Mohonk Mountain House

Photo

Mohonk -- Cross-Country Skiing -- January 30, 2005 017.jpg

Map


View Mohonk Preserve in a larger map

Park Overview:

85 miles of trails and carriageways ideally suited for hikes ranging from easy to rugged, on the grounds of a very popular mountain house.
Trail Uses:Hiking, Mountain biking, Bridle path, X-C skiing
Dogs:No dogs
Trail Miles:85 miles
Park Acreage:2200 acres
City/County/
State:		New Paltz/Ulster/NY
Buy Trail Map:Shawangunk Trails Map
Buy Book:Scenes & Walks in the Northern Shawangunks
Park Description:

The Mohonk Mountain House, together with the landscape surrounding it, was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1986.  Its 2,200-acre grounds, extending from Copes Lookout on the south to the Mountain Rest Golf Course on the north, feature miles of trails and carriageways ideally suited for hiking.  Mohonk's hallmarks are the rustic gazebos [known locally as a summerhouses] situated atop cliffs or amid boulders to capture an artful setting or view.
Trails Overview:

Day visitor passes, parking, maps, and information are available at the gatehouse.  A limited number of day visitor passes is sold each day.  The day pass entitles the bearer to hike the carriageways, trails, and paths, and to tour the grounds, and is also honored on the adjoining Mohonk Preserve lands.  Day visitors are not permitted to enter the Mountain House or to use the lake and its facilities unless purchasing a meal.

In winter, when trails are open for skiing, hiking is not permitted.  On busy spring and fall weekends, parking areas may fill up by mid-morning, and the gate closes.  Call ahead [Contact Information below] to find out whether trails are open to hiking or skiing, or filled to capacity and closed.

  • The center of activity for day users is the Picnic Lodge Day Visitor Center.  The walk to the lodge begins on the Huguenot Trail [1.7 miles, marked by signs], at the back of the parking lot west of the gate house.
  • Notable hikes on rough paths that involve rock scrambles, agility, and the use of hands as well as feet include Arching Rocks Path, Cathedral Path, Giant's Path, Labyrinth Path, and Rock Rift Path.
  • Eagle Cliff Road [1.7 miles; directional signs] is a loop hike on a carriage road that offers a great variety of scenery in a relatively short and easy walk.
  • Sky Top Path [0.4 mile; directional signs] is one of the most popular hikes at Mohonk leading to Sky Top, a prominent cliff whose stone tower, the Albert K. Smiley Memorial Tower, is easily visible from as far as the New York State Thruway.
Directions:

Leave the New York State Thruway at Exit 18.  Turn left onto NY 299 and follow Main Street through the Village of New Paltz.  Immediately after crossing the bridge over the Wallkill River, turn right at the "Mohonk" sign.  After 0.25 mile, bear left at the fork and continue up Mountain Rest Road.

  • Additional information about directions, including public transportation by bus or train, is on the Mohonk Mountain House web site [Contact Information below], follow the "Getting Here" link.
Contact Information:Mohonk Mountain House
845-255-1000
Region:Shawangunk Mountains
Fees:Yes, click on 'Contact Information' for further information