The towns of Tannersville and Hunter are some of my favorite that we have found in the Catskill Mountains of New York. Tannersville and Hunter are less than 5 miles apart. They are located near many beautiful things to do in the Catskills including waterfalls, hiking trails, and ski resorts. This area makes a great location for you to stay at during your trip to the Catskills since it is a good central location to so many activities.
How to Get to Tannersville and Hunter, New York
The best way to get to Tannersville and Hunter is by car. Driving a car in this area is necessary to access most of the points of interest around Tannersville and Hunter.
Distance from NYC to Tannersville and Hunter: 2 hours and 15 minutes, 123 miles
Where to Stay
$: Camping at North South Lake Campground or Devil’s Tombstone Campground
Camping is by far the cheapest option near Tannersville and Hunter, although these options are only available in the summer months. North South Lake Campground and Devil’s Tombstone Campground are the closest campgrounds to Tannersville and Hunter. Keep in mind that these are super popular campgrounds and book up months in advance. 1 night at North South Lake Campground is $22 and reservations can be made on their website. Devil’s Tombstone Campground costs $16 be night and can be reserved through their website.
$$: The Twilight Lodge
We stayed in Twilight Lodge last year and absolutely loved our stay. The rooms are simple, but clean. The host is an older lady from Hungary that is so incredibility sweet and shared her story with us. Breakfast was included and there is also an antique store onsite. Prices begin around $70 per night.
$$$: Scribner’s Lodge
This contemporary hotel focuses on the guest’s experience and has beautiful rooms that are all unique. Select nights have prices as low as $225 per night.
$$$$: Deer Mountain Inn
Deer Mountain Inn is known for being a luxurious place to stay in the Catskills. The cheapest room is around $275 with their most luxurious room being up to $950 per night.
Things to Do in Tannersville, New York
Note: Of course while there are more things to do than I can list in this post, included are my favorite things to do in the area.
Mountain Top Arboretum
We have come to Mountain Top Arboretum several times and have explored a different part each time. The Mountain Top Arboretum has well-kept little trails and exhibits different types of plants and flowers. The trails are wide, well-groomed, and well-marked. These trails are great for nice leisurely walks, especially if you are wanting something very chill. The trails here a great for families with kids as the trails are safe and relatively flat. There are different areas of the arboretum that feature different types of plants. The section closest to the entrance features a pond, many different types of pine trees, and outdoor art installations from local artists. It is free to visit, although I believe they accept donations if you want to give. There are maps available at the small visitor center and at the beginning of the trails near the parking area. See the Mountain Top Arboretum website for the most recent updates of visitor center hours. We love visiting the arboretum due to its peacefulness and calm. It is never crowded or busy when we have visited and it feels like you have the place to yourself.
Rip Van Winkle Lake
Rip Van Winkle Lake is only a few blocks away from the main street of Tannersville, but it is a nice place to visit. The Rip Van Winkle Lake is the prettiest at sunset since you can watch the sunset fall over the mountains behind the lake with colors from the sky reflecting onto the lake. There is a large parking lot and a few benches. It would be a nice place to bring a coffee or snack and enjoy nature without having to hike.
Bear and Fox Provisions
Bear and Fox Provisions is a cute little coffee shop and boutique. They also sell flowers and you can pre order flower arrangements from them. Their shop is eclectic with many wonderful items. I especially love their local Catskills products.
Last Chance Antiques and Cheese Café
This restaurant is an absolute must stop! We make an effort to come here every time we are in the area. Last Chance Antiques and Cheese Café has wonderful dishes, most of which include cheese. We’ve had several different dishes here, but one of my personal favorites is the French Dip and Mozzarella Sandwich. The Local Cheese Platter is also delicious. If it’s not a mealtime when you’re around, they have a small shop and made-in-house chocolates that you can purchase. Luca really likes the chocolate covered orange peels.
Many Cute Antique Stores
There are so many cute little antique stores on the Main Street of Tannersville. My favorite antique store that we have been to here is Tannersville Antiques. It is a really large antique store and has a wide variety of different products. There are some really cool, unique pieces here. Even if you don’t plan on buying anything, it is a fun place to peruse and explore artifacts of the past.
Stewart’s
As I have mentioned in other posts about New York State, Stewarts is a popular gas station that is very specific to upstate New York (with a few locations in neighboring Vermont). It is a gas station, but they also have their own line of ice creams, foods, and beverages. Any time we visit Upstate New York, we make an effort to stop at Stewart’s to try their ice cream. Their ice cream is absolutely delicious and comes in a wide variety of many flavors and interesting combinations. They have seasonal flavors (my favorite being their peppermint hot cocoa flavored ice cream). It is cheap ice cream that is totally worth a stop. There is a Stewart’s in/near Tannersville, near the junction to Kaaterskill Falls.
Kaaterskill Falls
Kaaterskill Falls is one of the best (and most popular) waterfall in the Catskill Mountains. Kaaterskill Falls is one of the tallest waterfalls in New York State and is pretty accessible to visit. There are many different ways to hike to Kaaterskill Falls. It is beautiful in all seasons and looks different at various times throughout the year.
I have an entire article on all of the ins and outs of visiting Kaaterskill Falls which you can visit for more information about how to visit.
Read More about Kaaterskill Falls: The Ultimate Guide to Kaaterskill Falls, New York
North South Lake
North South Lake is also nearby Tannersville. North South Lake is an area full of hiking, but also has a campground and picnic facilities. We hiked the North-South Lake Loop from Schutt Road trail which goes around North South Lake and also the Kaaterskill falls which is a few miles to the west. There are also short trails here, such as the trail to the Catskill Mountain House Site or trail to Artists Rock.
Things to Do in Hunter, New York
The town of Hunter is less walkable than Tannersville is, but definitely still has places that are worth stopping at.
Fellow Mountain Café
Fellow is one of the newer cafes in Hunter, and I absolutely love this place. They have AMAZING coffee and pastries. They make all of their pastries in house and have ginormous cinnamon rolls and various types of unique focaccia bread. In addition to bakery items and coffee, they also have a café menu. Everything we have tried here has been wonderful, whether it is breakfast toasts, cookies, or soups. They also have fresh flowers and local goods (they carry a fantastic local maple syrup called “Tree Juice”). I highly recommend stopping at fellow if in the area.
Hunter Mountain Resort
Hunter Mountain Resort has activities for all year round. In the winter they have plenty of skiing, snowboarding, and snowtubing. In the summer a wide range of other activities to partake in such as 4×4 off-roading, hiking, and taking the chairlift to the top to see beautiful views. While we have never skied here in the winter, we have visited here in the summer and taking the chair lift up to the top of the Hunter Mountain Resort slopes to see some beautiful views. Check the Hunter Mountain Resort website for more information about their offerings.
Hike Hunter Mountain
Hunter Mountain is the second highest mountain in the Catskills and has the tallest fire tower in the entire state of New York. Hunter Mountain has several different hikes that reach the very top of the mountain where the fire tower is. From the top of the fire tower, there are amazing 360 degree views of the Catskills. If you are able, I really recommend doing a hike here. I have an entire blog post about hiking to the top of Hunter Mountain where you can learn about all the different ways to get to the top of Hunter Mountain.
Read Also: Hiking Hunter Mountain: A Complete Guide for All Hikers
Hunter and Tannersville are both towns in New York that you should definitely visit during your time in the Catskills.
Have you been to the Catskill Mountains before? What is your favorite part of the Catskills?
Thanks for reading!
Leave a Reply