While guests sequestered themselves in mega-resorts years ago, today’s visitors come to the Catskills for the outdoors.
“We’re seeing a different type of tourism—hikers, bikers, kayakers, families who are using the landscape as opposed to going to one resort,” says Deborah Allen, publisher of Black Dome Press, which has 40 titles about the Catskills, including the history book The Catskill Park: Inside the Blue Line.
“It’s beautiful here and the land is forever wild and protected,” Allen says.
Several companies and resorts take advantage of that natural setting.
One of the longest running is Lander’s River Trips (www.landersrivertrips.com), which has been around since 1955 and explores over 73 miles of the Delaware River. The company offers half-day to multiday trips on Class I and II rapids, and can handle groups of up to 400 in one location and up to 2,000 a day.
For corporate groups, “we can cater to what is asked for,” says Eric Orr, general manager of Lander’s.
Lander’s, which runs trips from April until October, also offers tubing and kayaking trips.
Known as the birthplace of dry-fly fishing, where the flies float on top of the water as opposed to sinking, the Catskills region is home to several fishing companies that can accommodate groups.
Catskill Flies (www.catskillflies.com), based in Roscoe, is one of the largest, and is within casting distance of 500 miles of trout streams. In July and August, the company utilizes freestone streams, comprised of groundwater and spring water, while at other times of the year it uses tailwater streams, with water released from New York City reservoir dams.
The company offers instruction on grass and then in the water. All fishing is for trout, and is catch and release.
One company’s name, HighXposure Adventures (www.high-xposure.com), says it all, as it leads groups on rock climbing trips in the Shawangunk Cliffs west of New Paltz, one of the most pristine climbing areas in the Northeast.
“They have an amazing variety of good-quality climbing,” says Bob Ferrari, owner and operator of the company.
With over 1,000 routes, groups are taken out for team-building exercises or pure adventure. The company, formerly called High Angle Adventures and located on the Mohonk Preserve, provides instruction. Groups of up to 18 can head out at one time.
Stone Tavern Farm (www.stonetavernfarm.com) offers horseback riding outings for groups of eight and can handle up to 64 people. There are a number of trail and riding lesson options, as well as picnic trails that include a lunch down by the stream in the middle of the trail ride. Stone Tavern also hosts overnight trips.
