report for October 7 to 13 has Windham at 100 percent color, level with Belleayre as the furthest along in the Catskills. Ski season comes next, and the mountain has changed. This guide covers both. For the towns over the ridge, see our Hunter, Tannersville and Phoenicia field guides.
Windham at a glance
- Go for: peak color from Windham High Peak, the Autumn Affair on Main Street, and a dinner you didn’t have to reserve.
- Stay: two nights. One for the ridge, one for Main Street.
- Car: yes. Main Street is walkable, but trailheads and the mountain aren’t.
- The mountain: a members’ club now, with public day tickets in winter. Details below.
- Midweek: thin. Several kitchens close Tuesday and Wednesday.
- From Clove Creek: about 28 minutes north.
Fall in Windham: things to do now
1. Windham High Peak
Trail · Windham High Peak from Peck Road
- Distance: about 3.3 miles each way.
- Route: the yellow Elm Ridge Trail for 0.9 miles, then the blue Escarpment Trail east for 2.4 miles to the 3,524-foot summit.
- Climb: about 1,500 feet on the Escarpment stretch.
- Park: the DEC lot at the end of Peck Road, off Big Hollow Road. About 17 minutes from the village.
- Fee: none.
- From Clove Creek: about 35 minutes.
Windham High Peak is the last big summit at the north end of the Escarpment Trail, and its ledges look north and east, out over the valleys toward the Hudson rather than at more mountains. There’s a lean-to near the junction with the Elm Ridge Trail. DEC has reopened the stretch of the Escarpment Trail between that lean-to and the summit after a closure. Check the DEC Windham-Blackhead Range Wilderness page before you go, and read our Escarpment Trail guide if you’re tempted to keep walking.
Before ski season, plan for ice. From late October, the upper trail can be icy in the morning even when the village is mild. Start early, carry a headlamp, and turn around if the ledges are glazed. Camping above 3,500 feet is prohibited until December 21.
What we bring for the ridge
Map
Catskill Park Trails Illustrated Map
National Geographic #755, waterproof. Covers the Escarpment Trail end to end, with no signal needed.
Light
LHKNL Rechargeable Headlamp, 2-pack
The days get short fast after Columbus Day. Two in the box, USB-C charging.
Warmth
HotHands Hand Warmers, 10 pairs
For a windy summit in late October and, soon enough, the chairlift.
2. The Autumn Affair, this weekend
Windham’s 32nd Autumn Affair fills Main Street on Saturday and Sunday, October 10 and 11, from 10 to 5. It has more than 50 vendors, live music, hay wagon rides, axe throwing and a ski swap. Admission is free, and so is parking at the ski club and around town. The same Saturday, the club holds its Homecoming party, but that one is for members and passholders only.
3. The Windham Path
The town’s Windham Path is a free 1.5-mile loop through fields and along the Batavia Kill. The main lot is off Route 23 just east of the village, with a second on Route 296 near South Street. It’s flat and good for a stroller or an old dog (leashed). This is the walk for the morning after the big hike.
4. The Five State Lookout
A state-maintained pull-off on Route 23 in East Windham, on the way in from the Thruway. On a clear day you can see the Berkshires, the Green Mountains and, people say, New Hampshire’s White Mountains. There’s no restroom, just a parking area and the view. Stop in the morning, before the haze.
Before ski season: Windham Mountain Club
Windham Mountain is now Windham Mountain Club: a year-round resort and members’ club, with a golf course and private amenities alongside the ski area. If you remember the old public mountain, here’s what has changed and what hasn’t.
- The public can still ski. Day tickets and season passes are on sale for 2026-27. Daily ticket sales are capped. Buy online ahead, because walk-up tickets are only sold if the day isn’t full, and they cost the top daily price.
- No Ikon Pass. The club no longer honors any Ikon product.
- Members get more. Guaranteed tickets, priority lines at two lifts, first tracks, valet parking and a members’ locker room.
- Opening day isn’t set. Ski-report sites project December 4, 2026. The club hasn’t posted a date, and snowmaking weather decides it.
- No sightseeing lift. The club isn’t running Skyrides, so there’s no lift up for foliage this fall.
- Sleeping on site helps. Guests at The Outpost, the club’s pop-up hotel on Route 23, can always get lift tickets, even on sold-out days.
If you’d rather ski without the planning, Hunter Mountain is about half an hour away (our Hunter Mountain ski guide), and the state-run Belleayre is about 50 minutes southwest (Unplugged Cabins on Belleayre).
Windham restaurants and coffee
Most of it is on Route 23, which is Main Street through the village. Tuesday and Wednesday are the thin nights, so plan food around midweek hours.
- Catskill Mountain Country Store (5510 Route 23). A country store with a breakfast-and-lunch kitchen. The restaurant is open Thursday to Monday from 9 (8 on weekends) until mid-afternoon, and closed Tuesday and Wednesday.
- Millrock (5398 Route 23). A Windham regular since 1996, with wood-fired pizza and pasta. Dinner Thursday to Sunday. No reservations, so put your name on the waitlist in person. It’s closed to the public on Friday, October 9, for a private event.
- Taphouse Grille (5359 Main St). Open every day, noon to midnight. Pub food, Asian-fusion plates and a lively bar. Call for a table.
- Dandies at Eastwind (5088 Route 23). Burgers, barbecue, cocktails and gelato. Thursday and Friday 3 to 9, weekends 8 to 9.
- Matilda at The Henson (39 Goshen Rd, Hensonville). The candlelit dinner. Reserve ahead.
- Babblers at Wylder Windham (19 Route 296). Breakfast through dinner, plus a bakery known for its strawberry rhubarb pie.
Where to stay in Windham, NY
Our cabin · Hunter, NY · 28 minutes
Clove Creek Cabin
About 28 minutes south of Windham’s Main Street, between two creeks: 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, but the Wi-Fi is strong and handles Wi-Fi calling.
It suits two couples splitting a weekend between Windham’s ridge and Hunter’s Main Street, with the sauna in between.
Clove Creek is run by Unplugged Cabins, our sister brand.
Nearby · Tannersville · 26 minutes
Blue Heron
A quiet two-bedroom cabin a five-minute walk from Tannersville’s Main Street. Sleeps four, takes dogs, and has a fire pit and a real workspace.
It suits a couple who want Windham’s color by day and a walk to dinner at night.
Coming soon · Jefferson, NY · about 45 min to Windham
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 45 minutes from Windham, west on Route 23, then 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, with Windham’s color and ski hill within an hour.
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.
Rather stay in town? Wylder Windham sits on 20 acres along the Batavia Kill, with a heated pool, wood-fired saunas and a dog run. The Henson in Hensonville has 16 rooms, a roof deck and a sauna. The ski club runs The Outpost on Route 23. More ideas in our Catskill cabin rentals guide.
Pack for cold nights
Fall nights in Windham 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 day
Breakfast at the Country Store at 8. Peck Road lot by 9 and on Windham High Peak by noon, with the valley gone orange below you. Back down by 3, then the Autumn Affair on Main Street if it’s this weekend, or the Windham Path if your legs are done. Pizza at Millrock once the waitlist opens, then the half-hour drive south to a hot tub.
Windham FAQ
Is Windham Mountain open to the public?
Yes, for skiing. Windham Mountain is now Windham Mountain Club, a members’ club, but it still sells day tickets and season passes to the public. Day tickets are capped, so buy online ahead. Walk-up tickets are sold only if the day hasn’t sold out, at the highest daily price. Members get guaranteed tickets, priority lines at two lifts and first tracks. The club no longer takes the Ikon Pass.
When does Windham Mountain open for the 2026-27 ski season?
The club hasn’t announced a date. Ski-report sites list a projected opening of December 4, 2026, and the real date depends on cold enough nights for snowmaking. Check the club’s snow report before you plan around it.
Can you ride the lift at Windham for fall foliage?
No. Windham Mountain Club isn’t offering sightseeing lift rides. For the view from the top in October, hike Windham High Peak, or drive Route 23 east to the Five State Lookout.
How long is the Windham High Peak hike?
About 3.3 miles each way from the Peck Road parking area: 0.9 miles on the yellow Elm Ridge Trail, then 2.4 miles east on the blue Escarpment Trail, climbing roughly 1,500 feet on that stretch, per DEC. Plan on four to five hours round trip.
How far is Windham from New York City?
About 135 miles, or roughly three hours by car without traffic. Take the Thruway north to Catskill (exit 21), then Route 23 west over the mountain into the village.
Where should you stay near Windham?
In town there’s Wylder Windham on the Batavia Kill, The Henson in Hensonville, and The Outpost, the ski club’s own pop-up hotel. Our cabin, Clove Creek in Hunter, NY, is about 28 minutes south, with a hot tub and a sauna. Blue Heron in Tannersville is about 26 minutes away.
Keep reading
- Hunter, NY field guide
- Tannersville, NY field guide
- Phoenicia, NY field guide
- Things to do in Greene County, NY
- Escarpment Trail backpacking guide
- Top Catskills hikes for fall foliage views
- Catskills peak foliage this week (Unplugged Cabins)
- Plan Catskills fall foliage by town base (Unplugged Cabins)