Hike in the Footsteps of Painters and Poets This Summer in New York’s Scenic Catskills

The view from Sunset Rock, a popular location for Thomas Cole, the father of the Hudson River School, America’s first major art movement © 2013 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

Hit the trail this summer in the Great Northern Catskills of Greene County where the region’s storied history and rugged beauty are best experienced in the wilderness. Discover the land that captivated generations of painters and writers, and enjoy a hiking trip that unites art with nature, and adventure with family-friendly fun.

Known as the father of the Hudson River School of Art movement, Thomas Cole was a British expatriate who made the Catskills his home, muse and artistic study. Follow Cole’s artistic journey through the Catskills and experience far-reaching summit views and cascading waterfalls that are as pristine as they were when Cole painted them nearly 200 years ago.

His namesake peak, Thomas Cole Mountain, is the fourth highest peak in the Catskills, with panoramic summit views and multiple scenic overlooks. Located in the Blackhead Range Wild Forest, Cole can be hiked in tandem with Black Dome and Blackhead, making for the perfect Catskill Mountain day hike. The trailhead is located at the end of Barnum Road, just four minutes drive from the Sugar Maple Center for Creative Arts in Maplecrest.

Arts History and Hiking in the Great Northern Catskills

This summer, experience a series of self-guided, multi-faceted hiking excursions with Mainly Greene, a collaboration of four arts organizations in the Great Northern Catskills. On July 20, join Mainly Greene’s “Art on the Move” tour of the Catskills with the Catskill Pass as your guide, and check out some of the Hudson River waterfront’s top attractions, restaurants and shops. Download the Pass here and follow the enclosed map to receive special discounts at participating attractions, including the Port of Call Restaurant, Thomas Cole National Historic Site and Riverview Marine Services.

Kid-Friendly Hikes in Greene County

Summer in the Great Northern Catskills of Greene County offers untold adventure in the great outdoors. Find ample hiking options throughout the region, including kid-friendly hikes such as:

• RamsHorn-Livingston Sanctuary in Catskill offers a tranquil hiking experience along two miles of hiking trails. Trek by swampland with diverse birding habitats and glimpse Great Blue Herons, Bald Eagles and water creatures such as beaver, otter or muskrat. The Sanctuary offers leisurely walking experiences, picnic spots and paddling opportunities along RamsHorn Creek.
• Cohotate Preserve in Catskill offers two miles of hiking along the Hudson River waterfront. Perfect for families with small children, the loop winds around a pond, providing scenic wilderness and river views.
• Catskill Escarpment Loop in Haines Falls offers a moderate hiking circuit looping nearly five miles through some of Greene County’s prettiest scenery.  Highlights include Kaaterskill Clove, Sunset Rock – a favorite spot of Hudson River School artists – and Inspiration Point. Part of the 21-mile Escarpment Trail, this shorter loop offers a great day hike in the Catskills.

Awaken to Adventure in the Great Northern Catskills of Greene County, offering some New York’s most far-reaching summit views and scenic hiking trails. For more information about hiking in the Catskills and to start planning your Greene County vacation, visit www.GreatNorthernCatskills.com.

Greene County is located in the Great Northern Catskill Mountains and the verdant Hudson River Valley.  The region is home to five of the 10 highest Catskill Peaks and the Catskill State Park and is known as the nation’s first wilderness. Greene County is renowned as the home of Thomas Cole’s Hudson River School and the inspiration for Washington Irving’s literary legend, Rip Van Winkle, and was named in honor of American Revolutionary War General Nathanael Greene. This 705,500 acre wilderness offers diverse year-round outdoor recreation and celebrated cultural events.  Find more Catskills packages at www.GreatNorthernCatskills.com. 

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Follow in the Footsteps of Hudson River School Painters along Scenic Hiking Trails in New York’s Catskill Mountains

This summer, take an artistic hiking trip through the Catskill Mountains and discover the scenic vistas that inspired America’s first distinctive artistic style, the Hudson River School of Art.

From the front steps of the founding father’s home in Catskill, now the Thomas Cole National Historic Site, the Hudson River School of Art Trail winds along the pristine river valleys and mountain peaks that captivated Cole and his contemporaries. At each of the first eight sites along the Hudson Valley section of the Art Trail, a special metal plaque with a rubbing medallion has been installed, allowing visitors to do a pencil rubbing as a keepsake. The Art Trail includes sites in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, with the final site due for installation in Yellowstone National Park later this year.

Hudson River School painters captivated the world in the early-to-mid-1800s with their fierce desire to preserve America’s wild places and raise awareness through art of the fragile balance between nature and civilization. Cole and his contemporaries captured the wild, breathtaking beauty of America’s untouched forests, mountains and rivers, laying the foundation for what would become our National Parks.

Awaken to Adventure along the Hudson River School Art Trail and see Kaaterskill Falls, the highest cascading waterfall in New York State, gaze across the Hudson River Valley from the lofty perch that was once the Catskill Mountain House, and stop at North-South Lake and Sunset Rock. There are 15 Art Trail sites in the Hudson River Valley, and many of the hiking trails offer easy-to-moderate conditions, though some require skill and should only be attempted by experienced hikers. Special markers are located at key sites so visitors know which artist stopped to paint at that site.

The Thomas Cole National Historic Site is open Wednesday to Sunday each week, from May through October. Guided tours of Cole’s house and studio are offered for a fee, though visitors are welcome to tour the grounds, visitor center and gift shop free of charge. For more information about the Art Trail and visiting the Great Northern Catskills of Greene County’s cultural and artistic heritage sites, visit www.greatnortherncatskills.com.

About Greene County:

Greene County is located in the Great Northern Catskill Mountains and the verdant Hudson River Valley.  The region is home to five of the 10 highest Catskill Peaks and the Catskill State Park and is known as the nation’s first wilderness. Greene County is renowned as the home of Thomas Cole’s Hudson River School and the inspiration for Washington Irving’s literary legend, Rip Van Winkle, and was named in honor of American Revolutionary War General Nathanael Greene. This 705,500 acre wilderness offers abundant year-round outdoor recreation and unique cultural events.  Learn more about Catskills packages and events at www.GreatNorthernCatskills.com.

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Contest Encourages Visitors to Follow in the Footsteps of Hudson River School Painters in the Catskill Mountains

The Thomas Cole National Historic Site and the Olana State Historic Site has launched the Hudson River School Art Trail contest featuring an artistic hiking trail that follows in the footsteps of America’s premier landscape painters, and ends with the chance to win a weekend getaway to the Catskill Mountains.

The Hudson River School Art Trail features over 20 locations spanning the Hudson River Valley Region and New England. At each of the first eight sites along the Hudson Valley section of the Art Trail, a special metal plaque with a rubbing medallion has been installed, allowing visitors to do a pencil rubbing as a keepsake.

The contest encourages visitors to complete all eight rubbings in either their own notebook or in the official Art Trail Passport, which is available for purchase at the Thomas Cole National Historic Site and Olana State Historic Site.  Upon completion, participants simply present the completed series of rubbings to representatives at the Visitor Center for either the Thomas Cole or Olana Historic Sites by November 3, 2013 to receive an official certificate of completion. The first 20 people to complete all eight rubbings and present them at one of the two visitor centers will receive a free copy of the newly released second edition of the Hudson River School Guidebook. Participants who complete the eight rubbings will also be entered in a special grand prize drawing for a chance to win a weekend getaway to the Catskills.

Each metal plaque features a QR code that can be scanned by smartphones for more information and a rubbing medallion with a drawing of the view in raised relief so that participants can easily capture the scene by placing a piece of paper over the design and rubbing it with pencil, crayon or charcoal. For more information about the Art Trail locations, directions, itinerary suggestions and more, visit www.hudsonriverschool.org. See offers.hudsonriverschool.org for complete contest information.

The Hudson River School Art Trail Contest is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

Hudson River Art Trail:

The Hudson River Art Trail project maps the sites where America’s premier landscape painters stopped to capture the wild, untamed landscape of the young country’s vast wilderness. The views from these sites appear in famous landscape paintings, and the mobile website at www.hudsonriverschool.org enables people to compare the painted and actual views.

There are 18 sites in the Hudson Valley, two in New Hampshire and one in Massachusetts with sites planned as far away as Wyoming.

The Art Trail begins at the Thomas Cole National Historic Site in the village of Catskill, which is fitting because Cole is credited as the father of the Hudson River School. Cole’s former home is now the Thomas Cole National Historic Site, located just two miles from Olana State Historic Site, the former home of Cole’s friend and fellow painter Frederic Church.

Olana is the second stop on the trail, and one of the partners in administering the 2013 art trail contest along with the Greene County Tourism Department and the Columbia County Tourism Department. For more information about the Hudson River Art School Trail, visit www.hudsonriverschool.org.

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