Home ⎜Travelogues⎜Ruins⎜Catskill Mountain House + Hotel Kaaterskill Ruins

The Catskills Mountain House was one of the most well-known of Catskill mountain houses. Known for its grandeur and superb views, it was depicted by many of the Hudson River School painters of the mid-19th century.  Now all that remains are stones with graffiti markings from the mid-19th century (those who wanted to leave their mark); and an open, empty tract of land on the Catskill escarpment, looking ominously over the Hudson River Valley. From here, the Hudson River is but a silk string, drifting into the deep beyond. Signage alerts you to where the mansion an outbuildings once stood. Currently inside the grounds of the North-South Lake Campground, park at North Lake Beach and walk away from the water and to the right, where you’ll see signs for the Catskills Mountain House Site. Continue less than  half mile to the vast overlook where it once stood. To enjoy the Hotel Kaaterskill ruins, simply walk beyond the signs into the woods and away from the cliff, following the blue blazed Escarpment Trail for 0.9 miles to the Boulder Rock overlook. Continue around the corner to split rock and 0.9 miles after Boulder Rock, you’ll reach a four-way intersection. Depart from the Escarpment Trail and turn right onto an unmarked loop trail, the original road to Kaaterskill Mountain House. The loop is a mere 1.2  miles, taking you around to a pond and what’s left of the ruins. The cistern and a few stone foundations of outbuildings remain, but much of it has returned to forest. Once you’ve completed the loop,turn left onto the Escarpment Trail, returning the way you came.