Answers sought to clove overcrowding

The meeting will begin with Otak’s presentation on its purpose, goals and timeline and will conclude with interactive discussion groups. All members of the public are invited to attend.

Kaaterskill Clove is one of two Catskill areas the Department has identified as needing sustainable management strategies. During the pandemic, photos, videos and maps of the location, especially its waterfalls, went viral on social media, causing trails to become trampled and crowded beyond capacity.

Before developing a management plan, Otak is seeking public input.

“DEC’s sustainable-use initiatives require public participation to be successful,” Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos said. “Listening to public and stakeholder perspectives about the High Peaks and Kaaterskill Clove project areas will provide DEC with the important data to support successful strategies for balancing conservation and public access in these popular Forest Preserve destinations.”

Greg Calabrese, owner and lead guide at Rip Van Winkle Adventure Guides in Catskill, said the area has been a tourist destination since the 1800s. The Clove features include a handicapped-accessible upper Kaaterskill Falls viewing platform, swimming and cliff jumping in the summer and ice climbing in the winter.

“With destinations like the Catskill Mountain House, the Kaaterskill Hotel and the Laurel House, it’s no wonder tourists have flocked to the beauty of the Clove for over 200 years,” Calabrese said. “Overcrowding is to be expected, but I don’t think anyone thought to the extent it has risen over the past three years. I commend the DEC for taking steps now to try to manage it.”

Trail deterioration has been only one of the effects of overcrowding. A second effect has been parking overflow onto Route 23A, where pedestrians have been risking their lives as they walk along the side of the winding road toward the trailhead.

State Police Troop F Public Information Officer Steven Nevel said troopers on duty monitor the situation daily.

“It’s always been a problem,” Nevel said. “The only thing we do is we ask the people who are parked illegally to move their cars and if the cars are there 20 minutes later we issue a citation. Because of the number of vehicles involved you can’t really start towing because it will become a fiasco.”

In addition to funding Otak’s efforts, the Department of Environmental Conservation has been receiving recommendations from the Catskill Advisory Group, a panel formed to collaboratively provide advice on how to balance critical issues associated with increased public use in the Catskill Park.

In January 2022 the group recommended immediate action at Kaaterskill Clove, with some of its suggestions including the collection and dissemination of real-time information about the status of traffic and parking in the Clove, which would include installation of technology to track the number of cars in parking lots.

The group also recommended the establishment of a live website and a social media working group to facilitate real-time communications and standard social media messaging, including the status of traffic and parking in and around the Clove.