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Catskills NY
- Thread starter Eurobo
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I lived in the Catskills in Woodstock, NY, from 1982-92, all as an active canoeist, but I honestly can't think of anything I'd recommend for a weekend canoe camping experience.
The Catskills have very few natural lakes of any size. There are four big reservoirs, but in my decade there paddling and recreational boating was prohibited on all of them. Therefore, there were virtually no water sports campsites on them. Today, I believe you can paddle on some of the reservoirs with a permit and if your boat is steam-cleaned by a licensed facility. I don't know the details, but maybe you can learn something about them here:
http://www.visitthecatskills.com/paddling
There are several rivers in the Catskills that I used to paddle with the Appalachian Mountain Club, but they were all whitewater day trips, which require significant whitewater skills and experience and group rescue support -- not something at all recommended for novices.
You may be able to find campgrounds near enough to paddle day trips on flat water sections of the Esopus, Wallkill or Rondout in the eastern Catskills or parts of the Delaware in the western Catskills. The link above may help.
The wealth of canoeing waters is found further north in the Adirondack Park.
The Catskills have very few natural lakes of any size. There are four big reservoirs, but in my decade there paddling and recreational boating was prohibited on all of them. Therefore, there were virtually no water sports campsites on them. Today, I believe you can paddle on some of the reservoirs with a permit and if your boat is steam-cleaned by a licensed facility. I don't know the details, but maybe you can learn something about them here:
http://www.visitthecatskills.com/paddling
There are several rivers in the Catskills that I used to paddle with the Appalachian Mountain Club, but they were all whitewater day trips, which require significant whitewater skills and experience and group rescue support -- not something at all recommended for novices.
You may be able to find campgrounds near enough to paddle day trips on flat water sections of the Esopus, Wallkill or Rondout in the eastern Catskills or parts of the Delaware in the western Catskills. The link above may help.
The wealth of canoeing waters is found further north in the Adirondack Park.
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I'd have to agree with Glenn. I live just west of the Catskills and unless you're into whitewater paddling on the Esopus, there really isn't much in the area. If you're willing to paddle on the periphery, then you should check out the Delaware River and either the West Branch or East Branch of same. At this point both branches may be down on water but you should still be able to paddle the main stem. Depending on what you're looking to do, you could put in at Hancock, NY and paddle down to Callicoon, NY or even down to Skinners Falls or Narrowsburg, NY.
In the "good old days" the railroad would allow folks to camp anywhere between the tracks and the river but I don't know if that's still allowed. You might want to look into the numerous campgrounds along the way but, depending on their operating schedule, they may have already closed for the year. Regardless, the entire upper reaches of the river come under the National Parks Service so I'd encourage you to speak with them on the specifics of camping if you wish to do so along the riverbanks.
That's all for now. Take care and until next time....be well.
snapper
In the "good old days" the railroad would allow folks to camp anywhere between the tracks and the river but I don't know if that's still allowed. You might want to look into the numerous campgrounds along the way but, depending on their operating schedule, they may have already closed for the year. Regardless, the entire upper reaches of the river come under the National Parks Service so I'd encourage you to speak with them on the specifics of camping if you wish to do so along the riverbanks.
That's all for now. Take care and until next time....be well.
snapper
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