Platte Clove, Mountain preserve in Greene County, New York.
Platte Clove is a natural preserve in the Catskill Mountains of New York State, shaped by steep rock faces, deep gorges, and several waterfalls. The site sits between Kaaterskill High Peak and Roundtop Mountain, with a narrow road running through the valley floor.
The Griswold family donated this land in 1975, turning it into a protected area open to the public. Before that, the site had been used for timber harvesting and bluestone quarrying, traces of which can still be seen in parts of the terrain.
The gorge and its waterfalls drew Hudson River School painters in the 19th century, who came here to work directly from the landscape. Today visitors can stand at the same viewpoints those artists once used.
Three marked hiking trails cross the preserve and are open from sunrise to sunset, with some sections steep and rocky underfoot. On weekends from May through October, a Catskill Steward is available at the trailhead kiosk to help visitors find their way.
The narrow road that winds through the clove is closed every winter due to snow and ice, making the valley accessible only on foot for months at a time. When spring arrives, the snowmelt pushes the waterfalls to run far stronger than at any other point in the year.
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