Great trail maintenance, accurate mapping, crystal clear water - I was impressed. We will return.read more

I made my Gunks debut yesterday and was pretty impressed despite the very meh weather situation…read more This is about 90 minutes from my HQ so probably right at the limit of a convenient day hike, and somehow I've never really been in this area before beyond travelling past it going up and down the NY Thruway. Definitely returning when the sun is actually out. I did the 8.7-mile Castle Point hike (my gut says it wasn't QUITE that long, but I don't want to argue with my book) from the Awosting parking lot down the Mossy Glen Trail (yellow blazes), making a left onto and up Blueberry Run (blue) to Castle Point itself, and then went basically straight down the cliff on the Scenic Trail (lavenderish and formerly light blue), down the Rainbow Falls Trail (orange) and finally making a right on the Lower Awosting Carriageway back to the parking lot. Wasn't crazy about the $10 fee to park - nature shouldn't cost anything - but it is what it is. It's really a shame the weather was crappy because I could tell that viewpoint at Castle Point is legit - it's sprawling and you can see for miles in almost every direction. That's a very cool spot and easily the highlight of the hike. There are some interesting viewpoints throughout the rest of the adventure, but I'd say they're primarily of rock formations and water features, which have their selling points but nothing beats a view at the top. I'm in decent hiking shape right now, and this was just not particularly challenging for me. The only part where I was even a little out of breath (and it was humid, so grain of salt in that regard) was on Blueberry Run, which was a pretty steady incline up, but really not hardcore at all from my perspective. The drop down from Castle Point on the Scenic Trail IS a little tricky and you really want to spend some time there figuring out where your foot is going to go next. Compared to other parks in the tristate area, this one definitely has more hazards, cliffs you could potentially fall down, etc. But same token, it has a ton of these completely flat carriageways as well. It rained while I was on the Rainbow Falls trail and I DID slip/fall on some of the rocks at one point, but that's on me since I willingly came over here knowing what the forecast was. Wasn't impressed by the Rainbow Falls themselves, and neither were the other hikers who were there at the time. Maybe it was just not an ideal situation for them, but it's been rainy the last few days so unclear when you should take advantage of the optics there. The trail blazes were EXCELLENT, easily some of the best I've ever encountered. Each official trail had an accompanying sign that not only gave you the name of the trail, but a map of the nearby area, the grade profile so you can see what types of inclines/declines you'll experience on that trail and tons of basic facts. Really well done stuff. The bathroom situation was pretty good as well, with ample restroom options in the parking lot albeit without plumbing. You get what you get, but I'll take a clean bathroom situation in a heartbeat, regardless. Okay wildlife sightings. The rain I'm sure kept some of the good quality shizzle away, but I got a cool shot of a black vulture and saw an edgy newt. Worth the trek and will return for further investigation shortly.

Short (1.5 mile from Shaft 2A Road) hike to waterfall. Last…read moretime I was here was during the height of the pandemic. The trail was virtually empty. Sometimes trail is closed for restoration; check before you go.

This trail is an easy to follow and relatively short trail. It is about 1.5 miles out and back…read morefrom the parking lot. We went on a Saturday, but it was not crowded at all. It was about 10-15 walk from the parking lot to see the lower fall. The fall was good, but would be better if it had more water. Ices on the wall from overnight, but they were melting during the day as the weather was in the 40s. The steps toward the upper fall were icy due to the melting ice, so I did not get to the upper fall with my kids. Will definitely come back on a warmer day to go up to the upper fall.

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. :)

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!

Serene little spot in the Catskills of upstate New York. Perfect place to enjoy nature on the…read moretrails or on their surprisingly large lake. My girlfriend and I spent a few hours here on a Sunday afternoon in May. If you rent a boat you can keep it out as long as you want, and you have access to the whole property for the entire day. We spent awhile in kayaks and had the whole lake to ourselves for the entire time. We then spent some time down at the swimming hole and had that to ourselves as well. Everyone who works there was incredibly friendly and helpful. Beautiful day overall and the perfect end to a perfect weekend getaway.

Fantastic place with kayaking, a water hole, a light trail, picnic tables, and great friendly…read morestaff. Thank you Dana! Also, a nice niche store with ice cream, wine, and more.

Just came back from a late fall day of climbing with Bobby from High-Xposure. Wow this experience…read moreblew my mind. The idea of rock climbing was something I always had in the back of my mind, like it would be cool, but it never seemed accessible. Bobby got me to a place where I was game to try a big vertical climb. Something I would have walked by 100x thinking no way can I ever... Well I DID, and I am awestruck. I'm hooked! Can't wait for next season.

Fantastic experience - easily accommodated our group of seven, very knowledgeable guides, great…read moreroutes that were challenging but not out of reach - solid progressions for all of our first times climbing outdoors. Definitely recommend the team and looking forward to go out with them again.

Went on a rafting tour with Lander's River Trips over the Fourth of July weekend. The trip itself…read morewas nice - although we did get stuck quite often in shallow water - but the business was quite disappointing. First off, when I registered my party, none of the employees were wearing masks (not very comforting during covid). Additionally, mask requirements were not enforced for guests either, which was quite unnerving in a small enclosed space where people definitely did not stay 6 feet apart. Similarly, no masks were worn by employees on the shuttle busses to and from the rafting site. Considering that you share a bus or van with a group of people, this seems against public health recommendations - especially because all busses/vans had signs up requiring masks. Lastly, receiving our raft was quite chaotic. It wasn't clear where to go or who to talk to, and my group spent quite some time trying to get the attention of the employees. I may go back once the pandemic is over as the trio was very scenic, but would not recommend going at the moment.

We stayed at the Lander's River Skinners Falls Campground. Unless you want to hear loud music and…read moregenerators going all night long, avoid this campground like the plague. The people who come here are really stretching the concept of "camping". They bring giant speakers and even TVs and power them with loud gas generators. The campground supposedly has quiet hours after 11pm but they do nothing to enforce them and when you bring up the lack of enforcement they just kind of shrug. One night we stayed people played loud music all through the night until 5am. If you value enjoying nature with a good night's sleep stay far far away from here.

Amazing guide. Very friendly, informative and an overall great experience. I would highly recommend.read more

Greg at RVW Adventure Guides is a talented adventurer and excellent mentor to those seeking deeper…read moreconnections to the outdoors. I highly recommended utilizing his expertise when planning your next adventure in the beautiful Catskills Mountains.

I would highly recommend this guide service! Brian was awesome! He was very knowledgeable and was…read moregreat at sharing his know how with us. He was also patient and put us at ease right away. We still are talking about how great our trip was, thanks to Brian!

I highly recommend Brian Foster and his company Reel Catskills! He provided me with a fly fishing…read morelesson that included time on the water practicing what we had just learned. He was patient and VERY knowledgeable. His passion for fishing on the Delaware County waterways is incredible! Don't miss out on your chance to learn a new skill! Thanks Reel Catskills!!!

It was a good discovery while traveling through, with quite a variety. There is a playground,…read moretennis court, and a baseball field that are the main grabbers, and also, a lot of grass to explore around mainly with hills. Outside the park, a trail connects with O&W Rail Trail (west) and the Smiley Trail (east), meeting up with the Shawangunk Ridge Trail. The park itself is pretty good. I do wish though they would provide even more parking when it fills up and a path to connect between the upper parking lot to the games down below.