Above: “Big Indian Leaves,” taken in Big Indian by Michael LoBianco, the 4th Place winner in the 2014 Catskills Great Outdoor Experience Photo Contest.
The trees are popping into color like popcorn. If you haven't wandered somewhere outside in the Catskills yet this fall, get out there.
Need a nudge? That's why the Catskill Mountain Club, the Catskill Center for Conservation and Development, the NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the New York New-Jersey Trail Conference throw the annual Lark in the Park.
The Lark is a series of outdoor activities led by experienced hikers, paddlers, cyclists and anglers throughout the Catskills region between October 4 and Columbus Day, which falls on October 13 this year.
We've put together a calendar of the dozens of hikes, paddles, food tastings, movie screenings, bike rides, and picnics that make up this year's Lark in the Park festivities.
We're listing them all on the righthand side of this page, and on their own Lark in the Park 2014 page. Or you can go to the Lark in the Park website.
Need more ideas for where to go and what to do? Check out our print and online Catskills Outdoor Guide. It's got a list of new Catskills trails to hike, paddles to paddle, bike routes to try, and much more.
There are rewards for those who venture outside. This year, our Catskills Outdoor Guide is partnering with the DEP and the Catskill Watershed Corporation to bring you our new Catskill Reservoir Paddler embroidered badge, which you can only earn by paddling a specific reservoir each month.
In October, the spotlight is on the Pepacton Reservoir. Paddle the Pepacton before October 13, send in your proof, and a Catskill Reservoir Paddler badge will be yours. Click here for full redemption instructions.
We're also partnering with Morgan Outdoors in Livingston Manor to award intrepid hikers with their very own Catskill Fire Tower badge. The deadline to earn the badge is Monday, October 13. Details on how the badge program works are here.
