Minnewaska State Park Preserve

The Shawangunk Ridge is built of a tough, pale quartz conglomerate, and that rock is the reason for everything you see here. Where the glaciers scooped hollows into the ridge top, rain filled them to make the sky lakes, and because the surrounding stone gives up almost no minerals, the water stays extraordinarily clear and slightly acidic. The result is Lake Minnewaska and its sister lakes, their turquoise depths ringed by white cliffs, a color and clarity you simply do not expect from a lake in the eastern woods.

Those same cliffs draw rock climbers from all over the world, for the Shawangunks, the Gunks for short, are one of the premier climbing areas in the country. Even if you never touch the rock, the cliffs are the show: you can walk the carriage roads along their tops for hundreds of feet of exposure and views that run clear across the valley to the blue wall of the Catskills.

The preserve's waterfalls are among its best rewards. Awosting Falls drops in a broad, graceful curtain not far from the main entrance, reachable by a short, nearly level carriage-road stroll that makes it one of the easiest impressive waterfalls to visit anywhere in the region. Deeper in, seasonal falls like Rainbow Falls slip over the cliffs when the water is running well in spring and after rain.

The carriage roads themselves are a piece of history. They were graded in the 1800s for horse-drawn carriages from the grand mountain resorts that once stood here, and their gentle grades and firm surfaces now make some of the finest easy hiking and gravel biking in New York. All told the preserve holds about thirty-five miles of carriage roads and roughly fifty more miles of footpaths, so you can plan anything from a half-hour stroll to a full day on the ridge.

For all its wildness, this ridge was once a fashionable getaway. In 1879 the Cliff House, a grand mountain hotel, was built overlooking Lake Minnewaska, and a second hotel, Wildmere, followed in 1887. Guests came for carriage rides, tennis, and the clean mountain air, part of the golden age of Catskill and Shawangunk resort hotels. Like most of those old hotels, the Minnewaska resorts declined through the 20th century, and the last of the buildings was gone by the late 1970s.

As the hotels faltered, conservationists and the state stepped in, buying up the land around Awosting Falls and the lakes and folding it into what became Minnewaska State Park Preserve. The word preserve in the name is deliberate: the land is protected more strictly than an ordinary park, to keep its rare lakes, cliffs, and habitats intact. What was once a private playground for hotel guests is now open to everyone, one of the great pieces of protected land in the Hudson Valley.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is a place we chose through independent editorial review, never a paid placement.

It is a spectacular preserve high on the Shawangunk Ridge, known for its crystal-clear 'sky lakes,' dramatic white cliffs, waterfalls, and miles of gentle carriage roads and rockier footpaths. Rain-fed Lake Minnewaska and Lake Awosting sit atop the ridge with striking clarity, and the whole preserve is a Hudson Valley favorite for hiking, biking, swimming, and taking in some of the finest ridge-top views in the region.

Yes, in season. There are designated, lifeguarded swimming areas at Lake Minnewaska and Lake Awosting, typically open with set hours from around mid-June through Labor Day. Importantly, swimming and wading are strictly prohibited at the base of Awosting Falls and in the streams, so swim only in the guarded lake areas. The 'sky lakes' make for a memorable, refreshing swim on a hot summer day.

Awosting Falls, a dramatic drop over mossy rock, is an easy walk of about a mile from the main entrance and one of the most photogenic waterfalls in the Hudson Valley. The preserve also has dozens of miles of nearly level carriage roads that are perfect for easy walking and biking, plus more rugged trails. Note that sections of trail or road occasionally close for restoration, so check current conditions before you go.

Each season shines: spring and the days after heavy rain make the waterfalls thunder, summer is ideal for swimming in the lakes, fall brings spectacular foliage across the ridge, and winter offers icy beauty for hiking. On nice weekends and holidays the parking lots can fill and close by mid-morning, so arrive before nine or later in the afternoon for the best chance of getting in.

Stay back from the many steep, unfenced cliff edges, keep children close, and admire the views from safe ground. Keep dogs leashed, since rattlesnakes live on the ridge, and watch where you step and sit in the warmer months. Swim only in the designated lake areas, never in the falls or streams, bring plenty of water, and wear sturdy shoes for the rocky trails. There is a vehicle entry fee.