Final Day

2026-08-08
NH, VT, NY, NJ, PA

On the way home today, I planned for us to visit Kaaterskill falls. I was worried that on a Saturday afternoon in August that it might be a challenge. Unfortunately, I was right to worry. The parking lot was full and blocked off, and we were sent to the overflow lot. That was full and blocked too. The next option was far enough away that it didn't make sense for a trip stop. It was already going to be a long walk for a stretch break. So we made the decision to continue on.

The big downside of this detour - besides the time spent driving to the falls - is that we ended up on the New York Thruway. I had picked a route to avoid the big highways, and I was reminded why. New York drivers can be quite aggressive; you can't leave a reasonable following distance because someone will jump in it and force a brake check.

We made it home a few hours later, tired but with a pizza for dinner. It was a long day of driving, and for some reason we are always sent north through Reading but south through Pottstown. I guess both towns advertise on Google?

I already miss Canada. Parks Canada was an amazing host this trip. They charged nothing, and provided a wonderful experience. The trails were well maintained, the staff was knowledgeable and helpful, and the facilities were overall excellent. It would be nice if we could make a donation to the parks, but they rely on local partner groups just like in the US. This makes it challenging for me to support several parks. I even tried to buy some t-shirts from their web site but they won't ship to the US. That's not surprising because they'd have to collect ever-changing tariffs now so I'm sure it's not worth the effort for them. Maybe I'll be able to buy an annual pass in the fall.

One of the great things Parks Canada did was to set up Adirondack chairs at various overlooks or just good stopping points. We found them comfortable and enjoyable, and stopped at several of them. It's a great way to make a hike even better.

Driving Distance: 474 miles
Hiking Distance: 0