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    Winding Hills Park

    4.4 (7 reviews)

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    Photo of Sam M.
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    1 year ago

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

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    6 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    11 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    14 years ago

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    Stewart State Forest

    Stewart State Forest

    4.5(2 reviews)
    7.7 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!

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    Stewart State Forest - Swamp boardwalk

    Swamp boardwalk

    Stewart State Forest
    Stewart State Forest

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    Mohonk Preserve - Mohonk Mountain House Tulip Festival 2025

    Mohonk Preserve

    4.4(82 reviews)
    14.4 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

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    Mohonk Lake boat dock in winter

    Sam's Point Area - dead tress

    Sam's Point Area

    4.7(44 reviews)
    10.3 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!

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    The view!

    Winding Hills Park - parks - Updated May 2026

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