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Lake Minnewaska – A Lake in the Sky

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If you are looking for a nice day trip for sightseeing, hiking, and exploring new things in the Catskills, NY area, then Minnewaska State Park is definitely the one. The Minnewaska state park is one of the most unique, popular, and beautiful state parks in New York. The park is located in Shawangunk Mountain ridge in Ulster County of New York state. It is approximately a 1 and ½  hour drive from New York City and just off of Route 44-55. 

Minnewaska State Park Preserve has two sections, the main area and Sam’s Point area. It takes 30 mins to drive from one section to the other. The main area features the stunning Awosting Falls and the pristine Minnewaska Lake.  The Sam’s Point area, which is the southernmost point of the park, is located on the highest part of the Shawangunk Mountains. Unlike the main area, a reservation is required to visit Sam’s Point area. This recreation area features pristine mountain lakes carved by glaciers during the last ice age and offers a wide range of activities from hiking to stunning waterfalls, biking on the carriageway trails, rock climbing up epic cliffs, swimming, scuba-diving and boating in the sparkling lakes, horseback riding, and of course: picnicking with stunning views.

Lake Minnewaska is located in the main area of Minnewaska State Park Preserve. This natural glacier carved lake is one of the five lakes on the Shawangunk Ridge. The lake is half a mile long with a two mile easy loop trail encircling it. The Lake Minnewaska Loop trail is a gravel path and offers many scenic vistas with spectacular views of the pristine lake, the forested area, hanging cliffs, streams, and beautiful wildflowers. The Lake Minnewaska Trail is also used to access the other trails and is one of the park’s carriage roads too.

These photos are from a day trip to Minnewaska State Park on June 11th,  2022.

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Quick Facts and Tips

  • The park is open year round from 9 am to 8 pm, hours will change seasonally. 
  • There will be an entry fee of $10 per car
  • Be sure to check the park website for the current trail conditions and road closures.
  • The Lake Minnewaska Loop trail is an easy, about 2 mile loop trail, a marked gravel path with some ups and downs.
  • Best time to explore this trail is from April to October when you can get the best view of the lake.
  • The closest parking lot for the Lake Minnewaska Loop trail is the Upper Parking Lot near the visitor center (Google map). The trail can also be accessed from the Lower parking Lot (Google map).
  • Carry water bottles, pack snacks. and wear comfortable shoes.
  • The Lake Minnewaska Loop trail is an easy almost 2 miles gravel path that circles the ½ mile long lake.
  • The picturesque view of the lake and the cliffs can be seen directly behind the visitor center. The visitor center has art and educational exhibits about the environment, information about the surrounding nature, and how to preserve it. The visitor center has drinking water, restrooms, and an outdoor patio area with a bunch of picnic tables. 
  • The shorter route to reach the top of the magnificent cliffs to have stunning views of the lake is by hiking clockwise from the parking lot/visitor center on the Lake Minnewaska loop. With just a quarter mile hike, you can reach the top and soak in the beautiful views. The area is a grassy flat area with picnic tables along the land as well as near the cliff edge. This is a great spot to stop and rest for a bit while enjoying the incredible beauty of the Minnewaska State Park Preserve.
  • Take extra caution at the top as there are no railings along the cliff edges. The views are stunning up here and are the best part of this entire hike. 
  • The trail climbs up and down offering a fantastic vista overlooking the Ulster County countryside and wooded areas with a few beautiful views of lake 
  • Starting the hike in a counterclockwise direction will lead to the lake’s small beach. During the summer months, this could be a great spot to cool off after hiking. 
  • It is worth hiking the Awosting Falls trail either before or after visiting the Lake Minnewaska. 
  • Be aware of snakes and watch your steps along the trails.
Categories
General

Awosting Falls – Minnewaska State Park Preserve

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If you are looking for a nice day trip for sightseeing, hiking and exploring new things in the Catskills, NY area, then Minnewaska State Park is definitely the one. Minnewaska state park is one of the most unique and beautiful state parks in New York and is located in Ulster County of New York state. It is approximately a 1 and ½  hour drive from New York City and just off of Route 44-55

Minnewaska State Park Preserve has two sections, the main area and Sam’s Point area. It takes 30 mins to drive from one section to the other. The main area features the stunning Awosting Falls and pristine Minnewaska Lake. The Sam’s Point area, which is the most southern point of the park, is located on the highest part of the Shawangunk Mountains. Unlike the main area, a reservation is required to visit Sam’s Point. 

Awosting Falls is the most popular sightseeing destination on the main section of the Minnewaska State Park. The Awosting falls look gorgeous in every season and is most busiest from spring to fall. The spring offers an immense flow of water whereas the fall offers a colorful backdrop. Awosting Falls is 60 feet tall and tumbles off an impressive rock wall into a large pool at its base. Awosting falls is one of the must visit waterfalls in the Catskill Mountains region.

These photos are from a day trip to Minnewaska State Park on June 11th,  2022.

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Quick Facts and Tips

  • The park is open year round from 9 am to 8 pm, hours will change seasonally. The fee for parking is $10 per car
  • Be sure to check the the park website (https://parks.ny.gov/parks/minnewaska/details.aspx) for the current trail conditions and road closures
  • The closest parking lot for Awosting Falls is at the Lower Parking Area (Google map). The falls can also be accessed from the Upper parking lot near Lake Minnewaska. 
  • Start early for more elbow room and best lighting. Since the Lower parking lot is the access point to many hiking trails, it will get filled up quickly during summer days. 
  • Hike to the stunning 60-foot Awosting Falls is an easy 1.1 miles out-and-back hike from the Lower parking lot. The trail is a gravel path and starts adjacent to a small bathroom building near the Lower parking lot. 
  • The trail meets the park road at around a quarter mile, so take caution to cross the road and bridge. The trail continues on the far side of the bridge which winds its way down for about a quarter-mile before reaching the base of Awosting Falls. 
  • It is worth spending a few minutes to enjoy the several small cascades waterfalls and streams along the trail.
  • Swimming is not permitted.
  • Bring water and snacks.
  • It is worth hiking the Lake Minnewaska Loop trail either before or after visiting Awosting Falls. 
  • Be aware of snakes and watch your steps along the trails.