Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Orange County Arboretum

    4.7 (22 reviews)

    Orange County Arboretum Photos

    You might also consider

    Recommended Reviews - Orange County Arboretum

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    jon l.

    Much beauty is present in the warmer months, but from thanksgiving to Christmas they feature a different joy. The Christmas lights at the Orange County Arboretum are pretty decent and they are FREE to enjoy. The scenes don't change much from year to year, but is still a great place to walk around with family and friends. Plan to enjoy for about 45 minutes or so - subject to temperature. Unfortunately the inside with art and hot chocolate is not currently available due to a fire, but hopefully that will return next year.

    Angela L.

    Very pretty daytime spot to just take a walk or bring a lawn chair and sit. There's a variety of flowers to look at and snap pictures of. It's a very pretty garden and you could probably walk all of it in 30 to 40 minutes. Not very large and there's no indoor greenhouse or anything like that. There's plenty of parking and Porta pottys for the bathrooms. The road to get here is pretty rugged. Overall, it's worth going if you just need something to do in Orange County or it's on your way to something else.

    Christa A.

    Beautiful and well kept. Worth a visit. Lots of wildlife to see. A good place to bring kids for a short walk. Adjacent to a lovely park. They have a very nice 911 memorial. You can bring dogs to the adjacent park, but not in the Arboretum area. I understand why, but I still wish I could bring my dog. That's why I only gave them four stars.

    Jurel H.

    Huge Arboretum with many plants and trees. Walking through the place, you will see gazebo's and other areas. Where you can sit and admire the scenery. There's also a water fountain that you come across. I believe you can rent certain buildings to hold an event as well.

    Eric R.

    Absolutely Superb!! FREE admission! This is a small garden that is perfect for wedding photos (permit required) as well as a great spot for amateur or professional photographers (pro photos for commercial use require permits). I've been wanting to visit this place for a while now to take some photos with my new iPhone 12 Pro but instead took my "real" DSLR camera instead. I wouldn't go out of my way to visit this place only because it's really small so driving more than 20 mins is probably not ideal but if you are under 20 mins from here I strongly encourage it if you're looking for a cute garden to walk around and take some nice photos. The park is free but there is a donation box I encourage visitors to donate what they can even if it's just a dollar. There's not a massive variety of flowers if you come comparing it to the NYC Botanical garden because to compare this spot to that is just unfair. This garden has some beautiful structures and for some an emotional 9/11 memorial especially if you've lost a loved one or friend in that tragic event. I took my time walking around and completed my visit in just under 2 hours but I stopped to take a lot of photos of flowers, bugs, plants, etc. If you simply walked through the garden you can probably have walked the entire perimeter in about 45 mins or less hence the reason I don't recommend anyone driving from afar just to visit this place.

    Tracey K.

    Peaceful, beautiful, quiet, free! There is a spot to make a donation, and you should, but you are free to walk around these beautiful grounds on a nice summer day. We accidentally passed the entrance and happened upon the dog park so we watched dogs for a bit first. Who doesn't love a bunch of different dogs in one spot? Drive up to the gate and it opens automatically. What a gorgeous variety of flowers everywhere, nice pathways with fountains and streams, beautiful gardens. A nice spot in the Hudson Valley for a walk among nature!

    IG: @thedogtrine
    Sayyeda D.

    O asis in Orange County R ustic and romantic vibes A lluring greens and flowers N ot gonna lie they're well kept G orgeous backdrops E verywhere you go C ount your blessings O rdinary? No extraordinary! U nusual, we agree N ot gonna lie, I didn't wanna write a review T he best kinds the best arboretum Y ards of color green and others A esthetically pleasing and well kept R emember to clean after yourselves B eautiful arboretum needs your help O f course it can't clean itself R ightfully people can enjoy their time here E specially after the hard year T hing is, you need to come to this oasis U p for an adventure? Great! M otor started, let's go already @thedogtrine

    Jeana P.

    The most beautiful place. I love coming here to relax and take in its beauty. It's absolutely breathtaking and FREE! This is my favorite spot in the area.

    M C.

    A hidden gem. I had driven by many times while visiting Thomas Bull Memorial Park. The trick is: DRIVE UP TO THE GATE. It magically opens and you enter a beautiful oasis. Many types of plants are displayed and are in bloom during different parts of the season. In early May there are huge plantings of tulips in an array of colors. There is a walkway with a large pergola covered in wisteria vines which surrounds a small event house. Fountains, a pond filled with frogs, a Japanese rock garden and a 9/11 Memorial are all contained within the fenced Arboretum. It's a beautiful place. And to top it off it's free!!

    Omar T.

    This place is absolute perfection!!! Beautiful place to come and walk around, take pictures and relax! Have visited this place a few times and most recently to iron out details about a friends wedding here. Truly exceptional. Probably as close to paradise as you can get on planet earth!!

    Found a great place to get my steps in while traveling. Gated property and safe, no admission charge, well kept beautiful gardens, shaded picnic area and peaceful.

    Andrea T.

    Beautiful, free, public space. Lots of flowers. Many different styles of outdoor rooms. Inspiring. Relaxing. Pet friendly.

    See all

    7 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 17
    Thanks 5
    Love this 21
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 5
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    4 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 26
    Thanks 0
    Love this 28
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 7
    Thanks 0
    Love this 5
    Oh no 0
    Photo of M C.
    0
    28
    63

    7 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Fred K.
    0
    28
    10

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    5 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Andrea T.
    36
    114
    453

    9 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    13 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    Ask the Community - Orange County Arboretum

    Review Highlights - Orange County Arboretum

    Much beauty is present in the warmer months, but from thanksgiving to Christmas they feature a different joy.

    Mentioned in 3 reviews

    Read more highlights

    You might also consider

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for Parks 798 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

    Verify this business

    Winding Hills Park - Trail in the woods

    Winding Hills Park

    4.4(7 reviews)
    3.9 mi

    Favorite park in the county. Very peaceful. Very clean. Been coming here for over 25 years.read more

    Love this place. We have stayed here multiple times since it's so close to home. Reservations are…read moreneeded only for major holidays during camping season; Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day. Must book the entire holiday weekend 3 days (90$ for non electric sites add $5 each day for electric). I believe it's 51 camp sites which vary in size and majority has electric hookups. When not going on a holiday it is first come first serve spots which is good if you just need to spend one night here. Pull into whichever site you want and at some point the groundskeepers will come to collect your money. It's deep in the woods of the park so there is good shade which is nice on the hotter days. The campgrounds have two bathroom facilities which have showers. No complaints with the bathrooms from me but I didn't use the shower part. The bathrooms are cleaned daily or every other day it seemed. Some spots are more secluded than others..and there is a bit of a hill to the bathroom if you pick spots 1-7 and 48/9 I think it was. Something to consider if you have mobility issues. There are water spigots around the grounds and attached to the bathroom facilities. But no actual sites with water hookups for RVs. The workers drive around the campsite every few hours and each time we have been there (maybe 4 or 5 times) the local police have made their presence known. No alcohol is allowed at this campground. Each site has a picnic table & fire ring. The sites are gravel/dirt & grass. Quiet hours are from 10pm-7am. We found the sites closer to the Playground side/closer to the bathrooms to be more noisy. Also those sites are closer together which would be good for larger groups. Have never had a problem with noise though we have only stayed further away from those areas. The playground has a volleyball net and other Normal playground equipment that I saw driving past it. There is no longer Boat Rentals at this park.. but there is a large lake to kayak and fish in. NO SWIMMING. The lake is a nice size and has a trail so you walk the entire length with benches around a good portion to sit and/or fish. There is a nice sized pond at the park to fish which also has benches around it. By the pond there is a nice picnic area with many picnic tables and grills. Another playground and a large pavilion. This picnic area also has a bathroom. There is a pond when you first turn into the park. The pond also has benches around it but not all the way around. Fishing license is require to fish here and they do come around to check licenses. This place is great if you want to just get away into the woods. Check the parks website to see site sizes before going or stop and take your pick of what's available.

    Photos
    Winding Hills Park - A view of the lake

    A view of the lake

    Winding Hills Park - Trail

    Trail

    Winding Hills Park - Trail in the woods

    See all

    Trail in the woods

    Stewart State Forest

    Stewart State Forest

    4.5(2 reviews)
    6.8 mi

    I like Stewart forest for both walking and GeoCaching as there are A LOT of caches in this forest…read more A word of caution I will say please be sure to check postings at parking lot if you visit during winter months because while the property is not chained/closed the forest is closed certain times of year in the winter for hunting. While you might find people still walking into the forest during hunting season they do so at their own risk. Hunters do sit out there at appropriate (legal) times of the year waiting for their prey. I warn because I didn't realize this and had a hunter warn me sternly that I was unintentionally putting myself at risk when the forest was off limits to hiking, walking & biking. The hunting warning aside the forest really is massive in size but I wouldn't call it difficult at all to walk. I could say it's a great beginner hiking spot since the elevation gain throughout the forest is well below 1K. I've hit some decent points but nothing like hiking an actual mountain. The forest I believe has something like over 20 miles of trails for foot, hiking and even horse back riding traffic. Some portions are swampy areas so be cautious where you step if you venture off the beaten path. There is no official NY/NJ trail map that I could find but NYS does provide a free map you can print out in advance. Stay safe and have fun! Info & Maps: https://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/50095.html

    Great park with lots of trails for hiking and biking. They built a couple of boardwalks in the…read moreswamp that are very nice. Saw a pheasant and some birds and some beautiful fall foliage. 18 miles of trails!

    Photos
    Stewart State Forest - Swamp boardwalk

    Swamp boardwalk

    Stewart State Forest
    Stewart State Forest

    See all

    Mohonk Preserve - Mohonk Mountain House Tulip Festival 2025

    Mohonk Preserve

    4.4(82 reviews)
    17.9 mi

    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.

    Photos
    Mohonk Preserve - Tulip Festival 2025

    Tulip Festival 2025

    Mohonk Preserve - Mohonk Mountain House Tulip Festival 2025

    Mohonk Mountain House Tulip Festival 2025

    Mohonk Preserve - Mohonk Lake boat dock in winter

    See all

    Mohonk Lake boat dock in winter

    Sam's Point Area - dead tress

    Sam's Point Area

    4.7(44 reviews)
    14.0 mi

    Very cool visitor's center with a lot of info and taxidermied animals. If you are hiking,…read moredefinitely bring waterproof shoes or crocs in sport mode because the path to the waterfall crosses a stream. Unfortunately, there's no man made bridge over it on the way. I'd recommend wearing long pants even in the summer because there's a lot of bushes that may scratch your legs on the way. Seems like the paths through the woods are pretty narrow. Maybe I'll come another time when it's blueberry season. Amazing views, just don't fall off!

    Boyfriend and I wanted to come here for over a year now. Last year we went to a different spot of…read morethe Minnewaska, and the view did not disappoint. Since the parking lot isn't big (more or less 60 cars), you need to make a reservation to get in. And they are strict about this. We wanted to come in one time and they made us turn around. I am not sure if you need a reservation if you are visiting during the week, but you definitely need one for the weekend visit. Making a reservation is relatively easy. You go to the park's website (newyorkstateparks.reserveamerica.com) and just find or enter the park, or google this park and the top link should get you there directly. The reservation is $10 per car (plus tax/ optional donation). You can choose either 9am-2pm or 2pm-evening slot. My boyfriend is not an early riser, so I booked us the 2pm slot. I don't know how fast the reservations sell out, but I booked our slot 6 days in advance just in case. When you get there, you need show your reservation to the employees. I think it is until a certain hour, because when we were back from our hike and leaving around 430-5pm the employees guarding the entrance were gone. There is a building where you can get a free map and brochures, a little gift shop (pins for pin collectors and stickers), bathrooms, water refill area, and a big room full of facts about the area and a table with a topographic 3D map of the hikes. There is over 15miles of trails to hike available. The map is interactional, you press a button with a hike you're interested in and the map lights up with the path. Pretty cool! My boyfriend isn't an experienced hiker or does not like to hike all day as I.... so we choose the 3miles loop. The path wasn't paved, but it was smooth enough for strollers to go on. We started from the direction of Sam's point and continued by the water and cell phone towers back. Once you come in you are walking up (not very steep) path in a forrest. about half a mile I think you see the rock formation where people go on to see the view. We found some rocks below that formation and took some photos there. We were all alone, so it wasn't embarrassing to set up a tripod and take as many photos and as funny ones as we wanted. About another .2miles you go up to the official "Sam's Point" overview. It was semi crowded, so we were grateful we found a non populated spot a little below. Same view. Continuing you walk through the path and on both sides you have not so tall (maybe 8-12 feet) trees and other greenery. Everything has a placket, which labels the type of tree/ plant that grows nearby. There is an area with dead trees, which combined with some dark clouds that passed up at the same time - looked pretty eerie! Like from a spooky movie. Then you pass a body of water. We saw mama and baby ducks swimming past us. Then you just walk through other various sights, like forrest with a some ferns, forrest without them, passing by what is left of Berry Picker Cabins, and the cell phone towers, until you reach the exit. I am definitely coming back! My boyfriend and I been here for 2 years in a row, so we are probably going to make this our new annual trip. The view of the mountains is truly incredible, especially for someone living in the middle of NYC haha. It is always a great joy to get out and see something this amazing that nature formed. Loved every minute of it!

    Photos
    Sam's Point Area - My hiker's pose at Sam' Point.

    My hiker's pose at Sam' Point.

    Sam's Point Area - Ice Caves | Instagram: @telephonesmoothie

    Ice Caves | Instagram: @telephonesmoothie

    Sam's Point Area - The view!

    See all

    The view!

    Orange County Arboretum - parks - Updated May 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...