Falling Waters Preserve

On a recent trip towards the Catskills, we decided to stop to explore Saugerties, New York.  Falling Waters Preserve is located along the Hudson River, and makes for a nice, short hike.

We used Google Maps to locate the Falling Waters Preserve, and had no trouble finding the parking lot, which holds probably a dozen cars.

Falling Waters Preserve

There is a nice kiosk at the trailhead, and there were actually trail maps there.  I often find that when we go hiking, there are no maps left, and it was nice to have a map with us even for a short hike.

Falling Waters Preserve Saugerties NY

We started on the white trail, which is close to the Hudson River.

Falling Waters Preserve Saugerties

The trails are well-marked here, and it is easy to follow as the paths are well-maintained and there are plenty of markers.

Falling Waters Preserve Saugerties NY

There are lots of great views, even from the trail.

Falling Waters Preserve Saugerties

At several places along the white trail, we ventured off on little paths that went to the water.

Falling Waters Preserve Saugerties

The kids even waded in a little bit.  The Hudson River looked beautiful, and we had perfect weather.  The green stuff floating on the water?  Invasive plants called Chinese Water Chestnut.

Falling Waters Preserve Saugerties

There are a lot of Chinese Water Chestnuts in the Hudson River, so be careful as you are walking around, as there are dried ones everywhere. You just want to make sure it doesn’t go through something like a flip flop or even a sneaker.  This one actually wasn’t even as sharp as some of the others you can find laying on the ground.

Falling Waters Preserve Saugerties

The views of the Hudson are really nice from the preserve.

Falling Waters Preserve Saugerties

As we continued on the trail, there were benches along the way.

Falling Waters Preserve Saugerties

We reached the waterfall overlook, which has a nice seating area with a pergola.

Falling Waters Preserve Saugerties

In early June, the waterfall was flowing well.  According to the Scenic Hudson website, the waterfall isn’t always flowing, so it will likely dry up later in the year.

Falling Waters Preserve Saugerties

You can either double back on the trail you came in on, or take it as a loop.  We did a loop, returning on a trail that is essentially parallel to the one that runs along the Hudson River.

Falling Waters Preserve Saugerties

There is a nice statue as we looped back, where the preserve backs up to private property.

Falling Waters Preserve Saugerties

We also saw some poison ivy along the trail, so be careful for that along with the Chinese Water Chestnuts.

Falling Waters Preserve Saugerties NY

By taking the Riverside Trail in, and the Upland Trail out, we covered just over 1.5 miles.  The trail is mostly flat, with only slightly rolling terrain, and was an easy hike for all of us.

The parking was sufficient at the trail head, and it was nice not to have to worry about parking.

Falling Waters Preserve Saugerties

Check out the Falling Waters Preserve at: https://www.scenichudson.org/parks/fallingwaters

Find the trail map here: