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    Bear Hill Nature Preserve

    4.0 (6 reviews)

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    Minnewaska State Park Preserve

    Minnewaska State Park Preserve

    4.5
    (170 reviews)
    7.9 mi

    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.

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    Zagbolt 5/1/24
    Zagbolt 5/1/24
    Ice Caves | Instagram: @telephonesmoothie
    Ice Caves | Instagram: @telephonesmoothie
    Minnewaska State Park Preserve

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    Chadwick Lake Park

    Chadwick Lake Park

    4.3
    (13 reviews)
    18.6 mi

    I've been coming here for more than 20 years to get my walking exercise in. I walk every day I can,…read morebringing a stick with me that I can use to flick downed branches off the trail as I walk. It's 4.3 miles around the lake with some spur trails that go into the woods on the west side of the lake. There is a lot of flat terrain on the east side, more hilly on the north and west sides. When the trail becomes impassible due to deep snow in the winter, there is an indoor track that is .1 miles per lap in the newly constructed recreation center. It can get a bit crowded and many of the people don't understand track etiquette so it can be a little frustrating if you're looking to get a real workout on it but it's still there in a pinch if you need it. You will frequently see rabbits on the east side of the trail in particular and the occasional snapping turtle in the springtime. Also in the spring you will see turtles sitting on logs in the shallow end of the water on the southwest corner. I have not seen them myself but I understand that bald eagles frequent this lake in the winter months and every spring a new family of swans is born as well as geese. There is also a blue heron who likes to spend time here. I see a lot of people fishing here and you can rent boats if that's your thing and you can also rent a pavilion if you have an event of some sort. And they run an amazing youth sports program as well as a summer camp. It is a real treasure to have this in our town.

    Yearly membership REQUIRED for admission, veterans and disabled veterans get a discount or free…read morepass depending on disability rating. I Love, Love coming to the lake! Easy hikes, beautiful picture ready areas, peaceful, gorgeous grounds, multiple trails, plenty of seating areas, kids play ground, boat rentals, fishing, multiple covered areas of various sizes for parties and now they are building a very large facility and so much more. It is a must visit to enjoy the outdoors in Newburgh.

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    Chadwick Lake Park
    Chadwick Lake Park
    Chadwick Lake Park

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    Bear Hill Nature Preserve - parks - Updated August 2026

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