# Books &amp; Trails

> Hikes and waterfalls in the lower Hudson Valley


## Posts

- [The Catskills’ Best Kept Secret?](https://booksandtrails.com/cowards-falls-catskills/): (And You Don&#8217;t Even Have to Hike It) How does a short hike to an impressive waterfall sound? A waterfall in the Catskills that no one has heard of? And how about no hike at all? Because that’s what you get when you visit the waterfall in Hurley, NY—a 50-ft. roadside waterfall hiding in plain sight that locals wish remains a secret. But off-the-beaten-paths in today’s age of Instagram don’t stay hidden for long. “Influencers” are bound to find them and showcase them to the world. And that’s how I found out about Hurley Falls. I stumbled upon it while [&hellip;]
- [Catskill Serendipity](https://booksandtrails.com/venus-bath-artist-falls/): A Winter Hike to Artist Falls and Venus Bath I did not expect parking to be reserved only for hotel guests at Winter Clove Inn when I arrived at the trailhead for Venus Bath and Artist Falls. I didn’t remember any of the websites I visited saying so. But there they were, not just one but multiple guests-only signs enforcing the inn’s policy. After circling around looking for street parking without any luck, my only option was to rely on the inn’s good graces to allow me to park—otherwise, my hour-long drive to the Catskills would have been for naught. [&hellip;]
- [More Than a Waterfall: A 3-Mile Journey in the Poconos](https://booksandtrails.com/tumbling-waters/): It seems one need not venture deep into Nature to find waterfalls in the Delaware Water Gap, a region of wondrous natural beauty in the northern part of Pennsylvania. It is simply brimming at the seams, so to speak, with waterfalls. Variously referred to (at least by me) as the Poconos, the Pocono Mountains, Dingmans Ferry, or simply that place “not far from picturesque Milford”, the Delaware Water Gap–with “water gap” being defined as a gap in a mountain range formed by water (like a river) flowing through it, and “Delaware” being (I think) the Delaware River that flows into [&hellip;]
- [Waterfall Experience at Harriman State Park](https://booksandtrails.com/waterfall-experience-at-harriman-state-park/): A waterfall tall and majestic is a sight to behold. But unlike a mountain that has to be 1,000 feet or higher otherwise it&#8217;s just a &#8220;hill&#8221;, a waterfall has no height or width restriction for it to be called a &#8220;waterfall&#8221;. If water falls vertically down a rock ledge of higher elevation to a rock ledge or pool of lower elevation, then it is rightfully and literally a waterfall. Indeed, water dropping just one foot high through a narrow chute between two rocks is a waterfall. But imagine widening that chute to the width of a river spanning dozens [&hellip;]
- [Sanders Creek Falls at Minnewaska State Park](https://booksandtrails.com/discover-hidden-gems-near-minnewaska-state-park/): Minnewaska State Park is huge. And very, very beautiful. Streams, waterfalls, views, rock formations, lakes, carriage trails, hiking trails, biking trails, even fantastic cross-country skiing—name it, Minnewaska State Park has it. No wonder it has in the 1800s become a booming domain of the well-to-dos which has since the 90s been transformed into the public park that it is today for a meager $10-per-vehicle-no-matter-how-many-people-you-can-safely-cram-in-there fee and NYC day-trippers began coming in droves for a romp in Nature “upstate”. So, when coming on a summer or fall weekend, unless you plan on arriving before opening at 9 AM, be prepared for [&hellip;]
- [Experience Awe in the Poconos](https://booksandtrails.com/experience-awe-in-the-poconos/): Hornbeck&#8217;s Creek Waterfall The Delaware Water Gap in the Poconos is chockful of waterfalls that even if one wishes to avoid the popular ones like Raymondskill, George W. Childs, and Bushkill, there’s still a plethora of waterfalls to choose from with short hikes and less to no crowds in an even more pristine Nature setting. The Lower Indian Ladder Falls at Hornbeck’s Creek is one such waterfall. At just over a mile hike, the wooded trail crisscrossing the creek eventually opens up to an amphitheater with the waterfall at dead center. It’s as awe-inspiring as a waterfall can get. And [&hellip;]
- [Milky Waterfall Photos with a Drone?](https://booksandtrails.com/milky-waterfall-photos-with-a-drone-is-it-possible/): Is it Possible? Think of the times you wanted to photograph a waterfall but can’t because you would either have to ford the stream to get to the other side where the waterfall can be seen or rappel down the side of a cliff to get down to the waterfall buried deep inside a gorge. A drone in both cases can help you take those shots. Waterfall Photography But photographing waterfalls is all about controlling movement—movement of the water, specifically. To make the waterfall look like what our eyes see—milky and feathery white instead of the millions of water droplets [&hellip;]
- [Short Hike from Bastion to Kaaterskill](https://booksandtrails.com/short-and-easy-hike-from-bastion-falls-to-kaaterskill-falls-or-is-it/): Or Is It? I’d say many people visit Bastion Falls, a roadside waterfall in the Catskills, and call it a day. Not realizing that just a short hike away is an even more majestic waterfall, Kaaterskill Falls. I originally planned on making this video showing the short and easy hike between the two waterfalls–Kaaterskill Falls and Bastion Falls. But because of my poor planning, it turned out to be anything but short and easy. Parking My plan hinged on the parking lot on scenic NY-23A in the Catskills being just a short, roadside stroll from Bastion Falls. Then, from beautiful [&hellip;]
- [Discover Raymondskill Falls: Hiking and Nature Escapes](https://booksandtrails.com/discover-raymondskill-falls-hiking-and-nature-escapes/): Raymondskill Falls at 178 feet is the tallest waterfall in Pennsylvania. Located in the state’s north-east corner where the Delaware River separates the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania from the Catskill Mountains in New York and the Kittatinny Mountains in New Jersey, Raymondskill Falls is in a mountainous region not far from the picturesque town of Milford which, because of its charming main street lined with quaint shops, restaurants, and historical buildings, is frequently cited as one the best small towns in America. Brief Hike The hike to the falls is brief. Completing the half mile, 16-minute loop takes the visitor [&hellip;]
- [Experience the Beauty of George W Childs Recreation Park](https://booksandtrails.com/experience-the-beauty-of-george-w-childs-recreation-park/): I wouldn’t mind a waterfall that requires a hike. It is, for me, the price of admission that weeds out the disinterested who would otherwise only crowd the place. But how does not one, not two, but three waterfalls sound? On a hike that is not 3, not 2, but only just over 1 mile? Over terrain that is if not paved then riddled with wooden steps, stairs, bridges, and viewing decks? With not porta-johns but brick-and-mortar bathrooms and more than ample parking? All for free? This nirvana is known as George W Childs Recreation Park and is in the [&hellip;]
- [Exploring UFOs: Pine Bush Fair Highlights 2025](https://booksandtrails.com/exploring-ufos-pine-bush-fair-highlights-2025/): Well, we’ve been to the Pine Bush UFO Fair before, years ago, but I don’t remember it being this heavy in content this time around. Back then, it was mostly, I’d say, very cheesy stuff. Sure, there were talks by people who specialized in the field and by people who’ve actually seen UFOs, but the fair was mostly dominated by people in costumes, ET balloons, arts and crafts, local brews and delicacies, and pop culture (as Nick Pope would say) with nothing, I’d say, particularly groundbreaking when it came to the subject of UFOs. Nick Pope This time, though, Nick [&hellip;]
- [Discover the Unique Bridge at Black Creek Preserve](https://booksandtrails.com/discover-the-unique-bridge-at-black-creek-preserve/): Black Creek Preserve is different from other trails in that it begins with a bridge. And not just any bridge but one that is suspended. Think Golden Gate or George Washington. Maybe not as big but it shares the same aesthetic design—the deck hanging below cables suspended on two vertical supports—that evokes pomp and grandeur from the hiker that crosses it. Well, at least, it did, for me. After the bridge-crossing the trail goes on an immediate 150-foot climb in the first 5 minutes. Nothing strenuous, though. But that may be because I was still brimming with energy and anticipation [&hellip;]
- [Winter Hiking Adventures at Fuller Mountain](https://booksandtrails.com/fuller-mountain-south-loop/): Communing with Nature in winter. Well, I’m back at Fuller Mountain. But whereas I hiked the north loop last fall, or what is officially called, Mountain and Creek Loop, this time, in the winter, I hiked the south loop, which is officially called, um, South Loop. But before I get to that, I have to be honest and say I go to these trails like the ones at Fuller Mountain (and Gobbler’s Knob in a recent post) only because I think I am running out of waterfalls to go to. I love Nature and I love photography and a waterfall [&hellip;]
- [Scenic Overlook: Trails to Explore at Fuller Mountain Preserve](https://booksandtrails.com/fuller-mountain-preserve/): Short hike to an expansive view. There are two ways of getting to the overlook at Fuller Mountain Preserve in Warwick, NY. There’s the easy, nearly level, 0.9 mile trail (1.8 miles round trip) of uniform scenery—the woods—with an elevation gain of only 162 feet. And there’s the slightly more challenging but more varied 1.3-mile trail (2.6 miles round trip) that includes a ravine and a stream and with more twists and turns and ups and downs for a total elevation gain of 265 feet. But you need not pick one trail over the other. Although the two trails—one labeled [&hellip;]
- [Is the Shortcut Worth it at Gobbler's Knot?](https://booksandtrails.com/gobblers-knob-in-otisville/): Perks and perils on the trail. My unofficial maximum hiking distance is two miles. (Or four miles round trip.) But that’s not because of the difficulty involved. Rather, it’s all the time I have. At the human walking pace of about 20 (I’d estimate 30 on uneven terrain) minutes per mile, that translates to about two hours of hiking round trip on mountainous terrain. So whenever I learn of a shortcut, in particular the shortcut to Gobbler’s Knob in Otisville, NY featured in this video, I feel beckoned and compelled to do it. And, let’s be honest, wouldn’t you take [&hellip;]
- [Challenging Hikes: My Search for Graham Mountain's Waterfall](https://booksandtrails.com/graham-mountain-state-forest/): This was meant to be a waterfall hike but as determined as I was – I tried 3 different times – I failed to find the waterfall. Graham Mountain State Forest is located in the Port Jervis area where hiking trails abound because it is in a section of the Shawangunk Ridge, a ridge of bedrock that spans three counties in New York State (Ulster, Sullivan, and my Orange county), which is itself in a section of the much longer and much larger Appalachian Mountains that spans thirteen states and that form a barrier to western travel for east coasters [&hellip;]
- [Hiking and Nature at Madam Brett Park in Beacon, NY](https://booksandtrails.com/madam-brett-park-and-dennings-point/): It could be that I came to hike on a Saturday morning instead of my usual Sunday morning that there were already people at Madam Brett Park even at just after sunrise. Then again, the city the park is in, Beacon, is small and thriving so it probably wouldn’t be surprising to find people there even on Sunday mornings. People out for a stroll, a jog, a change of scenery, a breath of fresh air, or a walk with their dogs to complete their morning routines. The out-and-back, 2-mile trail isn’t itself wild. (You can go for an additional 3 [&hellip;]
- [The Tranquility of Woods Near New York City](https://booksandtrails.com/the-art-of-connection/): In the ever-evolving world, the art of forging genuine connections remains timeless. Whether it’s with colleagues, clients, or partners, establishing a genuine rapport paves the way for collaborative success.
- [Finding Joy in Nature: Hiking Around a Pond](https://booksandtrails.com/adaptive-advantage/): In an ever-shifting business landscape, adaptability isn’t just a trait—it’s a competitive advantage. Companies that embrace change, learn from challenges, and pivot when necessary are the ones that not only survive but also thrive in uncertain environments.
- [Stony Kill Falls](https://booksandtrails.com/stony-kill-falls/): Harmony in Nature. Every once in a while, I don’t hike alone. Usually, it’s with Vi. But occasionally, the kids—or in this one instance, a kid, our son, Cody—would come along. And when that happens, I am given the pleasure of experiencing with family the harmony that exists in Nature.
- [The Best Short Hike to Shaupeneak Ridge Waterfall](https://booksandtrails.com/waterfall-at-shaupeneak-ridge-park/): Yes, many waterfalls, as I suspected long before I started chasing them, require a hike. Indeed, beside the fact that construction of a paved pathway such that entire families even along with their wheelchair-bound members can leisurely stroll on may be outside of any town’s budget, the engineering feats required I imagine can be insurmountable as the topography leading to the falls can be challenging. Some waterfalls to this day remain unreachable because of the gorges, ravines, and other impossible obstacles one has to cross to get to them. But there is a bright side to all this. A hike, [&hellip;]
- [Zabriskie’s Waterfall and White Clay Kill Falls](https://booksandtrails.com/zabriskies-waterfall-and-white-clay-kill-falls/): Why are waterfalls white? Why are waterfalls white? If you had given the question just a moment of thought, “bubbles” might have popped in your mind, or floated, um, no pun intended, and you would be right. But why, you might ask, are bubbles white? Water, after all, is transparent. Because the bubble is shiny, light is reflected off its outer surface. Because the bubble is also transparent, some of the light enters the bubble where again, it is reflected off the shiny inner surface of the bubble. (Light also gets “refracted” as it enters the bubble but is not [&hellip;]
- [Waterfall at Bashakill](https://booksandtrails.com/waterfall-at-bashakill/): More than a sideshow It’s one of those rare waterfalls that are in full view but one cannot get to because of the “no trespassing\&#8221; signs. Rarer still because the stream the waterfall is on seems to form the boundary between public and private lands. Admiring the waterfall from afar is all the visitor can do. The waterfall is at Bashakill, a 3,000+ acre marsh designated as a Wildlife Management Area. Fortunately, there is not a dearth of things to do at Bashakill including biking, hiking, kayaking, birdwatching (the bald eagle has been spotted there), fishing, and even hunting and [&hellip;]
- [Plattekill Falls, Old Mill Falls, and Schalk\'s Falls](https://booksandtrails.com/plattekill-falls-old-mill-falls-and-schalks-falls/): Three close-by waterfalls in the Catskill Mountains. Something like Plattekill Falls is probably what you have in mind when you think “waterfall\&#8221;. Gouged by Mother Nature in the Catskill Mountains to form a rocky amphitheater with water gushing down the middle from 75 feet high, its appearance is quite simply iconic. And as if Mother Nature isn’t sure if that is enough, she garnishes it with two, additional, small roadside waterfalls, Old Mill Falls just atop Plattekill Falls and Schalk’s Falls just three miles down the road. Anything, it would seem, she would do just to keep you coming back [&hellip;]
- [Explore Buttermilk Falls: A Nature Escape Near NYC](https://booksandtrails.com/buttermilk-falls-in-rockland-county/): Quick escape from the city. Living in a city space can be confining. Although parks help, there’s not much in the way of boundless wilderness like what one might find in the Catskills or beyond. But Buttermilk Falls County Park in Orangeburg, Rockland County comes close. Less than a mile away from one of the biggest malls in New York State, Palisades Mall, Buttermilk Falls County Park has two rocky overlooks on which the hiker may gaze upon the landscape 300 feet below and a waterfall that—because of its nearly impossible-to-access gorge—lay unspoiled from the humanity cropping up in settlements [&hellip;]
- [Slabsides - John Burroughs Nature Sanctuary](https://booksandtrails.com/slabsides-john-burroughs-nature-sanctuary/): Part 2 of 2 We have been to Slabsides before in 2014. But we didn’t go for the trails. We only went for Slabsides, the log cabin that John Burroughs built with his son, because it was open to the public for that one day. Having developed an interest in any bit of history of the place we now called home, it was an opportunity we did not want to miss. This time, though, I went for its trails. Not just once, but on three separate occasions. I did not plan on going there multiple times, however. It was all [&hellip;]
- [Slabsides at John Burroughs Nature Sanctuary](https://booksandtrails.com/slabsides-at-john-burroughs-nature-sanctuary/): Part 1 of 2 There is a small, 25-foot waterfall inside the John Burroughs Nature Sanctuary, or what is more popularly known as “Slabsides”, in West Park, NY. But because the waterfall is more like a small stream that happened to be falling down vertically and is further broken down into 3 even smaller segments—and is likely to be more damp than wet most times of the year except after when it rains—it is not one of the main draws at Slabsides, except maybe for those chasing waterfalls in the region, like me. Anyway, I went because of this tiny [&hellip;]
- [Black Rock Forest](https://booksandtrails.com/black-rock-forest/): A pocket of quiet I have known about Mineral Springs Falls for some time. It is the first waterfall mentioned in the used book I bought years ago, “New York Waterfalls” (2010) by Scott E. Brown. But because it’s in the direction of New York City just north of Bear Mountain and Harriman State Park, two popular hiking destinations for city-dwellers, I imagined there would always be crowds. So I avoided it and opted instead the Catskills upstate, farther away from the city, where Nature surely abounds and solitude more easily gained. That way of thinking, I learned, is not [&hellip;]
- [Yaegerville Cascade](https://booksandtrails.com/yaegerville-cascade/): Save room for dessert. Save room for dessert. Or appetizer. However way you want it, whether before or after the main 3-course “meal” of Yaegerville Falls, Sholam Falls, and Frozen Balls Falls—three waterfalls that if Nature’s creations could qualify as art would arguably be masterpieces—I urge you not to miss out on an un-named yet equally beautiful and serene water cascade at the start of Yaegerville Road, all along a stretch of Trout Creek only 1.2 miles long. And if “getting there” is “half the fun”, then the cascade is pure fun as there is virtually no “getting there” being [&hellip;]
- [Shawangunk Ridge State Forest](https://booksandtrails.com/shawangunk-ridge-state-forest/): A short loop in the Gunks with potential for a waterfall. The Shawangunk Mountains or the Shawangunk Ridge is long – 47 miles long. It extends from northern New Jersey to the Catskills and is a “continuation of” (I would interpret that as “not technically part of” but close enough to give more context—please feel free to correct me if wrong) the Appalachian Mountains. Yet most people would probably associate “the Shawangunks”—or “Shomgum” as it’s more properly pronounced by locals—with just a small portion of it enclosed by and around the Shawangunk Ridge State Forest straddling two counties of New [&hellip;]
- [Diana's Pool on South Gully](https://booksandtrails.com/dianas-pool-on-south-gully/): Bear encounter in the Gunks! What do you do when you arrive at Sam’s Point and find out you can’t get in because advance reservations are now required on weekends? You find another way in, that’s what. And the South Gully Trail gives you just that. The South Gully Trail begins on Route 52 (you park by the roadside) in Ellenville and ends at Loop Road inside Sam’s Point. The trek isn’t for everyone though as it requires a 1,440-foot climb 2.75 miles long. Then again, that’s why you came to Sam’s Point, right? To climb and to hike? And [&hellip;]
- [Frick Pond and Hunter Road Falls](https://booksandtrails.com/frick-pond-and-hunter-road-falls/): With a surprise tour guide in the Catskills! This video took three trips to the Catskills to film. First, I messed up completely. I came in early spring forgetting that the Catskills, being a mountainous region, was still covered with snow and ice that time of year. I could barely make progress on the treacherous trails looking for the waterfall on Hunter Road which no one on the Internet seemed to know where other than stumbling upon it by accident. Although I eventually found the waterfall, I could not risk injury hiking any further for a closer experience on the [&hellip;]
- [Sholam Falls and Frozen Balls Falls in Napanoch, NY](https://booksandtrails.com/sholam-falls-and-frozen-balls-falls-in-napanoch-ny/): Two well-kept secrets in the Catskills Two waterfalls practically on top of each other. And a third waterfall not too far downstream. All three not very well known unless you\&#8217;re a local of Napanoch in the town of Wawarsing, NY. Now tell me you\&#8217;ve heard of either place. They\&#8217;re outside mainstream tourism so most likely not. Even searching online for \&#8221;top ten things to do\&#8221; in Napanoch, Wawarsing, or Ellenville will make no mention of these waterfalls. Those are testament right there that should you go visit, you will very much likely encounter no one and all three waterfalls on [&hellip;]
- [Yaegerville Falls in Napanoch, NY](https://booksandtrails.com/yaegerville-falls-in-napanoch-ny/): A hidden gem in the Catskills If I were to be completely honest, I will have to address the question of whether or not I will still go out on nature trips if it weren’t for the cool electronic gadgets I get to carry and use. Perhaps best understood by people of my generation, the generation that brought about the personal computer, I cannot shake the habitual thought that every initiative I embark on is centered around finding a problem for my computer—or in today’s more modern parlance, my actioncam, my drone, my tripod, and my mirrorless cam—to solve. I [&hellip;]
- [Schunemunk Mountain Waterfalls](https://booksandtrails.com/schunemunk-mountain-waterfalls/): Two waterfalls in one short hike. When you see a mountain, are you drawn to climb it? Or paint it? I suppose an argument can be made that there are only two types of people on earth—those that bask in Creation, the extroverts, and those that partake in it, the introverts. I wouldn’t say I’m not drawn to climbing mountains—the view from up there surely must be good—but I would say I am more of the latter. I would rather paint—or in my case, photograph—a beautiful mountain and create something of it that would hopefully qualify as “art”, than expend [&hellip;]
- [Lenape Ridge Trail at Huckleberry Ridge](https://booksandtrails.com/lenape-ridge-trail-at-huckleberry-ridge/): My most difficult hike In my chase for waterfalls in recent times, I somehow missed one that is relatively nearby, the waterfall at the end of the Lenape Ridge Trail straddling the towns of Port Jervis and Greenville in the western-most section of my county, Orange County, NY. And judging by the looks of the waterfall when I got there, although the waterfall is tall and nice as waterfalls go, it is difficult to get to since it is down a deep crevasse obscured by tree branches that not many hikers consider it much of a highlight as to post [&hellip;]
- [Lone Dead Tree at Stewart State Forest](https://booksandtrails.com/lone-dead-tree-at-stewart-state-forest/): Is it still there? I visited an old favorite photography subject of mine at Stewart State Forest, the lone dead tree standing in the middle of a vast and (at certain times of the year) empty cornfield. I’ve been there several times before to photograph it, including an attempt to photograph it at night with the Milky Way behind it, and this time I thought of filming the hike to give others an idea of what to expect should they decide go there. The lone dead tree was a truly stunning sight, in my opinion, even from a distance when [&hellip;]
- [Elks-Brox Memorial Park](https://booksandtrails.com/elks-brox-memorial-park/): A view on three states The name Elks-Brox for a memorial park to me when I first heard it was confounding. I didn’t know what to make of it. I’ve visited the park on more than one occasion years ago but only now upon making this video came to learn that it stood for the fraternal order that was once exclusively-male and all-white, Elks Lodge, who originally bought the property in 1914, and a man’s last name, Charles Brox, who as far as I know had nothing to do with the park but whose sister-in-law—yes, no blood-relation, either—made a “substantial” [&hellip;]
- [Waterfall and Abandoned House on Lundy Road](https://booksandtrails.com/waterfall-and-abandoned-house-on-lundy-road/): (or, a romanticist\&#8217;s take on Reality&#8230;) A waterfall and an abandoned house. What\&#8217;s one got to do with the other apart from being on the same road? Nothing, apparently. But it may not be too much of a stretch if we consider them rough approximations of birth and death strung on the same road-as-thread. And if I may stretch things a bit further, Quantum Mechanics would say, everything. Taken at its most extreme, Quantum Mechanics is saying all is one. QM, however, is riddled with contradictions. Indeed, its self-contradictions give QM its voice of authority. A particle is both here [&hellip;]
- [Pottersville on Lundy Road](https://booksandtrails.com/pottersville-on-lundy-road/): Is it haunted? Is it even still there? Deep in the woods of the Vernooy Kill State Forest, just right outside the southern tip of the mountains collectively called the Catskills, is a richly beautiful area to hike, commune with nature in immersive isolation, and maybe even go for a swim in the summer in the crystal-clear waters of Vernooy Kill. Yet hardly anyone goes there—indeed, the neighboring townsfolk 6 miles away vigorously avoid it and the absence of human litter so common in all popular spots and detested by the avid nature lover could instead spook the intrepid hiker—save [&hellip;]
- [Fire Tower at Roosa Gap](https://booksandtrails.com/fire-tower-at-roosa-gap/): 360 degrees of Fall foliage splendor. So, you say you want to see fall foliage before they’re gone. I say there’s no better way to do it than from inside a fire tower. A tall structure on top of a tall mountain, a fire tower offers grand vistas of the surrounding mountainous landscape for little to no hike at all. That’s 360 degrees of fall foliage splendor unobstructed for your eyes to feast on. Built from the early 1900s to aid rangers in spotting the telltale signs of forest fires, fire towers are today defunct and are either dismantled for [&hellip;]
- [Renaissance Faire at Tuxedo, NY](https://booksandtrails.com/renaissance-faire-at-tuxedo-ny/): Medieval vibe that is all fun and games. You do get the medieval vibe at Renaissance Faire, an outdoor theme park in Tuxedo Park, New York that lets you travel back in time when knights and princesses held the public’s awe. That is, if, like me, your one and only point of reference is Hollywood’s “A Knight’s Tale”. As one author puts it (Marc Harzman, “Chasing Ghosts”, 2021), the medieval times was when “for centuries, the Grim Reaper ran rampant across Europe, reveling in plagues that wiped out whole towns, amassing bodies in hundreds of bloody wars, and possibly wincing [&hellip;]
- [Ausable Chasm](https://booksandtrails.com/ausable-chasm/): Nature tour on the wild side. I guess the only thing going against Ausable Chasm&#8211;a rock formation with plenty of adventure opportunities for the thrill-seeker including tubing, rafting, climbing cliffs, and crossing the chasm either on a hanging bridge or a stretch of cable no wider than your index finger above a raging river in what is heralded as the Grand Canyon of the Adirondacks&#8211;from becoming a highly popular New York destination is its proximity to a whole other country. Having driven 5 long hours upstate from New York City, the tourist may well drive the extra 30 minutes, exit [&hellip;]
- [Birchall Road Waterfall in Ellenville](https://booksandtrails.com/birchall-road-waterfall-in-ellenville/): A waterfall forgotten? There’s hardly any parking at all—I just parked by the side of the narrow road and hoped no truck came by and grazed my car—but judging from the amount of litter, the waterfall on Birchall Road in Ellenville seems to be a favorite hangout. Yes, sadly, there’s litter everywhere. Plastic bags, soda bottles, graffiti, you-name-it, and there was even a small, inflated beach ball floating on the pool at the foot of the falls when I came. It made the place less idyllic and more like a forgotten part of town. Indeed, while reviewing my footages on [&hellip;]
- [Horseshoe Mine Falls in Ellenville, NY](https://booksandtrails.com/horseshoe-mine-falls-in-ellenville-ny/): Mining tunnel behind a waterfall I first learned about Horseshoe Mine Falls with a mining tunnel behind it late last year. But also learning that I will have to wade in the pool if I wanted to photograph the waterfall from inside the tunnel, I decided to wait until the following spring when the temperatures warmed up. So it’s late spring the following year and the waders I ordered finally arrived. I went to visit Horseshoe Mine Falls. I was not disappointed. When I started hiking the Catskills and surrounding regions to photograph and film waterfalls more than a year [&hellip;]
- [Hackers Falls](https://booksandtrails.com/hackers-falls/): Waterfall hike in Pennsylvania. After freezing rain covered my region with snow and ice for weeks, we finally got a thaw so I promptly scheduled a hike, this time just across the state border (I’m coming from Port Jervis, NY) to Pennsylvania. I visited Hackers Falls, one of several waterfalls in the area and one of two big draws in the popular Cliff Loop trail that also features a hike along the top of a cliff (which is probably how the trail got its name) that offers sweeping views of the Delaware River below and northern New Jersey beyond. Cliff [&hellip;]
- [Fantinekill Falls in Ellenville](https://booksandtrails.com/fantinekill-falls-in-ellenville/): Waterfall inside &#8230; a cemetery? Just a short, downhill walk to a stream called Beer Kill from Route 52 in Ellenville, NY is a massive waterfall that is practically unheard of, Hanging Rock Falls. Yes, you will find it online—that was how I found it—but what few websites you’d likely find were posted only in recent years some as recent as this year. Indeed, a December 2020 post says they’ve “lived here for almost 8 years now and have never heard of or been to this waterfall”. It’s a powerful waterfall formed by massive rocks tiered in a stair-step cascade [&hellip;]
- [Hanging Rock and Nevele Falls](https://booksandtrails.com/hanging-rock-and-nevele-falls/): Two roadside waterfalls in Ellenville. Just a short, downhill walk to a stream called Beer Kill from Route 52 in Ellenville, NY is a massive waterfall that is practically unheard of, Hanging Rock Falls. Yes, you will find it online—that was how I found it—but what few websites you’d likely find were posted only in recent years some as recent as this year. Indeed, a December 2020 post says they’ve “lived here for almost 8 years now and have never heard of or been to this waterfall”. It’s a powerful waterfall formed by massive rocks tiered in a stair-step cascade [&hellip;]
- [Fitzgerald Falls](https://booksandtrails.com/fitzgerald-falls/): &#8216;Catskills&#8217; got a lot closer to New York City Fitzgerald Falls came as a complete surprise for me. Because most of what I knew about the village of Monroe where Fitzgerald Falls is in was its town center and the park-and-ride facility that is always brimming with cars parked by weekday NYC commuters with many spilling illegally onto the roadsides, I had not bothered to check it out for any nature trails. That is, until one day I found out that a mini-waterfall I planned to visit in nearby Schunnemunk Mountain had its trail recently closed off because it crossed [&hellip;]
- [Vacation Homes in the Poconos](https://booksandtrails.com/vacation-homes-in-the-poconos/): Photographing vacation homes From out of the blue an Airbnb host contacted me saying he has maybe six homes to photograph in his gated community in Pennsylvania in a popular vacation destination. He found me, he said, after searching all over the Internet when his friend, whose home I photographed a few months ago, recommended me perhaps too highly. One would think I’d be super-excited to land a jackpot six homes all near one another. They are, after all, an hour’s drive away. But instead, I somewhat warily conceded. In his e-mails he sounded too excited and spoke with a [&hellip;]
- [Bushnellsville Falls](https://booksandtrails.com/bushnellsville-falls/): Calm from seemingly out of nowhere. Something about waterfalls always blindsides me. I plan days in advance and the night before my mind busily runs through a checklist of camera gears and parts while charging batteries, researching and writing a short script and committing it to memory that I may sound coherent in front of the camera the next day, then packing everything in my backpack, all without ever thinking of the reason I’m doing all this—to visit a waterfall. Then, arriving at the trail the following day lugging all these equipment and multitasking like crazy to capture footages that [&hellip;]
- [Cattail Brook Falls](https://booksandtrails.com/cattail-brook-falls/): A roadside waterfall in the Catskills Cattail Brook Falls is a roadside waterfall in Livingston Manor, a hamlet in the Catskill region of New York. It is not well-known and not well-visited as I only learned about it through my own researching online. There is no parking and no official trail. Just a narrow opening along the guardrail wide enough for one person to pass. There is, however, a patch of grass by the roadside wide enough for cars to park about 50 yards away. After visiting the falls, as I was on my way out, I saw a sign [&hellip;]
- [Moodna Viaduct](https://booksandtrails.com/moodna-viaduct/): Not just for rail enthusiasts. Moodna Viaduct is probably stuff you only see in movies. Yet it is real and is only an hour’s drive from New York City. Like Hogwart’s Express in the Harry Potter movies, it is an elevated railway—a “viaduct”—suspended in mid-air 200 feet high and 3,000 feet long spanning atop a hilly meadow between Schunemunk Mountain and the town of Cornwall in Orange County, New York. New Jersey Transit operates the Port Jervis Line on the railway servicing commuters from the northern and western parts of Orange County going to work in New York City and [&hellip;]
- [Hannacroix Creek Preserve](https://booksandtrails.com/hannacroix-creek-preserve/): Beauty off the beaten path. Just 20 minutes shy of reaching Albany—not a short trip by any means when coming from major points south especially New York City—is Hannacroix Creek Preserve. It is a nature preserve in the town of New Baltimore that has several marked hiking trails, one of which leads to a waterfall. The trail starts with an incline that the New Baltimore Conservancy calls “moderately steep”. You won’t reach the preserve’s maximum elevation of 360 feet if the waterfall is all you\&#8217;re after (unless you also do the Red Loop trail), but the 200-foot elevation you do [&hellip;]
- [Bash Bish Falls](https://booksandtrails.com/bash-bish-falls/): Double the fun. Bash Bish Falls is different in that the waterfall is in Massachusetts but the trail begins in New York. At some point during the 3/4-mile nature hike from New York the hiker is welcomed into Massachusetts. But that is just one thrilling aspect of it—being able to know exactly where to stand so one foot rests in New York while the other in Massachusetts—because the big draw is of course the waterfall itself called Bash Bish. Like a dagger thrust in the heart of the falls, a massive schist and granite boulder sits atop the falls splitting [&hellip;]
- [Beaverskill Falls](https://booksandtrails.com/beaverskill-falls/): Waterfall in an abandoned town. Route 17, or “Quickway” as it is known to locals, is the longest New York State highway running from Mahwah in New Jersey all the way to the Great Lakes upstate. It is a major artery for people coming from New York City going to Binghamton, the Finger Lakes, Niagara Falls, and other points northwest. And so every town and village along Route 17 is primed for business luring travelers to sample food and hospitality in otherwise sparse and rural backcountry locales. But when progress encroaches as what happened in the hamlet of Parksville, setbacks [&hellip;]
- [High Falls](https://booksandtrails.com/high-falls/): Big-little waterfall. High Falls is a little big waterfall in the town of Marbletown, NY. “Little” because the small area from which to admire the falls is located some distance away with trees in the way making the waterfall obscured and \&#8221;little\&#8221;. “Big” because the waterfall is huge at 200 feet wide and 30 feet tall. The best viewing position is occupied by a power plant and is off-limits to the public. (In fairness, the whole area could have been declared off-limits but pedestrians are welcome to roam freely and are even provided with tourist-friendly information signs.) So despite being [&hellip;]
- [Kaaterskill Falls](https://booksandtrails.com/kaaterskill-falls/): A daytrip to &#8220;Her Majesty&#8221; from New York City. Kaaterskill Falls is possibly the most beautiful waterfall in New York State. With a two-stage drop totaling 260 feet it turns charmingly to the left as if the viewer at the base of the falls is given only a casual sideways glance by a woman sitting upright in a posture of elegance. It can also be the most dangerous. Even avoiding the cliffs that are the cause of many fatalities, the steep and narrow 200-step stone staircase twists and turns and is constantly sprayed slippery and wet or icy that a [&hellip;]
- [Bastion Falls, Moore's Bridge Falls, and Fawn's Leap](https://booksandtrails.com/bastion-falls-moores-bridge-falls-and-fawns-leap/): Three roadside waterfalls in the Catskills. New York State Route 23A, or at least its first 3.5 miles heading west from the hamlet of Palenville in the Catskills, can be another “waterfall highway” like Peekamoose Road. But whereas 6 waterfalls can be seen from Peekamoose Road, only 1 of 3 waterfalls—and highly dramatic at that as the ever loud and strong falls at Bastion located at the bottom of the curve of the horseshoe-shaped road—is visible from NY-23A. The other two are Fawn\&#8217;s Leap—a popular swimming hole for cliff-jumpers concealed by the surrounding cliffs—and the waterfall at Moore’s Bridge that’s [&hellip;]
- [Ashley Falls](https://booksandtrails.com/ashley-falls/): Waterfall a short hike from the campground. We’ve only stayed at a campground once in Baxter, Maine but it gave us a pretty good idea of the party atmosphere that can be experienced there. Everyone is fit and healthy and in high spirits such that it could, according to some online reviews, be difficult to get a good night’s sleep. North-South Lake Campground in the Catskills, being the biggest in the Catskill Forest Preserve and close to the big city of New York I imagine would be no different. Activities galore which includes camping, swimming, boating, and hiking with many [&hellip;]
- [Second Waterfall on Willowemoc Creek](https://booksandtrails.com/second-waterfall-on-willowemoc-creek/): Culmination of an unfinished journey. When Vi and I went to a stream that flowed into Willowemoc Creek intending to see two waterfalls in July, we thought a small cascade a few yards after the first waterfall was the second waterfall. Thinking we have seen the two waterfalls, we turned back. Comparing our photos later with those in my guidebook, I noticed the second waterfall should have been taller and a straight drop instead of the cascade we saw. We did not make it to the second waterfall. I did not consciously plan on making another trip after learning of [&hellip;]
- [Plattekill Falls and Platte Clove](https://booksandtrails.com/plattekill-falls-and-platte-clove/): The trail to Plattekill Falls is a half-mile, 100-ft descent from The Red Cabin, a cabin painted bright red on Platte Clove Road. Platte Clove, a deep valley located in the Catskill Mountains, can be seen from a viewpoint about half-way down the trail. Platte Clove and Plattekill Falls drew the eyes of early American painters sailing the Hudson River and then hiking the mountains upstate. Having visited Platte Clove and the ruggedness of the surrounding areas, Thomas Cole, a 19th-century English-American painter, founded the Hudson River School, a movement that produced paintings reflecting themes in the mind of every [&hellip;]
- [The Scenic Beauty of Joppenbergh Mountain](https://booksandtrails.com/the-scenic-beauty-of-joppenbergh-mountain/): A Hike, A View, A Village The minute I saw the view from Joppenbergh Mountain in the latest issue of a local magazine I wondered why I have never heard of it. The view, IMO, is the most iconic in the Hudson Valley and perhaps even in New York State. One might expect scenery like this in a New England state like Vermont but this one is right here in New York State just two hours from New York City. The village of Rosendale at the foot of the mountain also has much to offer for fun. It is small [&hellip;]
- [Diamond Notch Falls](https://booksandtrails.com/diamond-notch-falls/): I didn’t know I was already at Diamond Notch Falls until I recognized the wooden bridge from pictures I saw online. That was how brief and nearly effortless the 0.8-mile hike was. Add to that the scenery along the trail made up of the colorful fall leaves lit golden by the sunrise and the brook alongside that teased the hiker constantly to pause and meander among its multiple rocky cascades, the hike felt even shorter. Then again, this might be the perfect hike for many. A short nature hike with a waterfall at the end could be the most appealing [&hellip;]
- [Beyond the Trail: A Rocky Scramble to Stony Notch Falls](https://booksandtrails.com/beyond-the-trail-a-rocky-scramble-to-stony-notch-falls/): You probably won&#8217;t find Stony Notch Falls in the Catskills if you googled for it. The reason for that I think is it is off trail. Many people might not know about it. While climbing up the Red Trail on Devil’s Path just off scenic NY-214 leading to Platte Cove, you will quickly veer off trail once you catch sight of the dry creek bed below ahead of you. You will clamber on top of rocks and boulders following the seemingly dry creek (there’s water beneath the rocks) at a steep ascent, gasping and panting and awkwardly angling each step [&hellip;]
- [Welcome to My Side-Gig](https://booksandtrails.com/welcome-to-my-side-gig/): Architecture and Airbnb photography. For those maybe wondering—and more importantly, for, ahem, me to drum up my side-gig—I do architectural photography. But majority of my recent shoots were “work-for-hire” meaning I was just the guy on-site with the camera shooting for firms so I could claim no rights to the photos I take. I could not, say, post them on my Facebook page. Still, I can provide links to the firms’ finished products if I want to (which I do on my website). To briefly recap how I got started, back in 2009 I got into the hobby of shooting [&hellip;]
- [Neversink's Hidden Waterfalls: A Peaceful Escape on the Trail](https://booksandtrails.com/neversinks-hidden-waterfalls-a-peaceful-escape-on-the-trail/): Less than 4 miles from the Rock Hill exit on NY-17 takes you to the trailhead for Mullet Falls and Denton Falls, and if you have time, High Falls. That’s 3 waterfalls on or close to Neversink River in what New York State designated as a “Unique Area” because of its “special natural beauty, wilderness character, geological, ecological or historical significance” outside the more well-known preserves of Adirondack and Catskill Parks. (source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_State_Forests#Unique_areas) I did the 4-mile, out-and-back to Mullet and Denton Falls—passing up on High Falls as it would double my hike—and have to say it reminded me of [&hellip;]
- [Tompkins Falls](https://booksandtrails.com/tompkins-falls/): Tompkins Falls itself is a natural beauty to behold. But the drive there from Livingston Manor in the south that goes all the way to Margaretville in the north is perhaps the most idyllic in this western part of the Catskills. Vi and I have driven through that road many times in the past when we shot Airbnb homes and although we have not gone there in the fall which we imagine to be spectacular with the season’s colors, winter when its open fields, roadside streams, lakes, barns, covered bridges, the surrounding mountains and overhanging trees on the road were [&hellip;]
- [Vernooy Kill Falls: Where Silence Meets the Roar of Water](https://booksandtrails.com/vernooy-kill-falls-where-silence-meets-the-roar-of-water/): Possibly known mostly to and enjoyed only by locals, Vernooy Kill Falls in the Catskills brought &#8220;hidden gem&#8221; to mind when I visited one summer morning minutes after sunrise. Mountaintops with 360-degree views and waterfalls dozens of feet high dot the region that a series of little waterfalls just a 20-minute, one-mile hike away in Sundown Wild Forest is easy to overlook and can hardly be the stuff of bucket-lists a hardcore or even novice hiker would want to conquer. Yet that can be news ear-worthy to one wishing only to trip in Nature—indeed a sign at the falls requests [&hellip;]
- [Willowemoc Creek and Bendo Covered Bridge](https://booksandtrails.com/willowemoc-creek-and-bendo-covered-bridge/): A short hike that can\&#8217;t be beat. The first waterfall is only 0.3 mile from the bridge. The second waterfall is 0.2 mile after the first. So once at the bridge, you\&#8217;re practically there with one waterfall on top of another. A covered bridge and two waterfalls in one short, super-easy, one-mile round-trip hike in the Catskills. Can\&#8217;t be beat. But after reviewing the guidebook, \&#8221;New York Waterfalls\&#8221; (2010) by Scott E. Brown, it looks like we didn\&#8217;t reach the second, taller waterfall. This calls for another hike&#8230;
- [The Milky Way](https://booksandtrails.com/the-milky-way/): Photographing the heavens in my neck of the woods. I have turned into a kind of nocturnal photographer, heading out on clear and moonless nights to parts far from the town and city lights, revisiting old places I’ve been to and scouting for new ones from which to take photos of the Milky Way. It has become my all-consuming pastime of late constantly monitoring the weather, studying maps, and getting up in the middle of the night driven by the desire to create art from what little light trickles down from the dark heavens above, by seeing the Milky Way [&hellip;]
- [James Taylor at Bethelwoods](https://booksandtrails.com/james-taylor-at-bethelwoods/): A night that I wished went on forever. We all know that rock concerts end in an encore. It has to happen. It all comes down to how the artist will handle it in a way that will be unique and appear spontaneous and a spur-of-the-moment thing. When the program was over and James waved goodbye and he and the band members walked offstage, the audience stayed put and continued clapping. A few moments later James and the band walked back onstage and played more songs. After that, James and the band made their formal bows and the stage lights [&hellip;]
- [The Piano Player](https://booksandtrails.com/the-piano-player/): Amazing Grace at Bryant Park. I thought there was something sad about a woman sitting at a piano alone playing for an inattentive crowd. I also thought, what could be sadder still than when the woman starts singing to herself? Such was the state I saw her in when I ambled into Bryant Park where I supposed in the summer an entertainer was hired to bring music. An opportuning photographer that I was, who as far as she was concerned, had only regard for capturing images and none for comprehending music, I approached slowly from behind knowing that my camera’s [&hellip;]

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