Millbrook Mountain via Millbrook Ridge Trail

From the eastern end of the parking area, follow the yellow-blazed West Trapps Connector Trail, an old woods road which leads east, parallel to Route 44/55. In about a quarter of a mile, you'll reach the Trapps Bridge. Ascend the rock stairway that leads up to the bridge, turn right, and cross the bridge. About 150 feet beyond the bridge, three light-blue blazes mark the start of the Millbrook Ridge Trail. Turn left and follow this trail - marked with paint blazes on the rocks - which steeply climbs over rock slabs dotted with pitch pines. Soon, you'll reach a north-facing viewpoint (the first of many along the ridge).

A short distance beyond, after some more climbing, you'll reach the crest of the ridge (known as the Near Trapps). Here, there is an even-broader view from a point called the Hawk Watch. To the left, you can see Dickie Barre, with the Catskill Mountains in the distance beyond. To the right, there is a sweeping view over the Wallkill Valley, with New Paltz visible in the distance. This is a good spot to rest and take a break from the climb.

The trail now levels off and continues through a wooded area along the ridge, with scrub oak and pitch pine and an understory of blueberry bushes. Soon, you'll reach another viewpoint on the left, with the Sky Top tower of the Mohonk Mountain House visible to the north, and the intersection of Routes 299 and 44/55 directly below.

About a mile from the start, you'll descend slightly and reach a junction with the red-blazed Bayards Path, which leaves to the right. Follow the light-blue-blazed Millbrook Ridge Trail, which bears left and climbs to the top of the next ridge, known as the Bayards. The trail soon comes out on a smooth rock with glacial striations that offers another expansive view to the east and south, with a steep drop to the left. Further along the ridge, an interesting pointed rock marks yet another viewpoint.

After bearing left at a rock cairn, the trail traverses an open rock slab, with tangled thorn bushes on either side. A long, relatively level section follows, with the trail cutting through groves of mountain laurel and blueberry bushes. Suddenly, the trail emerges onto a rounded outcrop with a view ahead of the dramatic cliff of Millbrook Mountain - the destination of the hike.

After bearing right and descending through mountain laurel and hemlock, the Millbrook Ridge Trail arrives at a junction with the red-blazed Millbrook Cross Path. You've now gone about two miles from the start. Continue ahead on the light-blue trail, which bends left and climbs to regain the crest of the ridge at an open rock slab dotted with several glacial erratics. A short distance beyond, you'll pass a huge glacial erratic resting on two smaller rocks, with a small cave underneath. After going by another balanced erratic, the trail descends through a hemlock grove, crosses an open area, and continues through more hemlocks.

Just beyond, the trail arrives at the base of a cliff, which marks the start of the most interesting and dramatic part of the hike. Follow the light-blue blazes, which climb to the right of the cliff and continue to ascend steeply along open rock ledges. Soon, you'll reach the crest of the ridge, with a panoramic 270-degree view. Sky Top and Dickie Barre may be seen to the north, with the Catskills beyond to the left, and the view to the east and south stretches over the Wallkill Valley as far as the Hudson Highlands.

The trail continues to climb on a more moderate grade, reaching a 360-degree view, with Millbrook Mountain ahead. It descends slightly, then climbs gradually, soon following a narrow path to the right of a sloping rock slab. Next, the trail climbs to the very edge of the cliff, with a sheer 300-foot drop. Using extreme caution, you can peer over the sharp cliff edge and see the vast boulder field below - probably the moraine of a small glacier that remained after the main ice sheet had melted away. This is another good place for a break.

The trail continues to run along the cliff edge, then heads slightly inland. Finally - a little over three miles from the start - you'll arrive at a junction with the red-blazed Millbrook Mountain Trail. If you wish to reach the actual summit of Millbrook Mountain, continue ahead on the blue trail for a few hundred feet to its terminus, turn left and climb the rock slab to the edge of the cliff (which offers a panoramic view quite similar to what you've already seen), then return to the trail junction. Otherwise, just turn right and follow the red-blazed trail downhill.

In 0.2 mile, turn right onto the light-blue-blazed Coxing Trail, which descends steadily over rock slabs dotted with pitch pines, then bears left and continues to descend through blueberry bushes, mountain laurel and hemlock. After leveling off and passing through a wet area, the trail widens to a woods road.

About two miles from its start, the Coxing Trail ends at a junction with the dirt Trapps Road, a carriage road built by the proprietors of the Mohonk and Minnewaska Mountain Houses. Turn right and follow this level road for about a mile to the Trapps Bridge. Cross the bridge, turn left and descend the stairway, and follow the connector trail back to the parking area where you began the hike.