Peekamoose Blue Hole
A cold Catskill pool, past the summer permit season, and still not a secret.
- Food
- Phoenicia Diner, before you leave a town
- Farm stand
- Phoenicia Farmers Market
- Lodging
- Phoenicia
Crowd level: Mixed. Go early, or pick a weekday
Best season Permit season is 15 May–15 September. Outside those dates DEC says no permit is required. The water is cold either way.
Drive About 2.5–3 hr
General guidance from Midtown. This is a long day, not a two-hour hop. Check a map the morning you go.
Parking. DEC says park only in designated lots. The town tows cars on the shoulder. Buy the permit before you arrive. It is not sold on site.
A cold pool in the Rondout Creek, inside the Catskill Forest Preserve. It got crowded enough that New York now requires a permit in summer. It is not a secret swimming hole.
Worth knowing
Permit
From 15 May through 15 September, DEC lists a $10 ReserveAmerica permit, bought at least 24 hours ahead and no more than a week ahead. It is tied to a vehicle, with a 5-person maximum. Hunters and anglers with a valid license are exempt. Rules change. Read dec.ny.gov.
A crowd
A summer permit covers at most five people and one vehicle. This is a poor fit for a big family reunion.
The short version
The Blue Hole is a depression in the bed of Rondout Creek in Sundown Wild Forest, Town of Denning, Ulster County. The creek is part of the New York City water supply watershed. DEC created the permit after summer crowds damaged the visit.
Food nearby
Phoenicia Diner, before you leave a town
There is no kitchen at the swimming hole, and phone service is poor. Phoenicia Diner, 5681 Route 28, prints 8:00 am–6:00 pm every day but Wednesday. Eat before the last miles. Do not count on a café at the hole.
Their pageFarms and stands nearby
Phoenicia Farmers Market
A producer market for groceries in Phoenicia, the town on the way, not a stand at the swimming hole. The site updates the vendor list each week.
Season. Sundays, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., rain or shine, at Parish Field, past the post office and near the Tanbark Trail. The homepage names an outdoor season, and the outdoor-market page states the rule as the third Sunday in May through the last Sunday in October. This desk did not find a winter indoor market on their site.
Shop in Phoenicia. Phone service at the hole is poor. SNAP and the Fresh Connect match are redeemed at the market table. Leave the spots by the field entrance for handicap parking.
Official page
Staying in Phoenicia – snapshot (lodging only)
Last checked: 2026-10-16. We recommend; you book directly. Prices are nightly, low–high by season, with a source. “From” prices depend on your dates. Items we couldn't verify are marked †.
The quiet base: Phoenicia. The lodge has hammocks on the creek. Peekamoose Blue Hole is the swim nearby, not a place with its own inn on this list.
Inns, B&Bs, farm stays, guesthouses, campgrounds
- Phoenicia Lodge, Phoenicia
- Type.
- Independent lodge and cottages
- Price (low–high).
- Booking city page "from $192.24, 1 night, 2 adults" (plat, search copy, unverified)
- Good for.
- Strong: suite for 2 adults + 3 kids, fire pit
- Book via.
- Booking found: https://www.booking.com/reviews/us/hotel/phoenicia-lodge.html ; Expedia found: https://www.expedia.com/Phoenicia-Hotels-Phoenicia-Lodge.h110982919.Hotel-Information
- Why we like it.
- Hammocks on the creek
Vacation rentals
- Phoenicia Farmhouse
- Sleeps.
- 6
- Price (low–high).
- From $365, average $385 over the next 90 days, +$275 cleaning (manager calendar, search copy) unverified
- Good for.
- Sleeps 6, trampoline
- Book via.
- Red Cottage (direct)
- Why we like it.
- Sleeps 6, trampoline
Know before you book: The lodge price is a Booking search copy and is unverified. The farmhouse price is a manager-calendar search copy and is unverified.
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