Spruce Creek is a beautiful destination in the northern Catskills offering a wide range of photographic shooting opportunities. For the area, surely, Kaaterskill Falls gets most of the attention. Bastion Falls, located along Route 23A, used to get its fair bit of attention as well, but that is now in the past with the closing of the parking area that provided its primary access. Few people now make the hike down the clove from Kaaterskill Falls just to see Bastion Falls. Between the two waterfalls, however, the creek offers its own scenic rewards, albeit rewards that you have to look a little harder for.

There has been some debate as to the name of this section of the creek, other possible names being Lake Creek or the east branch of the Kaaterskill Creek. For an interesting article that details the debate as to the origins and history of the name, check out the article titled “South Lake Creek” on the Mountain Top Historical Society blog (https://www.mths.org/blog/58-south-lake-creek.html).

Spruce Creek

Flowing

Through the Clove

The Rocks of Spruce Creek

After the Fall

The Rocks of Spruce Creek

Streaming

The Rock, Spruce Creek