If there’s one thing I can sell to my friends who want to travel more, it’s the weekend camping trip. I’ve spent years fine-tuning my short and inexpensive adventures in the great outdoors to have the perfect balance of novelty, nature, relaxation and food. My favorite time to camp is the spring and fall when the days are warm and the nights are cool – perfect for hiking and then sitting by a campfire.
The Catskills Mountains are about a 3.5 hour drive from Philly and have abundant options for filling a couple of days. The region has been a popular vacation area for New Yorkers since the 19th century, so it has well-developed hiking trails, numerous historic towns, and some fantastic restaurants scattered around the region. The Catskills themselves are rolling green mountains, heavily forested but crisscrossed with winding roadways that make for gorgeous drives, especially in the autumn.
Day 1 – Friday
Leave work a little early on Friday so you can check in at North-South Lake Campground before 9 pm. This is a New York State Park campground and according to their website, it’s the biggest and most popular one in the Catskills. Each campsite loop has a bathroom with flush toilets and private hot showers. In March I booked my site for late September via the Reserve America website and was able to get site 64 in loop 3 adjacent to North Lake. My site was situated on a hill above the lake but it was an easy minute’s walk through the woods down to the water. The campsites themselves have a picnic table, room for two vehicles, and a large stone fireplace with grill.
You can buy firewood at the main gate on arrival but it was pricey at $9 a bag. You have the option to pick some up from one of the many local sellers along the road to the campground. Don’t bring in wood from outside of the area as it could carry tree diseases and pests. North-South Lake allows pets if you want to bring your dog – of course with proof of rabies vaccination. They also allow alcohol so no need to sneak it (assuming you are at least 21).
After check-in, we drove to our site and set up camp. Within 30 minutes we were relaxing in front of a fire with a beer in hand.
Day 2 – Saturday
After a walk by the lake, we drove about 30 minutes to the Phoenicia Diner for breakfast. I found an article on Eater.com that referred to this place as a “hickster” restaurant, which is a term I’d never heard before. This apparently refers to New York City hipsters who move upstate for more affordable living but who still need their fancy eats. The Phoenicia’s shell is chrome and kitsch with an updated interior. I’d call the food elevated diner fare. The old greasy spoon is now serving locally roasted coffee and organic eggs. As far as the clientele, there were all sorts of people here – old timers, vacationers, long time locals and hicksters. It all comes together just fine.
With full bellies, plan on spending 3-4 hours hiking the Overlook Mountain trail just outside of Woodstock. The drive up to the trailhead winds through the trees until you get to the picturesque Church of Holy Transfiguration of Christ-on-the-Mount. Whew, that’s a mouthful. Next door is the sprawling Buddhist monastery with colorful prayer flags strung all about. The main parking lot is right across the street from the monastery and can fill up quickly. There is another lot further up the hill if it’s full but get here early to avoid the extra walk. A lot of people hike this trail for the views from the fire tower at the top of the mountain, but to me the real draw is the abandoned ruins of the Overlook Mountain House hotel just a quarter mile before the tower.
I’ll be the first to admit that this hike is a two mile slog up a bland service road, but it’s doable for anyone in reasonably good health. Take it slow, stop for breaks, and know that you’re getting in some good exercise. I was passed by several groups of super-fit women in yoga pants practically skipping up the hill. Ignore these people. Commiserate with the rest of the folks who are huffing and puffing their way to their next water break.
After about 90 minutes the hotel ruins finally peak out from the forest ahead of you. You’ll come to a stone walkway leading up to a landing with a broken concrete fountain, and beyond that the hulking skeleton of the hotel. There is no roof or doors or glass in the windows but it’s easy to imagine what the place might have looked like in its heyday. Approach the building through the huge archway where you’ll see an elegantly curved staircase leading to nowhere. Take your time to explore the rooms filled now filled with weeds and birch trees. I was lucky to be there as a cloud rolled in over the mountain, making for atmospheric photos. When you’re finished exploring the hotel grounds, either continue up the hill for ten minutes to the fire tower, or head back down to your car.
The most complicated part of planning a camping trip can be figuring out what you’re going to cook or where you’ll eat. Sometimes it’s fun to prepare your meal plans days ahead of time, but I’ve learned that if you build a basic kitchen kit, you can throw it in your car and wing your dinners while on the road. The weekend we were in the Catskills, the Hudson Valley Garlic Festival was happening so we decided to visit for lunch and grab stuff for dinner. We downed some garlic knots and roamed the grounds looking for ingredients. What we came up with was probably the best camping dinner we’ve ever had and our fireplace grill at our campsite was perfect for cooking it.
Fresh bison steaks from Highland Farm grilled over the fire and then covered with a butter and ginger-horseradish from ISH. Wild mushroom and leek ragout with garlic scapes. Roasted sweet potato squash. Fresh bread from a local bakery. Our kitchen kit has all of the pots and pans and dishes we need, plus seasonings like salt and pepper so it’s easy to put it all together. We stopped by the Circle W Market in Palenville on the way back to the campground to get the butter we needed and some eggs for the morning.
We were back at camp by 4 pm and enjoyed the evening cooking, eating and hanging out by the fire.
Day 3 – Sunday
Have a leisurely morning at camp making egg sandwiches with your leftovers. Then it’s a short drive to the Kaaterskill Falls lower trailhead on Route 23A. This is probably the most popular hike in the area so get there early to snag a parking spot in the lot. Then you’ll need to walk along the road itself for about five minutes down the hill to the trail. Bastion Falls is viewable from the road and well worth a stop even if you don’t want to hike the 0.6 miles back to Kaaterskill Falls. It’s a rocky and steep trail in places, but the surrounding creek and forest is beautiful. Stay on the trail as it’s dangerous and slippery if you wander off of it. Once at the two-tiered falls, you have the option to head up the stairs to some higher viewpoints, or just appreciate the view from where you are. Many people choose to walk on the ledge behind the falls but be aware that it can be very slippery with high drop offs if you fall. Plan on spending about 90 minutes here.
After your morning hike, make another visit to the Circle W Market for coffee. It’s time to head home, but stop at Smoke House of the Catskills on your way out. This would be a fantastic place to get your dinner ingredients on Saturday, but we decided to pick up Sunday dinner here instead. More than just a meat shop, Smoke House has a full stock of authentic German food like pretzels, mustards, chocolates, drinks, and of course all sorts of sausages. The staff were wearing dirndls and were very helpful. We ended up getting garlic sausages and weisswurst, sauerkraut and knödel.
