The Catskills Mountain Range has been a popular vacation getaway from New York City since the 19th century, when the so-called Hudson River School painters popularized an image of woodsy mountain ranges. Just a 90 minute car or train journey up the Hudson River from Manhattan, the area is a popular destination for outdoor sporting, including skiing, kayaking, white water rafting and more. It’s also a great vacation haven for families, offering plenty of options to learn about the region’s rich cultural history and landscape alike.Learn all you need to know about going into a Catskills Getaway.Take a look at this blog post to Make your outdoor adventure a lot more fun.
Things to Know for a Catskills Getaway
Camping With A Flair
The Catskills are prized highly in New York for having the most beautiful campgrounds within a short drive of New York City. Many campsites are situated along the region’s ample rivers and lakes, where visitors can rent kayaks and even bring their dogs for a bath. RiverwoodCabins.com
Local Attractions
Among the many popular choices for Catskills scenic routes, Mount Tremper is a favorite destination for hiking in the summer and skiing in the winter. Part of the national Catskills Park, Mount Tremper contains ample campground where you can pitch a tent or go fishing. The upper Hudson Valley also boasts a thriving arts scene, with local towns containing a variety of small shops and galleries dedicated to arts and crafts. And of course, visitors interested in the area’s bohemian, counterculture traditions must visit the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, the site of the famous Woodstock Music Festival held 50 years ago this July.
Getting There
The easiest and cheapest way to get to the Catskills is to drive: for out-of-towners, this usually means flying into a NYC airport and renting a car to travel north. For those without a car, the Metro North stops at most towns between Grand Central Terminal and Poughkeepsie, NY, another popular hipster mecca along the Hudson. However, for treks moving west into the Catskills you will likely need to take a coach bus leaving from Port Authority towards upstate New York and arrange for a taxi service to take you to your destination from there. Local residents in the Catskills are generally very friendly and will kindly re-direct you if you get lost on your route or while hiking. However, always be sure to save a copy of your directions, as upstate New York is reputed for its “dead zones” where cell signal disrupts temporarily during a car journey.
New York State is truly remarkable even above and beyond its world-famous city. For families looking for a quiet getaway, regions like the Catskills offer a quiet reprieve into the outdoors with plenty of activities to occupy a weekend in the woods.
My husband and I are currently looking for lodging around Catskills New Yokr since we’ll head there next weekend. Well, it’s a good thing that you suggested here the advantage of visiting its local attractions since it’s filled with great parks, restaurants, and shops. Anyhow, we’ll keep in mind to arrange a tax service that may drive us around.