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.

I think this may be my favorite state park within a short driving distance from my home. There are…read moreso many hiking trails of different levels, and carriage road trails too! And the views are amazing, plus there are a bunch of waterfalls! While it does get crowded, especially in the parking lots, I find the hiking trails to be a little less crowded than the parks that are a little closer to NYC. Even though I am not a rock climber I do also enjoy seeing the climbers out there doing their thing.

This is my eighth review of MSPP, and each one has been 5 stars. Today was no different. Came by w…read morebest friend, Pots & Pans AKA, The Missing Ink. We had designs on hiking to Lake Awosting and swimming, but today was very hot and humid w the only breeze coming from fluttering butterfly wings. Plus LA is over an 8-mile round-trip. So, discretion being the better part of valor, we looped around Lake Minnewaska (about 2 miles), and rewarded ourselves w a very refreshing dip in that lake. Beautiful scenery as well. Please remember to leave no trace (carry out what you carry in). Also, good idea to bring bug spray as this is black fly season. Sunscreen as well. 5 scenic, refreshing stars

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.

Nice park with a covered patio area. We rented it out for a party and it was a great experience…read more I'd do it again.

For a state park it is decent. I originally came to do Freeletics (workout) and allow my four year…read moreold to play. As I walked around and noticed the bees, broken equipment, and lack of upkeep I was disappointed. The soccer fields look beautiful, you would just think safety for the swing sets and health of our youth. I will come back because there is so much potential.

This is a nice little hike to get to see some cool things. However, you do have to pay $5 per…read moreperson and sign a waiver because it is a private owned hike. The hike itself is fairly simple and shouldn't take more than an hour. It is more of a nice walk to get to an awesome view of the surrounding area. If you are up for a little more adventure you can explore the rock formations and caves that are right next to the view. This is definitely a good place for beginner hikers to go but still has a view that all skills would love to see.

A short hike up the hill leads to breathtaking views. I'm told there's sometimes a fee to hike up…read morewhich may be a weekend thing because the entrance was not manned on Wednesday afternoon. "No littering or smoking!" It's unfortunate this is something that needs to be posted but humans love to leave their trash and destroy all things natural and beautiful. Needless to say, whatever you bring up with you should also return down with you. The hike up is only 10-15 minutes depending on your speed with a few moderately steep areas. Closer to the top there are larger steps (rocks) requiring a little bit of climbing to hoist yourself onto the very tip top of the overlook. Very peaceful and very few people on the weekdays.

Beautiful landscape, beautiful flowers, beautiful vibe. The arboretum is such a glorious place to…read morevisit.

It's still a little early in the season to see an abundance of flowers and nature. This place once…read moreeverything is in full bloom is amazing. Nice place to come and be with nature. Not a lot of crowds, plenty of places to have a picnic if that's your thing. The flowering trees are already dropping their leaves and turning green. Tulips are starting to sprout up everywhere. I like coming here to take take photos and hang out. I'm teaching my kids how to photograph and working on their posing skills.

Nice bench to sit on and view the falls, there are quite a few steps (for those with issues…read moreclimbing stairs). Then another path through the woods (that the park has been updating with new stone and water drainage system) - lots of rolling hills.

This is a cool, out of the way place to explore on a hot day. The trail to the falls is an easy…read morewalk through the woods and the views are terrific. The adjoining park and public pool area is an obscure place, perhaps because the town (Blenheim) has a history of being saddled with disasters (floods and natural gas explosions) during its several hundred year history -- and is quite remote from populated areas. The foot of the falls is loaded with beaver chewed creek wood and fossil bearing rock (great for prospecting with kids) -- and the nearby pools and picnic areas are cheap and clean -- quite sophisticated really. We always stop here to explore with our boys when we are in the area.

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.

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