Woodland Valley Campground
Guide

Guests to Woodland Valley Campground with an interest in trains and local culture will want to stop by the Empire State Railway Museum. In this museum dating back to 1960, you can explore the inside of a Delaware and Hudson Railway baggage car and view the restoration of a 19th-century locomotive. This station is the northwest terminus of Catskill Mountain Railroad’s Kingston-Phoenicia line. The line offers scenic rides of the region in vintage coach cars. The museum is dedicated to preserving the history of these railroads, the local culture and the towns they served.

Guests to the Woodland Valley Campground will want to make sure they are traveling with their hiking boots. Located deep in the Catskills, this campground offers guests two exceptional hiking experiences. Guests will find the Wittenberg Mountain Loop or Wittenberg and Cornell Mountains Trail is a challenging eight and a half mile moderately trafficked out and back trail. Guests will see beautiful wild flowers along this trail in the spring time. The trail is best used from April until October due to the real risk of snow and ice. Dogs are welcome along this trail but must be maintained on a leash.

Guests to the Woodland Valley Campground may also wish to try the Phoenicia East Branch Trail. This trail is located near the campground. Guests will follow the yellow-blazed trail up challenging grades. The climb is so steep here that guests will find wooden ladder along certain sections. Once they have passed the ladders, guests will find a narrowing in the trail. Here you will ascend gradually for more than a mile before finding a rocky descent to a stream. Guests will then ascend again and turn onto an old carriage road for approximately two-miles. Guests will ultimately reach a junction with the Giant Ledge-Panther Mountain-Fox Hollow Trail.

You'll quickly learn that tubing is a popular pastime in this area. Guests interested in tubing will find facilities available in nearby Phoenicia along the Esopus Creek . Those interested in trying this local pastime will want to be mindful that the Esopus Creek is rated class II whitewater. This means that guests can expect to see one to three foot waves and rapids. Rocks and trees are naturally occurring in this body of water, making it treacherous. Tubers need to be mindful of their environment and physically capable of maneuvering around obstacles they encounter in the water. They also need to have the ability to swim and recover if thrown from the tube.

Visitors to Woodland Valley Campground with an interest in local history will want to experience the Shandakin Historical Museum. Guests will find the museum housed in the former School District No. 10 Building. This 1925 structure appears on the National Register of Historical Places and will reveal to you much of the area’s illustrious history and local family genealogy. The museum, established in 1989, offers frequent educational programs to Shandaken Township residents and tourists. Guests will find the museum opened Friday, Saturday, Sunday & Mondays 10-4 and by appointment.

Adventurous visitors to Woodlawn Valley Campground will want to investigate the Kattskill Kaleidoscope. This 60-foot tall kaleidoscope is the largest in the world.

Designed by '60s psychedelic artist Isaac Abrams and his son Raphael, this massive kaleidoscope opened in 1996. Guests to the attraction find themselves leaning into sloping padded boards to gaze into shifting images. See shifting images representing moments in US history set to a similarly patriotic sound track. Approximately 20 guests can fit into the kaleidoscope at a time. Please, be mindful of your comfort in tight spaces when considering this activity.

Guests to Woodland Valley Campground with an interest in fishing will want to spend some time beside Woodland Valley Stream. This lovely mountain stream contains a variety of fish. Guests will find cutlips minnow, blacknose dace, longnose dace, sculpin, brook trout, brown trout, rainbow trout, and white sucker living there. Fishing licenses are no longer being sold at any the New York campground facilities, but can be conveniently purchased on-line or by phone prior to arrival.