Hunter Supervisor Sean Mahoney urged the Department of Environmental Conservation to reject a proposal that would cap daily visitors to Kaaterskill Falls at 1,000 and require reservations, saying it would hurt local businesses, restrict public access, and be difficult to enforce.
Mahoney said in an April 6 letter to DEC Commissioner Amanda Lefton that the town opposed “restrictive access measures.” While Hunter supports “responsible stewardship” and better management of the area, the state should instead pursue “practical” solutions such as more parking and staff and possibly reclassifying the falls as an intensive use area, he said.
Moving to a reservations or gated system would bring “significant and immediate economic consequences” for Hunter, which depends on “responsible visitation” to public lands, Mahoney said. Visitors turned away from Kaaterskill would shift elsewhere, potentially worsening congestion and unsafe parking in other areas, he said.
The DEC report by the consulting firms DJ&A, P.C. and Otak, released on April 3, says the biggest issue at the falls is the sheer number of visitors on peak days, not a parking shortage. It estimates that parking can accommodate about 2,500 visitors a day, 40% more than the average on summer weekend days and holidays three years ago.
“It is the sheer volume of visitor use and not a lack of parking that is the root cause of the traffic congestion, parking management, public safety, and crowding issues at Kaaterskill Falls,” the report says.
The report, part of the DEC’s management pilot project for Kaaterskill Clove, says about 1,850 people visited on peak days in 2023, with a maximum of nearly 3,000. About 860 visitors arrived each day.
The consultants based their 1,000-visitor threshold by using a monitored view of the Middle Pool area. Usage exceeded a target of fewer than 24 people 90% of time almost entirely on weekends, leading them to suggest the limit was the highest number the area could host without unacceptable crowding and the related impacts on safety, traffic, parking and park operations.
The report also found that most visitors surveyed supported tighter controls to prevent crowding, reduce risks, and lessen environmental damage. About half supported advance reservations on busy weekends and holidays.
The consultants recommended a timed-entry system operating daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., with up to 25 timed-entry tickets issued per hour plus gate-controlled access points and on-the-ground traffic and parking staff.
Traffic and overflow parking tied to Kaaterskill Falls are already straining operations at North-South Lake Campground and Day Use Area, where visitors are directed to park when closer lots fill up. That’s led to backups at the entrance station, pressure on bathrooms and the septic system and pedestrian safety concerns as visitors walk along the road to the falls from South Lake lots.
Both Supervisor Mahoney and the DEC did not respond to requests for comment.
Broader safety issues are also an issue, the report said. Traffic on Route 23A surged by 60% in the past decade. The DEC responded to an average of 13 search-and-rescue calls a year at Kaaterskill Falls between 2014 and 2022 .
Public comments on the DEC’s proposal will be accepted through June 1. The DEC has scheduled a virtual meeting on the Kaaterskill Clove region for April 29 at 6 p.m. and a separate meeting on the Adirondack High Peaks Wilderness for April 22 at 6 p.m. Comments can be submitted by email to forestpreserve@dec.ny.gov.
Mia Quick is an editorial assistant at The Overlook. Send correspondence to mia@theoverlooknews.com.