Fall in the Catskills

My recs to make the most of leaf-peeping season

I wouldn’t recommend being maximally pregnant during the dog days of summer. Commuting from Brooklyn to work at 30 Rock in August nearly killed me.

But now it’s decorative gourd season, motherfuckers! Getting to experience fall, my favorite time of year, with a newborn? It’s been so glorious I’ve almost— almost!!— forgotten those godawful sweaty subway rides. And what a fall it’s been here in New York. Daily walks in Riverside Park kept us not only sane but goofily happy in the first month postpartum. Then things got even better when we headed upstate to our friends’ place in the Catskills just in time for prime leaf-peeping.

The house, and the view from the house. And the world's happiest doggy.

Ariel and Joyce have an extraordinarily special home in West Kill that we’ve been lucky enough to experience in all four seasons. Every time I post here on Instagram I get a chorus of “OMG WHERE?!!” responses. There’s a river right outside that flows into a swimming hole with panoramic views, and Hunter Mountain nearby for skiing in winter. Being a poet and yogi, Joyce even designed a meditation path in the field outside where a figure-eight-shaped loop invites endless reflective walks. We’ve seen foxes and deer, bald eagles and river otters all on the property. Plus the house is a rare mix of chic and cozy, with the most comfortable beds I’ve ever slept in in my life, all decked out in Parachute linens.

With windows like these, even staying inside feels like being outside.

I’m being so selfless sharing the booking link with you at the risk of filling up their calendar. Please don’t go. But if you do, here are some of our favorite things to do in the area.

HIKES

Diamond Notch Falls

You’re in the woods, breathing in the scent of piney air, golden light filtering through the trees and a burbling brook guiding your path. The water gets deeper, flowing faster, and before you know it a cascading waterfall comes into view. This is Diamond Notch Falls (we like the trail that starts on Spruceton Road) and it’s the roast chicken of hikes, a straightforward crowd pleaser that fits any occasion. The path is rocky but wide and there’s not much elevation gain; we were pleased to find it was easily doable carrying a baby. Zadie loves bounding along ahead of us, pausing to wade in the water for a drink whenever she fancies. These spectacular colors took my breath away and I kind of think she was soaking them up too?

Windham Path

For even lower effort with 360-degree views, don’t miss the Windham Path. Most hikes require effort to get to a payoff like this; Windham just spoils you the whole way. It’s more of a stroll than a hike, which makes it perfect for families with strollers. This time for the first time we noticed an “extension path” option towards the end of the walk that takes you on an extra loop through the woods if you want that lost-in-the-trees feeling.

EATS

Fellow Mountain Cafe

Cinnamon rolls are having a big moment right now on social media and Fellow is famous for them. They’re pleasingly squishy and caramelized on the bottom, but I wish the frosting was a little tangier. (At least it’s not vanilla glaze, which is an abomination.) We tried a bunch of their seasonal pastries and liked them even better than the cinnamon roll. The slices of iced maple pumpkin bundt cake were fluffy yet moist, and perfectly spiced, as they’d say on Great British Bakeoff. Also, I’m really picky about granola since I bake my own and know how easy it is make at home, but their granola is fantastic, full of crunchy clusters slick with brown sugar. Grab an $8 bag or two to take home— you’d pay double that in the city.

West Kill Brewing

I’m not gonna lie to you: I went here hoping for a pumpkin beer and was shocked there wasn’t one on the menu. I can’t be the only basic bitch in town! But a hazy local IPA still made me very happy (and went straight to my head, as I’ve only had a drink or two since 2024). There are rotating food trucks outside where you can grab a bite and enjoy the scenery. We paid $19 for wildly overpriced “tikka nachos” that turned out to be cold tortilla chips with sauce drizzled on top, but I was too tipsy from my one beer to be mad. If you go on a Friday or Saturday it’s a pretty lively vibe; there were a couple groups of under-30’s dressed in their flannel and boots best, snapping photos and monopolizing the cornhole setup.

Shandaken Inn

Autumn in the Meadow happened to fall on our first Saturday in West Kill, and I think we’ll have to make it an annual tradition. There was fun music from a colorful hippie band, a bunch of local artisans selling everything from hand-knit sweaters to flower crowns, and even some friendly alpacas to meet. The food was way better than I expected it to be— I had phenomenal glazed pork belly buns, and the baked goods were also exceptional. The apple cider donuts were airy inside with a crispy cinnamon sugar crunch on the outside, just perfect. We also bought a $25 apple walnut pie to take home and again it was so good we would have gladly paid double. Flaky butter crust, gooey filling studded with little bitter crunches from the walnuts. I ate a slice with plain Greek yogurt for breakfast every day for a week.

Alpacas and live music go together like... well, alpacas and anything

DIGS

Obviously, you should stay at Joyce and Ariel’s house if you have a decent-sized group. It’s huge and can comfortably sleep a lot of lucky people. For a budget-friendly option if you’re traveling solo or as a couple, I recommend The Graham and Co. It’s my ideal type of no-frills hotel, really reasonably priced without feeling cheap.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, we balled out one night at Scribner’s Catskill Lodge. We’re pros at turning one expensive hotel night into two full days of entertainment, and Scribner’s has amazing amenities to take advantage of. The lounges are super chic, there’s a tiny but stunning ice skating rink, and our cabin had its own Japanese hot tub on the deck. I could spend hours watching the steam float up from the tub into the starry night sky, and I’m pretty sure that pre-bedtime soak led to my best night of sleep since before the baby.

SNACKS

Van Dusen’s

Van Dusen’s is our closest local spot for iced coffee and sundries in Lexington, right across the border from West Kill. It cracks me up that there’s not even cell service in the area and yet you can get Momofuku pantry noodles and Milk Bar ice cream at this bougie Brooklyn-esque shoppy shop. On our most recent visit, a little event stage had gone up, and the owner told us they’d just had a documentary screening there. I’m totally planning on forcing Alex to have the world’s tiniest screening at Van Dusen’s next time he has a project coming out.

Cabot maple cheddar popcorn

I honestly didn’t realize this would be so controversial but my brother said this flavor was “an abomination” and Alex refused to touch it. More for me! I grabbed this on a whim and was so glad I did; if you like sweet/salty snacks that taste like New England, it fits the bill perfectly. I’m a bit psycho about perfectly balanced bites and kept wishing I could sprinkle Maldon salt and red pepper flakes on top, but that didn’t stop me from eating the whole bag on the drive home from a hike.