Easy trails. Well circulated with other people. Relaxing views. A great place to paint outdoors,…read morehave lunch under the pavilion or/and explore.

Doing some research online, I came across this park. It's nice to see what the Hudson Valley offers…read morefor its park! Parking can be limited at times, so the best time to go is early in the day. There are multiple paths that anyone can take, but for our convenience, we did the red and yellow path (those are the main ones). Other paths are found along the trails. Some of the markings can be unclear along the way, so keep an eye out on that. It's best to follow the dirt path at all times. Be aware, most of it is windy. The fire tower wasn't what we expected. As we approached near the top, there were a lot of bees on the railing. The view is excellent from where we stopped, but not enough to fulfill a hiker. Another thing is to watch out for is bugs. There is a lot of shady spots on each path, therefore, I strongly recommend bringing bug spy. Something I learned too. As long as you look at the map, there won't be any problems.

This is an extremely good walk/hike. "Easy" in terms of difficulty, this trail starts off on an…read moreeasy 1/4-mile walk down a meandering crushed-gravel path to a wooden gazebo, then down some grassy hills to the Hudson River "lookout" point. From there, you can venture into the woods for a 3/4 to a mile "easy hike" surrounded by trees, trickling stream & a few furry animals, like squirrels & chipmunks, collecting acorns. Kid friendly, this is a great walk/hike for the whole family.

Dreamy any walk you choose to start on during any season. Beginner's level. Nice view of the Hudson.read more

New Paltz / Gardiner, NY - I have hiked and biked through the Mohonk Preserve many a times over the…read moreyears, in all seasons, and it is one of my favorite wild places! Some of the trails I love the most are the Bonticrou Crag & Table Rocks (breathtaking views; the rock scramble is fun and challenging but there is an easier way up via the Bonticou ascent path), Labyrinth & Lemon Squeeze, and Sky Top Trail by the Mohonk Mountain House. On weekends and in the warmer seasons/good weather especially, the parking lots fill up early (like by 8:30-9am). There are 5 main trailheads, and the day use fee is at current writing $15 for hikers or $20 for cyclists/climbers/horseback riders (children 15 & under are free). At the heart of the preserve lies the Mohonk Mountain House, which is actually a private property. The area around the mountain house is amazing but unfortunately it is rather arduous to visit for many due to the parking lot distance, as it's a bit of a hike in from the preserve's trailheads (pleasant & easy, but about 4.5 miles in so that's ~9 miles roundtrip), unless you're a paying guest at this all-inclusive resort property and are allowed to park in the on-site lot. I've done it both the hard & easy ways, so to avoid sweat if not tears, I'll let my Yelp community in on some hacks of less strenuous ways to see the mountain house and its surroundings (short of paying $1Kpp as an overnight guest)... 1. $ - You can buy a $35 hiking day pass, to park at the "closer" parking lot at the Gatehouse, which is still 2.1 miles out from the mountain house (4.2 miles roundtrip, but better than 9 miles). 2. $$$ - Be a day guest and book a dining or spa experience at the property, and you can park on site. 3. $ - Visit during their special annual events like the gingerbread house competition in December or the tulip festival in April-May, passes for which are a much more affordable $15-$35 (2025 rates). This allows you to park at the mountain house and not have to hike in. So there! Mohonk Preserve is one of the most beautiful places in the Hudson Valley, with so much incredible scenery (including fall foliage!) and things to do - hiking, biking, rock climbing, cross-country skiing, horseback riding, row boating, and even a via ferrata though that's only for hotel guests - and is a dream for outdoor lovers!

ETA: I have since learned that the $35 is to park at the mountain house which is apparently more…read moreexpensive than parking at the preserve. :)

This is a beautiful park with lots of clearly marked trails. The lake views are wonderful and the…read moretrails we chose to take with our pup were a good level for her. There was lots of wildlife- deer tracks everywhere, a few raccoon prints and we even saw a woodpecker! There isn't too much parking so I suggest showing up early :). All in all highly highly recommend. If we come back we may even consider ice fishing!

This is an awesome park with all levels of hiking trails. A few trails top out with amazing lookout…read morepoints with views of the hudson river. Another less challenging hike goes around a nice pond and the most challenging has an offshoot to a waterfall. The trails are well kept and well signed and there is a nice map in the parking area. Plenty of parking at both upper and lower lot. Lots of wildlife and dog friendly. So lucky to have this nearby!

Very cool visitor's center with a lot of info and taxidermied animals. If you are hiking,…read moredefinitely bring waterproof shoes or crocs in sport mode because the path to the waterfall crosses a stream. Unfortunately, there's no man made bridge over it on the way. I'd recommend wearing long pants even in the summer because there's a lot of bushes that may scratch your legs on the way. Seems like the paths through the woods are pretty narrow. Maybe I'll come another time when it's blueberry season. Amazing views, just don't fall off!

Boyfriend and I wanted to come here for over a year now. Last year we went to a different spot of…read morethe Minnewaska, and the view did not disappoint. Since the parking lot isn't big (more or less 60 cars), you need to make a reservation to get in. And they are strict about this. We wanted to come in one time and they made us turn around. I am not sure if you need a reservation if you are visiting during the week, but you definitely need one for the weekend visit. Making a reservation is relatively easy. You go to the park's website (newyorkstateparks.reserveamerica.com) and just find or enter the park, or google this park and the top link should get you there directly. The reservation is $10 per car (plus tax/ optional donation). You can choose either 9am-2pm or 2pm-evening slot. My boyfriend is not an early riser, so I booked us the 2pm slot. I don't know how fast the reservations sell out, but I booked our slot 6 days in advance just in case. When you get there, you need show your reservation to the employees. I think it is until a certain hour, because when we were back from our hike and leaving around 430-5pm the employees guarding the entrance were gone. There is a building where you can get a free map and brochures, a little gift shop (pins for pin collectors and stickers), bathrooms, water refill area, and a big room full of facts about the area and a table with a topographic 3D map of the hikes. There is over 15miles of trails to hike available. The map is interactional, you press a button with a hike you're interested in and the map lights up with the path. Pretty cool! My boyfriend isn't an experienced hiker or does not like to hike all day as I.... so we choose the 3miles loop. The path wasn't paved, but it was smooth enough for strollers to go on. We started from the direction of Sam's point and continued by the water and cell phone towers back. Once you come in you are walking up (not very steep) path in a forrest. about half a mile I think you see the rock formation where people go on to see the view. We found some rocks below that formation and took some photos there. We were all alone, so it wasn't embarrassing to set up a tripod and take as many photos and as funny ones as we wanted. About another .2miles you go up to the official "Sam's Point" overview. It was semi crowded, so we were grateful we found a non populated spot a little below. Same view. Continuing you walk through the path and on both sides you have not so tall (maybe 8-12 feet) trees and other greenery. Everything has a placket, which labels the type of tree/ plant that grows nearby. There is an area with dead trees, which combined with some dark clouds that passed up at the same time - looked pretty eerie! Like from a spooky movie. Then you pass a body of water. We saw mama and baby ducks swimming past us. Then you just walk through other various sights, like forrest with a some ferns, forrest without them, passing by what is left of Berry Picker Cabins, and the cell phone towers, until you reach the exit. I am definitely coming back! My boyfriend and I been here for 2 years in a row, so we are probably going to make this our new annual trip. The view of the mountains is truly incredible, especially for someone living in the middle of NYC haha. It is always a great joy to get out and see something this amazing that nature formed. Loved every minute of it!

In the whole Hudson Valley, this trail is definitely unknown to many, and it was a nice pick. The…read moreonly dreadful part is the parking lot, extremely tiny and only fits probably two I'd say. Also, paving while arriving and leaving should be addressed - three stars. The chances of it being full are very unlikely, due to the area that it's in, but still. Pretty simple, a map is provided on the sheet, with three trails, yellow (main, doing a loop), orange, and green. I'd say, this is the best signage I've seen in any park I've been to, and applause for that. The scenery is pretty decent, nothing too special, except some high views looking down. The green trail toward the south end isn't the prettiest, in terms of overgrown grass, and even a little "hideout building." Can't think of the name. There is a private property in that section, which explains probably the built structure, who knows? The north end also comes out to the road, but no parking lot. A map is provided as well. I wouldn't mind making this stop again, hoping it won't be packed in the lot. 3.5/5

Rigorous hike, I won't lie. It gets steep quickly, like right off the bat. It's not necessarily…read morevery people friendly, if you were to take kids or elderly here - you'd have to really take your time. The view is worth it though.

First hike in quite a long time and it was quite a nice morning for it. Quite a large parking lot…read morefor plenty of hikers and it's pretty close at the beacon bridge if you're commuting. The trails are very neatly kept and even though there was quite a few people up and down the trails, it was very peaceful. I would say this is a moderate hike experience wise. Definitely take some snacks and water as well.

A park that is well hidden can be a mystery until it is unwrapped. The unwrapping part is the…read moreanswer - a wonderful trail to explore while enjoying. Most of its journey parallels the Wappinger Creek once you're far in from the entrance. In the beginning, the surround includes a lot of trees and hills to the mix before approaching the creek. There are a couple of bridges along the way which require caution, as it is a bit wiggly. The trail then leads to a big field, which is somewhat unmarked, but noticing the dirt will help a bit. Eventually, at the end of the trail, there is a lookout with a bench that overlooks the creek along with a nice view of viewing the Overlook Golf Course. Overall, it's 1.25 miles one way. After that, walk the opposite way while enjoying different scenery. Also, there is one branch at the beginning that follows the creek in the north direction that follows for a bit which ends at a loop, with the branch trail lasting less than a mile. Parking on the other hand is what's bringing me down 1 star since there's not a lot of space to work out with. It's a hit and miss, in the long run, so the time of day is undetermined since it varies day by day, except at early dusk. Two cars may fit on the grass if lucky, depending on the size of the car. With that, it's a wonderful park to take in, with the nice water sound and a lot to look around.