Waterfall Hikes Near Kingston, NY

Kingston sits between the Catskills and the Shawangunks, and its 38 waterfalls within 50 miles split the same way. Glenerie Falls on the Esopus Creek is the closest, about 6 miles north on the way to Saugerties, and is usually seen from the roadside. Kaaterskill Falls, about 19 miles north, drops in two tiers; the walk is under half a mile round trip from the Laurel House Road lot to the top, or about 1.8 miles round trip up Spruce Creek from Route 23A to the base. Southwest in Minnewaska State Park Preserve, Stony Kill Falls makes a single 87-foot plunge, and Verkeerder Kill Falls is about 5.5 miles round trip from the Sam's Point visitor center across the dwarf pine ridge, with dogs allowed on a six-foot leash. The Buttermilk Falls on this list is a chain of drops in Kaaterskill Clove that the Long Path reaches about five miles from Platte Clove Road, not a swimming hole.