Kittatinny rediscovered

Honoring and Extending A Legacy

The Making of Kittatinny Canoes

In 1941, Ernie and Edna Olschewsky purchased riverfront property that included six canoes and a few rowboats.

One day, a fisherman asked Ernie if he would ferry him upstream so he could fish the river as he floated down to the point. This simple favor was the start of Kittatinny Canoes as we know it today - one of the largest fleets of canoes, rafts, kayaks, and tubes in the country.

After three generations of dedication to protecting and sharing the Delaware River Basin, Kittatinny’s next chapter comes by way of another family-owned company, Northgate Resorts.

While preserving the legacy left by the founders and their families, Northgate Resorts plans to honor the property’s history through Camp Fimfo Catskills, an upgraded outdoor experience for a new generation of adventurers.

What is Camp Fimfo?

Camp Fimfo believes that outside should always be fun. Like actually fun.

Developed by Northgate Resorts and launched in 2021, Camp Fimfo is a new kind of camping resort with a focus on fun, comfort, and personality. Each property pulls inspiration from the local environment, culture, and history while making the outdoors approachable for all ages and experience levels.

Camp Fimfo Catskills is slated to open in 2024.

Camp Fimfo Catskills will pull inspiration from two primary themes of the area.
1. Natural Resources: Camp Fimfo Catskills will celebrate the long and significant history that natural resources played in the property and greater area.
2. Catskills Reinvention: Camp Fimfo Catskills will tap into the diverse history of the Catskills region including the first American Art Movement, The Borscht Belt, and Woodstock Festival.

Property Improvements

Lower Occupancy

It’s not about expanding, it’s about upgrading. In fact, with the upgrades we’re making, the occupancy of Camp Fimfo Catskills will drop from 2,838 to 2,346. Many of the prime riverfront tent sites will remain.
Greater Variety

While Kittatinny is primarily made up of tent sites, Camp Fimfo Catskills will provide a variety of camping accommodations such as tent sites, park model RVs, glamping pods, camping trailers, and treetop cabins.
Upgraded offerings

Upgraded accommodations will provide a consistent, pleasing, and well-maintained visual along Route 97. And with more accessible camping options, Camp Fimfo Catskills will attract more families look for a convenient and hassle-free camping getaway.
New Amenities

From fun attractions to everyday conveniences, Camp Fimfo Catskills will feature new amenities for campers to enjoy. This includes a water playground, sports courts, mini golf, a heated swimming pool, hot tubs, golf cart rentals, laundry facilities, and more.
Renovated facilities

Exisiting facilities, such as bathhouses, the Adventure Center, and the Camp Store, will be completely renovated for a better guest experience.
Longer stays

Kittatinny’s current campers stay primarily on the weekends, for 2-3 nights. Camp Fimfo’s campers stay on average 3-4 nights and are more inclined to stay during the week. With longer and more spread-out stays, camper traffic should become more evenly distributed throughout the week and campers who stay longer are more likely to explore the area and support local businesses.
Continued River Cleanup

Camp Fimfo Catskills will continue to honor the legacy and work of Ruth Jones and her family through the hosting of the annual On and Under River Cleanup. In our second year of hosting the River Cleanup, we’ve had the largest turnout to date with 150 volunteers. They collected 2.6 tons of trash and 64 tires.
Job Creation

Camp Fimfo Catskills will create 89 full-time job equivalents totaling over $2.5 million in annual wages, in addition to 9 management positions.
Environmental Considerations

Camp Fimfo Catskills will be making significant investments in infrastructure to protect natural resources and preserves the heritage and story of the property.

See The Plan

Download a master plan of Camp Fimfo Catskills.

Download

Adventures

Camp Fimfo Catskills will continue the operation of the iconic river trips on the Delaware River. As one of the largest operations in the Catskills, we will be expanding the parking and renovating our check-in buildings to improve operations.

The dual-racing zipline and paintball will also continue operation, and a mountain coaster will be added for even more adventure!

“Camp Fimfo has been an excellent addition to Waco’s tourism offering. The resort gives visitors yet another fun experience to add to their itinerary, helping ensure more overnight stays. This adds to Waco’s economic growth.”

— Carla Pendergraft, Assistant Director of Tourism, Waco Visitor’s Bureau

Learn More

Learn more about the updates being made to Kittatinny through a presentation prepared for the community.

Project Update

View Presentation

Below is a link to Camp Fimfo’s preliminary Draft Environmental Impact Statement (“pDEIS”). Pursuant to the SEQR Handbook published the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (“DEC”), at this stage, the Town Planning Board (as Lead Agency), with the help of the engineering firm that it retained to assist it, has until Friday, July 19, 2024 (45 days from the submission of the pDEIS on June 4, 2024), to evaluate whether the pDEIS is complete and ready to be published to the public and other involved agencies for their review and comment.

Pursuant to New York State Law, a draft EIS is adequate with respect to scope and content for the purpose of commencing public review if it meets the requirements of the final written scope. Notably, “[t]he lead agency should ensure that all relevant information has been presented and analyzed but should neither expect nor require a ‘perfect’ or exhaustive document.” NYS Department of Environmental Conservation SEQR Handbook at pp.127-128. Once the pDEIS is approved by the Planning Board as complete, it will then be published to the public and other involved agencies for their review and comment.

View pDEIS