Destinations: Falling Waters Preserve, Saugerties

  |  May 29, 2014
falling waters

Photo from ScenicHudson.com

There we were, sifting through page after page of real estate listings when the itch came over us. The itch to go outside and absorb some Vitamin D. Typically, this urge strikes when we have the most to do, which seems so unjust on a day like today that we have no choice but to abandon our roost in front of the computer and go for an impromptu jaunt in the woods. Regardless of our workload, however, we’ve yet to regret a trip to the Hudson River.

Today’s jaunt was over to the Falling Waters Preserve in Saugerties. The 168 acre Scenic Hudson preserve is tucked away in a rather unsuspecting location behind Barclay Heights off of bustling Route 9W, the kind of housing community where you find yourself easily lost since every street looks exactly the same. Lots are close to one another with hardly any vegetation to create a buffer between them. Falling Waters, on the other hand, is teaming with vegetation. The preserve once belonged to the Dominican Sisters of Sparkill but have made the area public with help from Scenic Hudson. The first part of the trail loops down to the Hudson River shore (the part right across from the Tivoli Bays) with a waterfall positioned along the way. From there, the white trail follows the shoreline and up to the second, and larger, waterfall about a mile away. Then it joins up with the red trail that borders a grassy meadow and leads back to the parking lot. It doesn’t take long to make the full loop. It’s only about 2 miles, and we did it in about an hour with lots of stops along the way to skip flat stones on the surface of the river.

As you explore the trails both along and away from the shoreline, you’ll find reminders that the preserve was at one time the Mulford Ice House, where ice harvested from the river en route to the city was warehoused. Remains of building foundations and bricks are scattered along the shores and sticking up out of the trail. The views high above the river along the white trail are breathtaking, and it’s an easy, quick hike perfect for those times when you want to feel removed from it all but don’t have all day to explore. Falling Waters is open year-round, dawn to dusk. Here’s your GMAP.

Oh, and if you’re wondering why we didn’t post any pictures of our hike today, it’s because Falling Waters isn’t one of those places you want to witness through the screen of your smartphone. Put the device away. Enjoy the sights with your bare eyes. You won’t regret it, and neither did we.

About Kandy Harris

Kandy is a writer and musician/music teacher living in Saugerties, NY.

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