The listed coordinates will bring you to the base of Kaaterskill Falls, which is a two stage waterfall located in the NorthEast Catskills. It is the tallest waterfall in NY, the cascades totaling 260 feet in height. The waterfall was often painted by Hudson River School artists such as Thomas Cole and it still is a popular destination for hikers. It is roughly a 1/2 mile hike from the trailhead to the base of the falls. The DEC has recently built a trail to the top of the falls which will add another 3/4 mile to the hike.
Waterfalls often form in the upper stages of rivers as they erode softer rock more quickly than hard rock leading to the creation of a waterfall. With the watercourse continuing to cut into the softer rock, the waterfall gets taller, the plunge pool (where the waterfall lands) gets deeper, and the soft rock directly beneath the hard rock gets undercut. When the hard rock is no longer able to support itself, it collapses into the base of the waterfall. The process repeats and over thousands of years, the waterfall retreats upstream.
Most of the Catskills are composed of two types of rocks, Hamilton Sandstone, and Oneonta Shale. Hamilton Sandstone is gray and very hard, Oneonta shale is red and softer. Ledges of the supportive sandstone overhang faster eroding layers of the iron-rich shales, their rusty red color the result of oxidized iron in the rock. When the iron in rock is red, that is an indication that deposition took place in oxygen-rich surroundings. Iron rich green or gray rocks indicate oxygen poor environments.
Logging Requirements
- At the listed coordinates (base of the falls), observe some of the boulders in the streambed. Do the boulders appear to be made of Hamilton Sandstone or Oneonta Shale? What lead you to that conclusion? From the trail, observe the rock of the lower falls. Are you able to distinguish where Hamilton Sandstone meets Oneonta Shale? How? Estimate the thickness of the Hamilton Sandstone layer.
- Now make your way up the stairs and when you reach a five foot wide side trail on your left, proceed down the path to the base of the upper falls (Stage 2 Waypoint). Please remember that waterfalls take thousands of years to create and can also be very dangerous, especially in the areas closer to the falls that stay continuously wet, making them extremely slippery! Be safe....respectful of the area do not climb on the falls or the rocks above the trail since they are loose and view the falls from a safe distance. As you proceed down this path, observe the rock face on your right side. Does it appear to be composed of Hamilton Sandstone or Oneonta Shale? Observe the rocks around you, are you able to distinguish where Hamilton Sandstone meets Oneonta Shale? How? Estimate the amount of overhang of the Hamilton Sandstone. How long do you think it will be before the Hamilton Shale will no longer be able to support itself and will collapse (500 years, maybe in this century etc...)?
- Head back to the main trail and continue up the stairs. When you get to the junction of the Escarpment Trail, make a left. When you get to Spruce Creek, cross the creek and follow the trail on the other side of the creek to the Observation Deck (Stage 3 Waypoint). Please remember that waterfalls take thousands of years to create and can also be very dangerous, especially in the areas closer to the falls that stay continuously wet, making them extremely slippery! Be safe....respectful of the area do not climb on the falls and view from a safe distance. Observe the falls from the Observation Deck. How many visible rock layers have the falls carved through?
- (Optional) Post some pictures of the falls in your log.