Things To Do

There’s *lots* to do.

Riverbend makes a great “home base” for a vacation in the Western Catskills. 

Perhaps you are looking for a romantic getaway or a weekend away with friends.  Maybe you picked this spot because of the amazing fishing or the water sports like kayaking and tubing along the river.  Maybe you want to get out and hike or drive/ride/sight-see/leaf-peep through the beautiful back roads, or go antiquing. 

A weekend in Hancock can be as restful and relaxing or as adventurous as you want.  You decide!

Looking for places to go and things to do?  Here are some ideas to get you started…

General Information

A Town of Hancock website.  Not sure how recently it has been updated, but not a lot has changed…

Click here for an informative website with lots of up-to-date information about events and activities throughout the Western Catskills.

Click here for a list of things to do outdoors in and around Hancock.

Hiking and Biking – Hancock is at the entrance to the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreation Area.  Learn more about it here:

General Information about the Upper Delaware River from the National Parks Service.

Upper Delaware Scenic Byway

A review of hiking trails near Hancock, NY.

A review of hiking trails near Starlight, PA. You can zoom in and out on the map, depending upon how far afield you are willing to go.

NY State DEC guide to hiking the Catskills.  Look for the hikes in Delaware County.

Hiking in Delaware County.

Another site about hiking in Delaware County.

Hiking in Sullivan County, which is really close by.

Morgan Outdoors – an outdoor retail store in Livingston Manner (just over a half hour away) with lots of info on hikes (and yoga)

Biking the Upper Delaware Scenic byway.

Fishing

The Hancock and Western Catskills area is best known for the fly-fishing. The East and West Branch of the Delaware river, main stem of the Delaware, Beaverkill river, and Willowemoc creek are all part of some of the best fly-fishing in the country.

Here are some resources and websites to get you started:

Orvis Fly Fishing reports.

The TroutSource Report.

Sweetwater Guide Service.

Whitetail Fly Shop

Delaware River Club

West Branch Angler Resort

Wulff School of Fly Fishing.

A guide to fly-fishing in the Catskills.  Check out their info on the Western Catskills. (Click on the map at the bottom of the page.)

Kayaking

Boat Launch Sites for Delaware County (DEC)

Planning Your River Trip (NPS)

Renting a water craft!

Golf

French Woods Golf and Country Club.   (15 minutes from Riverbend.)

Tennanah Lake Golf and Tennis Club.  (35 minutes from Riverbend)

Horseback Riding

C&S Stables (15 minutes away)

Bridle Hill Farm  (45 minutes away)

Skiing

Elk Mountain  (40 minutes away)

Holiday Mountain Ski and Fun Park  (60 minutes away) They have summer activities as well.

Belleayre Mountain  (75 minutes away) They do scenic gondola rides and hikes in the summer.

Take a Balloon Trip (15 minutes away)

Resources in Hancock

This is a list of businesses in Hancock.  It looks like it’s a little out of date, but it’s a good place to start.

Restaurants

A list of local restaurants in Hancock.

Nearby Day Trips/Places to Visit: There are wonderful restaurants and plenty of outdoor activities in these little Catskills towns, and the drive to get there is scenic.  If you have time, they are definitely worth a visit!

Trout Town USA: Roscoe, NY.  (30 minutes away)

Callicoon, NY.  (30 minutes away)

Livingston Manor, NY  (35 minutes away)

Jeffersonville, NY.  (45 minutes away)

Narrowsburg, NY  (45 minutes away)

Other activities not too far away:

Roscoe Beer Company Check their website.  They often have live music. (25 minutes away)

Prohibition Distillery  (25 minutes away)

River Family Wellness – yoga and massage (in Calicoon, 30 minutes away)

The Spa at The Arnold (35 minutes away)

Is taking a selfie with an alpaca on your bucket list?” (35 minutes away)

Bethel Woods Center for the Arts – site of the 1969 Woodstock Festival. (45 minutes away).  Check out their great summer concert series!

Delaware & Ulster Railroad – a scenic railroad ride along the East Branch of the Delaware.  It’s a little over an hour away and it’s a pretty ride to get there! They even offer lunch…

The Kartrite Resort (Resorts World Casino) and Indoor Waterpark is 45 miles away (60 minutes).

 

Or…you can sit out back and watch the river sparkle. 

Your call…