mohonk preserve

natural beauty and old world charm. if your looking for nature and rock climbing, just a short drive far from New Paltz, you won't be disappointed.

Awesome hiking trails, so beautiful...found water falls, sat and ate lunch, so serene, calming didn't want to leave. Must go back!

This is a place for every nature lovers. The trail, the lake, the boat, the "beach", and the view! Come during the leaves season, it's the one of the best in northeast. You don't have to stay in the resort (super expensive), they do offer day pass. Come early, as they sometimes sell out day passes (only allow certain amount of people on the mountain).

Lots of hiking trails for beginners. There's boating, horse back riding (two weeks advance notice for outside guest not staying at hotel) and other activities. There's an admission just to go to the Mohonk Resort and you can't go to the hotel area unless you are a guest. Luckily I was with a tour group and spent an afternoon hiking and admiring the scenic spot and taking pictures.

If you're looking for a little piece of heaven in NYS, go no further than Mohonk Preserve. This wonderful non-profit seeks to preserve and educate the community and visitors on the unique eco-system of the Shawangunk Mountains and the surrounding land with organized hikes, educational programs for schools, and memberships. Activities abound including hiking, mountain biking, and rock climbing and bouldering in the warm weather. In the winter, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing take over. The facilities are well kept and the staff is informative and always helpful. NY State is fortunate to have such a community member in our midst! Hopefully you'll have a chance to visit too!

Literally! The Nature Conservancy rated this 12,000 acre intact skylake eco-system as "One of the 10 Great Places on Earth." The Towns of New Paltz and Gardiner abound with wonderful B&Bs and restaurants so plan to stay locally for a few days and see all that this wonderful Preserve has to offer. The staff and volunteers will be glad to personalize your experience for you.

This was a treat...hiking Mohonk Preserve during peak fall foliage.I especially enjoyed walking 'under-cliff' road which allowed me to watch the climbers.Note - parking at Mohonk House is $26, parking at Mohonk Preserve is $12, and there is a reciprocity agreement by which those coming on foot from the preserve are welcome to Mohonk House.Since I was going to hike anyway, I parked at the preserve and walked to Mohonk House, sat at the lake and watched the boaters. Walked back via the 'scenic route' (okay I got lost).Special, special day!

I've been hiking Mohonk Mountain Trails for 30+ years and never get tired of the awesome views...especially the spectacular Autumn colors!

This preserve has all types of trails for hikers, bikers and climbers. We took an easy fall hike. The trail was well maintained, the rangers were friendly and helpful and the views were lovely.

I'm sure the Mountain House and grounds are nice, but I tend to go the opposite way of the crowds. My favorite area of the preserve is the Millbrook Mt trail - the trail that follows the very edge of the Shawangunk ridge all the way to the Minnewaska property line. Great views of the HV for almost the entire trail. For locals, the free month pass in the spring and fall are awesome as most of us don't want to pay ~$9 just to hike for a few hours.

Mohonk is a wonderful time! My family and I enjoyed a 5 mile walk/hike throughout the preserve and we witnessed beautiful foliage, and views! There are hikes for all level of hikers and those just needing a good walk. It was also really cool to see the rock climbers climbing the Gunks!

Mohonk offers lots of trails, great views and you can bike, climb or swim. My favorite is Bonticu Crag which is off the spring farm trail head and is a rock scramble safe enough to do with kids that gives you beautiful views of the valley. It's great to go alone in the early morning and give yourself a mental break as well. Get there early as it can be very crowded. They have a parking fee or you can get a season pass on their website. Fall is the best time of year to visit to see the fall foliage.

Super worthwhile preserve with plenty of nice trails and some very pretty scenery. The old carriage trails are great for riding of all kinds.

What an absolutely blissful place Mohonk preserve is! If you love the outdoors and marvelling at nature in a safe environment, then Mohonk Preserve should be on your bucket list. Easiest access would be staying at the Mountain House as a base from where you can explore every day.The valley is so expansive and there are miles and miles of trails that if you trekked a little everyday it would still take you a whole year to see it all! We loved walking and exploring the area everyday during our 3 days there. There are rock scrambles and a labyrinth for those who are in top physical condition, otherwise, there are easier trails - all marked or cleared or reasonably surfaced, so little chance of you getting lost. Lots of wildlife to spot like deer, squirrels, wild hares and chipmunks. There have been bears spotted in the wider areas but the likelihood of encountering one is minimal.There are so many fantastic awe-inspiring cliff-top vistas that you'll find it difficult to choose a favourite! Love the lookouts placed in ideal photo-op spots! We admired it all as we don't get to experience the temperate forests living in the Caribbean. And it's lovely seeing the foliage colours starting to turn! If we lived closer we would go regularly as it is easily accessible and a monitored, safe hiking environment.

We really enjoyed Mohonk Preserve and highly recommend it! We spent all day here. We did the Bonticou Crag Hike and the majority of Table Rocks as well as another field trail. The whole trip we had magnificent views of the Gunks and it was so peaceful and quiet. We were surprised at how strenuous the hikes were (and we're avid hikers). Table Rocks especially got a little too scary for us, as we were the only ones that we had seen in miles/hours. Talk to the workers at the parking lots if you want recommendations. They were able to help us figure out a way to get around to the top of Boticou Crag without rock climbing up the face of a cliff. We had hiked the day beforehand and were fairly sore for some types of hikes that day. We also went down later to the Split Rock swimming hole. It was too cold to swim, but it was a nice scenic walk and the hole was really clear and relaxing. I absolutely loved our visit and hope to return! I wish Mohonk would do a special weekend pass so that people coming up for the weekend in the summer, spring, or fall to hike could return and get a discounted rate. I think they'd probably sell more passes! They have memberships, but those aren't really worth if for someone who might come up one weekend a year at most.