Over the course of the last few years, I have become a pretty avid hiker. While the parks on Long Island are fun to explore, I have found the New York State Parks off the island have a lot more to offer. I recently visited Minnewaska State Park, which I found to provide the perfect hiking day trip from Long Island. This state park has a ton of trails and natural beauty to offer. If you have never been to this location and you enjoy hiking, I highly recommend it.
Getting There
I was interested in doing a day trip hike off the island, so I did some research and came across Minewaska State Park Preserve. I wanted to be able to drive, hike, and drive back in a day without being too exhausted. From central Long Island, this park is about a 2 hour and 15 minute drive. Personally, I thought this was the perfect distance. While it may seem a little far for a day trip, anyone who lives on Long Island knows how drastically different NY is the further up you head. Even though this park was only a little over 2 hours away, the scenery compared to the island was breathtaking.
Since this is a New York State Park, it was relatively easy to get to...no need for coordinate points or explanations on how to find the hiking trail! Just plug Minnewaska State Park Preserve into your GPS and you are all set. This will lead you to the park entrance, along with two decently sized parking lot areas (which are monitored by the park staff). We parked at the parking lot that you will run into if you continue straight into the park. This is located with access to an abundance of trails, as well as is pretty close to a natural waterfall. The lot we parked in required a steep hike up the mountain, but there were lookout points along the way, which were beautiful. This added to the hiking atmosphere. The other lot was more "friendly" since it was located right near Lake Minnewaska, which is the main attraction many come here for. However, this lot requires a longer hike to view the natural waterfall. Overall, I found both parking areas to be in nice locations. Again, since this is a NY State Park, there is a fee ($10 per car), however, admission is free with the Empire State Pass.
Hiking Trails
One of the aspects I enjoy the most about this park is how many different hiking trails there are. While there are many signs pointing to the general direction of the trails, there were simply too many to do all of them! After all, this preserve is over 22,000 acres. First, we walked down from the parking lot where we drove up from, and continued straight into the wooded area, staying to the left. To our surprise, there was a natural waterfall! This was a lot closer to the main road and the parking area we chose than I expected, which was nice. There were even trails leading to the top of the waterfall for numerous viewpoints. The entirety of this first trail was on the shorter side compared to the other ones we did (although it was still a couple miles long), but the view was amazing and definitely worth it.
After exploring the trails near the waterfall, we headed up the mountain. We did a TON of walking this day, but the trek up this mountain was definitely the most difficult part. Like I said, there were numerous lookout points to view the area below. This led us to a large lake, which we then decided to hike around. There were rocks to climb on and explore, which provided fantastic views of the fall scenery. This trail was essentially a very large circle, which had other trails leading off from it. On the opposite side of this large lake, there was a sign for even more trails! We headed into this area, which led us down a trail that was so incredibly long, we ended up having to turn back. The trails in this particular area were a lot more rustic, with almost no visible paths at some points, and there were a lot less people hiking in this area. It was slippery at times, so be careful. Again, there were a lot of viewpoints from large rocks looking down the mountain throughout the hiking trails. The sights were truly amazing and definitely worth all the walking we did!
At one point, we came across a sign deep in the woods stating that we have reached Mohonk Preserve. I did not realize at first that the two preserves connect, especially since Monhonk requires a $20 hiking fee per person, and I do not believe that preserve is considered a state park. However, I have heard this preserve also offers some amazing views if you are interested in exploring that area.
While hiking, I wish that I paid closer attention to the specific hikes and turns we took throughout our day. However, if you visit, you will definitely have no trouble viewing the waterfall or hiking around the lake. I found these two spots to be the most crowded, so follow everyone else. Minnewaska State Park offers so many hiking trails, it is almost impossible to keep track of everywhere you explore! If you are looking for a fun-filled day of hiking, this is a park that you must check out for yourself. I know I have said this in other posts, but pictures simply do not do these views justice.
When to Visit
We decided to visit in the fall in order to see the changing colors of the leaves. I figured this would be a great way to see the fall foliage, and it definitely was! Specifically, we visited the last week in October. We headed up early in the morning to ensure we had a full day of adventure. When we arrived, there was a short line of cars to get into the park, however, the parking lots were still pretty empty. By the time we left in the late afternoon, the lots were full and there were zero parking spots left. So, I recommend getting there in the morning in order to ensure you get a spot! I also highly recommend hiking in the fall since the weather was perfect and the views were spectacular.
PS: Bring plenty of snacks and water!! We were starving by the end of our 12 mile hike, so we decided to stop in the town of New Paltz for a late lunch/early dinner. There were so many food options on Main Street and it was on the way home, so it was perfect.
I hope you enjoyed learning about Minnewaska State Park Preserve! Like I said, there are so many hiking trail options that this park is truly suitable for everyone. I am looking forward to going back here one day to explore even more of the hiking trails that this huge park has to offer. If you have never explored this beautiful area, I highly recommend it.
Many more adventures to come,
Ashley
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