Hudson Valley Fall Foliage Weekend Turns Into A Nightmare
If you tried to enjoy a peaceful fall weekend in the Hudson Valley or Catskills, you were not alone. Not even close.
With Sunday's forecast a washout, it seemed like everyone from the Hudson Valley and even more people from New York City decided Saturday was the perfect day for fall activities in the Hudson Valley or Catskills.
Mt Beacon Crowded
Social media is flooded with videos and posts from visitors and locals alike documenting what has become an annual autumn ritual: New York City day-trippers descending on the region in massive numbers for fall foliage, hiking, and that perfect Instagram shot, only to discover that everyone else had the same idea at the same time.
I saw it firsthand on Mt. Beacon. The trail, already a legitimate challenge on a quiet day, was more crowded than I've ever seen.
Driving to and from the trail, what struck me most was how many people seemed to have walked the entire distance from the Beacon train station to the trailhead, a significant distance on its own.
That was before even starting a very demanding hike.
A lot of people were not prepared for what they were getting into, and that's worth saying out loud because Mt. Beacon is no joke.
Once you do make it up the trail, the views are breathtaking. This trip, I went all the way to the fire tower.
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A very small number of hikers did that trip, which was very nice, and it leads to even more breathtaking views.
After the hike, I stopped for a late lunch on Main Street in Beacon. That was also more crowded than I've ever seen.
I had no trouble getting my meal from my first choice, but a woman from Long Island told me she couldn't get food at three different locations.
She also told me her attempt to visit a local farm was a major fail because it was way too crowded.
Social Media Flooded With Packed Crowd
On Instagram, the videos tell the same story up and down the region.
User SidequestMichelle posted clips from outside a packed train station, from inside a standing-room-only Metro-North car, and from Main Street in what appeared to be Beacon or Cold Spring, with crowds spilling out of businesses and filling the sidewalks.
Her caption summed it up perfectly:
"When you thought it was a good idea to go to Cold Spring or Beacon this weekend but everyone else thought the same."
Cold Spring got its own chapter in the chaos.
User Culturalos shared that he missed his first train back to New York City because it was simply too full to board, forcing him to wait another hour on the platform.
His advice for anyone planning a similar trip: stay until around 10 p.m. when the trains thin out, and use the extra time to hit up some of the bars in town.
Up in the Catskills, Kaaterskill Falls was its own version of the same story.
User itsoutierman posted about spending half the day stuck in traffic and circling for parking before ever reaching the falls, joking about "surviving" peak fall foliage crowds and asking followers to share their worst leaf-peeping traffic stories.
The Hudson Valley and Catskills are genuinely beautiful this time of year, and people absolutely should come experience them.
But if you're planning a fall weekend trip, a few things worth knowing: go on a weekday if you possibly can, start early in the morning before the crowds build, have a parking plan before you arrive, and if you're hiking Mt. Beacon, know what you're signing up for before you step off the train.
The foliage is worth it. The crowds are something you need to plan around.
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