Minnewaska State Park Preserve

Absolutely beautiful place.
We’ve swum here, hiked, biked– you name all the natural activities.
Pleasantly enjoyed area with my family. It’s a gem.

Came here around noon time on Saturday and the parking lot was already packed so I would suggest getting here early. Also, the park has many trails so you want to give yourself enough time to hit up whichever ones you want to go on. Parking fee was $ 10. From the main entrance, we drove to the top to park and went on the Lake Minnewaska Carriage Road which went around the lake. Then we took the Sunset Carriage Road which led to the Awosting Falls. You see the top of the falls then you make your way down. The climb back to the top, where we parked, from the falls was mostly incline so be prepared to feel the burn. I wore running sneakers and that was fine for me. Bring water, snacks and a camera.

I came here in early September last year and it was a beautiful experience. There are several water falls and basins that you can pass along the trails. There are two lakes I believe that allow swimming. The larger one is a longer hike but much more secluded. The views of the mountains are spectacular. Some tips: hiking shoes/​boots are a must. I injured my toenail and it’s still recovering over 6 months later. Get there early, there is so much to see. Don’t expect to see everything in one day. The trails are a few hours long! Bring water/​food. You won’t find a water fountain or vending machine here. Come here to disconnect from the daily hustle and be surrounded by Mother Nature at her finest. Don’t forget a camera, the views are breath taking and you will want to capture it all!

an absolutely must go place, the view there is truly stunning. its the best, moat beautiful park that I’ve ever been to. and it’s huge. Me and my girlfriend spent the entire after in the park, but I would say we explore only 15−20% of the park. make sure you have a mountain bike, its gonna save you lots of time.

Such a pretty park and amazing views. The hike isn’t bad at all. It took about 2.5 hours and it was amazing. Take breaks and enjoy the scenery and Mother Nature.

The Minnewaska State Park Preserve is a 21,106-acre preserve on the Shawangunk Ridge. For me, the best part is seeing the Catskill Mountains. Check out Lake Minnewaska — great for a swim. Beautiful in autumn.

Every time I come here, it’s a different kind of beauty. In wintertime when it’s snow covered, for the shortest trail, there are little places you can reach with a short, easy climb great for pictures with friends and a very rewarding frozen waterfall at the end (sorta like Superman’s Fortress of Solitude). This hike is a little harder with deep snow, but doesn’t require much beyond warm clothing and snow boots. In the early fall, there are little brooks and the same but flowing waterfall. Just beautiful. Naturally!

This park is beautiful. Well marked trails beautiful scenic views. I did Gertrudes Nose and the views were amazing– I will share a few pics. Get here early– parking gets tough later in the day.

Beautiful and well kept hiking trails! The swimming lake is monitored by a life guard and appears clean. I only wish they had a nature center with interpretive info for kids. And they don’t accept card do be sure to bring cash for entry fees.

Great park to visit wirh many different trails. If you go in early spring/​summer the falls are probably more pronounced. Visited in late July and they weren’t as big. Not many amenities at the park. Only port-​a-​potties, no regular restrooms. You can swim in the lake Minnewaska when lifeguards area on duty. No food concessions, so ensure you bring plenty of water and snacks.

We were planning on spending the afternoon at the beach but when we asked about swimming, we were told the shallow area was closed due to leaches. Not the blood sucking kind, but another kind. We asked for our money back as the word leaches came out of the Rangers mouth. I’m not swimming with any type of leaches. We went to the community pool at Libertyville Road instead. Geez Minnewaska, you had this leach problem last year can’t you fix this? Also to raise your parking fee from $ 8 to $ 10 in one year is a bit excessive.

Visiting Minneswaska State Park is a perfect getaway from the big city! The scenery is picturesque and simply breathtaking! We hiked the Blueberry Trail and the Awosting Falls! Be prepared to walk a lot, bring plenty of water, food & snacks. We spent almost 7 hours there and we were BEAT but it was an excellent work out! It was truly unforgettable experience. We met a woman who said she grew up in the area and would go swimming during the warmest summer days since the water is super cold! We plan on returning in the summer and doing just that. I highly recommend this day/​weekend trip for anyone looking to get away from the city and enjoy nature and all its beauty.

Probably my favorite place to hike. We did the Millbrook Mountain, Gertrude’s Nose, Awosting Falls loop. Probably the best one day hike I have experienced. I will recommend this place to everyone around the Tri-​State to visit once in their lifetime. A must visit.

Wonderful hike about a 1 and a half up from NYC. You’ll find a variety of great trails and routes. Some of my favorites are the Awosting falls hike where you see the awosting water fall or the Gertrudes nose to Milbrook mountain hike. Great scenic vistas along a cliff edge and views of New Paltz from up above. You’ll get great views of the lake as well.
Nice in the fall and winter as well with foliage color changes and snowshoeing hikes to Minnewaska lake or lake awosting that freezes over on super cold days and you can walk on the lake in ice shoes. You can’t go wrong here.

Many great hiking trails available for beginners to advance. Trails for biking, running, walking, and even swimming at the Minnewaska Lake. Great place to unwind from the hustle and bustle of NYC life.

This park, has a special place in my heart. I have been hiking here and in the adjacent parks for 20 + years and am still finding new wonders around every turn.
The high mountain lakes here are something to see. They each have their own personality. There is a hidden sculpture garden in this park that few know about. Here people have been making art for years out of what they find in the woods. It used to be better before jerky kids started to vandalize it but it is still worth seeing (you’ll have to find it first.)
Swimming holes are everywhere! There are many rock bottom streams as well you can get wet in. No muddy riverbeds here.
One of the best places in the park is called Bonticou. Just listen to me. Look it up and go there. It is only a couple miles and a slightly technical rock scramble and you are at the top of an amazing crag. I am posting a picture. Amazing photo opps here that will make you look like a champion mountain climber.

A beautiful natural reserve state park.
Gods creation is beyond beauty.
This place is amazing. With it’s miles of trails in between the forest and lots of great lake scenery with the smell of greens it’s an absolute 5 star.
The map located on every trail us very informative, very detailed so any person wouldn’t get lost.
This place is huge and yet it’s being maintained properly. For hiking, picnic, swimming and scenery is a must to see.
An hour and a half drive from home but still it’s a good distance and place for family and friends who loves outdoors.

Had an awesome time here last weekend. This gets compared to Lake Mohonk a lot since they’re just miles away from each other. While we didn’t get a chance to visit Mohonk my experience here has been spectacular. Definitely a top foliage stop but as long as the weather is beautiful this place is definitely well worth the visit. It doesn’t get as much attention as Harriman State Park or Bear Mountains but the view of the lake is really breathtaking. And also there’s a waterfall as well.
The loop trail around the lake is only 2 miles can finish the hike well within an hour or so taking plenty of breaks to enjoy the view from various view points.
There’s also a trail that leads to a waterfall which is about another mile each way. It was nice but definitely people are here to see the lake view.
Definitely get here as early as you can get. I suspect a lot of traffic flows come from Mohonk since that place fills up even quicker. We got here around 11:30AM and had to circle around a bit for a parking spot.
And try to leave either earlier or later than 5 or else you’ll be stuck on traffic along with everyone else on the way back to the Thruway. The park closes at 7PM and the entrée fee is $ 8 per vehicle like most State Parks. Very affordable and worth it to take a trip out here to enjoy nature :-)

I visited Minnewaske State Park on July 4^th. While everyone was at the beach, climbing or barbecuing, I was lucky enough to have the trails all to myself. About 90 miles away from NYC, this makes for a great Zipcar getaway (180 mi roundtrip). I took the Gertrudes Nose trail which is a 8 mile loop around the lake, up to the cliff and back on the other side of the lake. Give yourself 5 hours for the roundtrip hike and a lunch break at the peak.
The trail is well marked, wide, and with varying terrain. The area around the lake is an easy gravel road, there are some steep climbs as you move further in, rock hopping across creeks, hopping across large cracks in the ground, and avoiding a lot of overgrown bush. It kept me pretty busy! I saw a lot of wild flowers along the trail, even came across a natural «Ice Cave» that was blasting freezer temp air from the ground… VERY COOL and unexpected to say the least. I highly recommend this trail but try to bring at least 3 liters of water if you plan to do this hike in the summer.

Love love love Minnewaska. It’s so close to my college, so going in the morning for a nice hike is completely do-​able. It’s about a 15 minute ride from New Paltz and it’s a place where all students go to hangout. Last weekend a few of us went there and brought a picnic. It was BEAUTIFUL outside. Some good food, music and people… You have a good day ahead of you.
If you’re daring enough you can go cliff jumping or go swimming in a waterfall. Either way Minnewaska is a place just waiting to be explored. It’s such a change of scenery, I love it. Just a heads up: It’s $ 8 per car for entry but if you split amongst a few it’s nothing! And also… the park rangers can be a bit strict so just be careful on what you’re doing.