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!

A well-maintained and scenic area for hiking, walking and biking and just being in nature…read more There are multiple hikes and biking opportunities in the preserve and is a cheaper option to access trails than staying at the mountain house. We had a pass from the local library which covered one car but typically its $35 per car. If you park at the mountain house it's that much per hiker. Since they get this money they can ensure the trails are well marked, there are friendly faces to greet you and they had a bike repair station too. Parking at the preserve and hiking in will add a few miles but you can still see the lemon squeeze, eagle cliff and Skytop. Portopotties are at the trailhead. We got to the trailhead around 8:30 am and there were still spots available. Since it had rained a lot the day before, the trail was a bit muddy and slippery (surprisingly made it through without falling!). Parts of the hike were easy (on carriage roads) and other parts like the labrynth and lemon squeeze were challenging with lots of rock scrambling and tight crevices. You can climb to Skytop tower and snap iconic photos below. By the mountain house, they had a pretty garden, spa, tennis, archery, rowing activities and lots of little viewpoints. Everyone recommends getting there early as when the weather is nice, it will get crowded. After hiking, you can go into New Paltz and try some of the local restaurants in town.

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.

It's great to have a gym on this side of the river, not only boulder/scramble but also belay. There…read moreare even some pulley systems to self belay if you don't have a buddy. Safety is #1 here, the paperwork as a first timer and the orientation was *extensive*, so carve out 10 minutes for that. They do test you on belay abilities before they let you belay someone, which includes tying knots to the harness and carabiners. If you don't pass, you can't belay someone else but you can still use the self pulley belays. There are spots to chill and regain grip strength, and the gym is pretty clean. Staff were helpful. One star less because they do not have half sizes for shoes. It motivates you to get your own but for those just getting into this sport and wanting to keep the investment to a minimum until you decide, it's not comfortable. It's a gym in the area so I'll take it. I went for a holiday deal for the day pass was $16 and shoes were $4, and they do charge for rental chalk. I honestly wouldn't go for any other pricing, so I'll be looking out for the deals to return again.

Great first experience at this spot: friendly and helpful staff, good facility…read more We went as a group of 3 with the $90 staff belay option. This is a good option for beginners and if you just want to start climbing and not worry about learning belaying. Anna was so supportive and helpful. The staff member helping you really does make or break the experience. We were given the harness to step into as well as shoes that should fit snugly. Then we started at the beginner wall to get our feet wet. We moved on to a few other walls, one with an automatic belay. The climbs are marked by difficulty level so a 5.8 is harder than a 5.5, for example, based on ease, size of the holds. You follow the color of your climb basically. We all got a good workout. An hour is good because you need to rest in between climbs usually. Perhaps the instruction option for 5 people would give you more techniques but this was fine for us. The space isn't that big but we didn't feel cramped. However if it was crowded you probably would have to wait. But no problems today on a Sunday at 11:30 am. If you have workout gloves they'd probably help with callouses on the hands. We didn't try the regular free climbs. There's cubbies to put your shoes and bags and lockers in the bathroom if you have a lock. I wouldn't want to bring anything valuable in there because there's a lot going on and someone intent on mischief could have a field day... hopefully not though! They seem to offer membership options and events. No issues parking. I would come back!

BC's Climbing Gym has come a long way from its days as The Inner Wall under previous ownership…read more It's honestly a completely different place, and it's a shame the older reviews are still dragging down the rating because they don't reflect what the gym is now. The walls have been rebuilt, the flooring has been redone, and the overall feel of the space is clean, modern, and well thought out. It's become a really solid bouldering gym. What stands out most is the setting--easily some of the best in the region. The problems are creative, fun, and consistently well set, whether you're there to train or just climb for a good session. Definitely worth checking out!!

Came here with some friends for my first time ever climbing at a bouldering gym. If you're a newbie…read morelike myself you'll wanna keep reading. Rock climbing isn't for everyone but I do think everyone should at least give it a try and decide later. This rock climbing gym is tucked behind in a plaza so can be easy to miss. Once you arrive, it's a 13+ gym minus the intimidating part of being in a gym with everyone staring at you. At BC's, it's a community, the friends I met and made here all come on a regular basis. If you're not from the same crew they're still there to support you and help you. Whether it's your first time, 10th time or you just come here all the time, it's a family. It's a place that inspires movement, thinking and a very technical and different way to make your climb flow. I'm by no means a climber, but as a very, very, VERY beginner I will say anyone can do it. Come prepared for calluses, bring some chalk, as active as you think you are, you're not ready for this haha. Either way, try it, challenge yourself and do it! It's all mental but also challenging. If you keep coming back like everyone else does you will become better at it. Did I love it? Yes. Do I wish I lived closer to be able to do it more often? Absolutely. Will I be a climber? Nooooope. But I'm here to support all and also tell you to check this place out because it's absolutely worth it. Also, their pricing is very flexible, if you bring or borrow some shoes it's only $18 for the whole day, or couple of hours that you come for. No shoes? No problem. Only $5 to rent and $3 for chalk bags. They have a 30 day pass that's only $79 or 10 class passes too. Just remember, no harnesses here, only bouldering. It's fun to learn how to fall and fail and learn from it. If this isn't your thing like me but you still want to try something new, I say do it!

If you and your climbing partner have a significant weight difference or you like feeling terrified…read morejust top roping - DO NOT GO HERE. This is the literal only gym I've ever been to that just drapes the top-ropes over the anchors, rather than looping them over once. (And I used to climb at the Movement in San Francisco which this was NOT the case at.) This creates a HUGE issue for the lighter weight climber when belaying, and is frankly so scary it's made me not like climbing anymore. All they offer are some giant, dirty kettlebells for you to lug around with you, but that only (kind of) stops you from launching in the air. It doesn't prevent the extreme amount of friction you have to fight through the Grigri. I've never even had this much of a problem lead climbing, because we can use an ohm, which you can't use top roping because it pins the rope to the wall which is unsafe for the climber. When I brought up this concern to someone who works there they shrugged it off like it wasn't a big deal, and said "oh well it's better because lowering is faster this way" uh... okay, but it's not better if i'm literally fighting for my life simply to lower my partner and not kill them or be launched into the air?? but yeah, lowering faster is nice, sure. I want so badly to like this gym, but the complete lack of regard for safety is mind-boggling. The biggest shame is that it's the only gym of it's type in the area so it's either climb here unsafely, or don't climb at all. Shame on Movement Corporate for not doing more to regulate the safety at their gyms.

I've only bouldered here so I can't comment much about top rope/lead…read more Staff are very friendly - asking membership questions, lost and found, intro climbing lessons etc have all been positive experiences for me. Climbers also tend to be friendly as well; people are usually more than happy to chat about beta and provide tips when asked. Routesetting is decent. Lots of fun, interesting problems at higher grades. The slab area upstairs is small but usually has some really enjoyable climbs. However, climbs below V2 are almost all ladders, and the routesetters' ideas for "spicy" low grade climbs tend to be worse handholds/steeper inclines rather than provide interesting challenges for newer climbers. Every now and then you come across a climb where the crux seems to be "try not to accidentally use this massive handhold from a different climb located in the most inconvenient spot possible." But overall, I'd say the routesetting is a positive. Now for the main reason that this review is only 2 stars: safety. Or rather, a complete lack of it. People sit/stand directly in front of the wall all the time, even when they're not about to climb anything. Most are happy to move when you ask, but you will get the occasional dirty look. Coaches and off-duty routesetters are often the worst offenders here. Chalk bags, climbing shoes, and phones frequently litter the ground directly underneath the wall. People walk directly underneath climbers in the bouldering area *all the time*, and even when other people are watching usually no one says anything. In over a year of climbing here, I have yet to see a single instance of an employee enforcing a safety rule in the bouldering area. Occasionally, there are horrifically dangerous climbs that almost make me think one of the routesetters has a side deal with a personal injury attorney (see attached photo). tl; dr: Lots of fun climbs, but when it comes to safety you're on your own.

My go to climbing location for almost 20 years! A great location with a variety of route setting…read moreand space for training.

Amazing experience. Shout out to Cynthia who was so patient and knowledgeable. Assisted a 14 yr and…read more49 yr at the same time. Made us feel competent and safe. Can't wait to go again.

Dan is awesome! It was our first time rock climbing and he…read moremade sure we were safe but challenged the whole time and did a great job of letting us figuring out challenges and giving us helpful hints! See you again soon...

The falls are truly incredible…read more The trail down to the bottom of the falls, is a bit tricky. But so incredibly worth it. I would suggest not to believe the sign saying 189 steps.... it is definitely more! Take drinking water because you'll need that for sure. We went back in August and the heat was definitely there. The parking lot was pretty packed but throughout the trails people were pretty evenly spaced out. Not so much at the base of the falls themselves but there was still plenty of room to move around freely.

One of the tallest waterfall in NY, similar height to Taughannock Falls. Physical requirement is…read moredifferent tho, Kaaterskill Falls has about 500foot of elevation change and a lot of slippery stone steps at the end, if you come here when the weather is still cold. Parking: most people park at the Laurel-House Road parking area, because it is the closest. Or you can park at Mountain Top Historical Society, the old train station, which an extra mile. Starting from the old railroad station is nice, you can still see some old tracks on the ground. Walk to the overlook is fairly easy, once you get to the start point of Lower falls junction, it is where you need to be prepared. I recommend hiking shoe, especially in colder months where the ground is wet and iced. When you reach to the stone steps, they can get slippery. I am surprised no one fell in late March. Half of the steps were cover in ice and people were wearing regular sneakers. Once you reach the base of the two tier falls, the view is tremendous. If water levels are high, you can feel the energy of the water. There is a lot of spray from the falls when you get close. There is short trail to the middle tier pool. It was iced up during winter, spikes will definitely be useful. The end was amazing too. So close to the lead of the waterfall. You can keep going and follow Escarpment trail and follow the edge of the valley. There is monument for fireman Frank Layman who died during firefighting in 1900, at his monument, you can see route 23A bend around mountain. And if you keep going, there are a couple viewpoint to overlook the valley. Nice break points to enjoy the view and rest your legs.

Yes, in theory this is a nice area. Unfortunately, however, since last winter it has been besieged…read moreby freight trains which constantly blow their horns night and day at extremely high volumes, disrupting our lives. If you are looking for peace and quiet look elsewhere, unless you don't mind be woken up at 4am by train horns

I love Ulster County, which has been a part of my life in one way or another for over 20 years!…read moreFantastic wilderness and great spots well in the vicinity of NYC? How can you go wrong? It's home to some great farms (think fresh sweet corn in summer, amazing apples in fall, and other epic produce), some great people (you'll never meet friendlier folks), and an abundance of fun for every taste (from hang gliding to rock climbing to summer camps to camping to yard saling to biking to just plain ole relaxing). Rock on, Ulster!

Great challenging hike with amazing views. Awesome workout. Ended up doing the long trail that…read morecoconnects w 3 other trails. I believe that day I did 9+miles hike. I wasbeat but the workout and the view was worth it. Definately recommended! But be careful as there are some very narrow and slippery areas

Great open mic nights and amazing espresso martinis. Fun time! Definitely recommend visiting the…read moreLemon Squeeze while you're in NP