• About Me
  • Best Of
  • Contact Me
  • Forum

Jay Gaulard

  • Home & Living
    • Automotive & Mechanical
    • Carpentry & Building
    • Entertainment
    • Firewood & Heating
    • Gardening
    • Home Improvement
    • Lawn Care & Landscaping
    • Pets & Animals
  • Fitness & Recreation
    • Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ)
    • Bushcraft & Camping
    • Hiking & Walking
  • Nature & Outdoors
    • Trees & Shrubs
    • Weather & Seasons
  • Technology & Internet
  • Travel & Destinations
  • Writing & Blogging
    • Ramblings & Opinion
You are here: Home / Hiking & Walking / Hiking at Minnewaska State Park

Hiking at Minnewaska State Park

September 7, 2006

Welcome to one of the wonders of the world…well almost. It should be anyway.

Early this Spring, Laura and I decided to take our first motorcycle ride through the ridge. It was one of the first nice warm days of the year, so it was perfect for the type of ride we wanted to take. We decided to ride to Minnewaska State Park. I have heard a lot about the park, but from some reason, I always thought it was this big flat field. I was shocked at what I discovered.

Overlooking Fence and Lake at Minnewaska State Park

Minnewaska State Park Lake

Beautiful Pond

We got there by taking Rt. 55 from New Paltz towards Kerhonkson, NY. It is a really nice ride on a motorcycle. When you get to the bottom of the ridge and start climbing the mountain road, it gets pretty intense. There is a sharp hairpin turn there that will scare the hell out of you if you don’t follow the 5MPH speed limit. We kept riding up the mountain and saw the best view over the Hudson Valley on the left and rock climbers on the right, through the trees. About 5 miles in on the left hand side is the park. There is a dirt road with a small booth run by New York State Parks. I rolled up and gave the lady $6 for the entrance fee. I asked where the waterfall that everyone talks about was (Awosting Falls). She said to follow the dirt road about two miles to the parking area (it was really about 25 feet in on the left. I am surprised she didn’t hear the water falling). Anyway, we followed the dirt road all the way in and arrived at some spectacular views. There were people playing in the field and the most tranquil lake you would ever see, just sitting all the way up at the top of this mountain. I was really impressed by it.

We decided to park the bike and hike to the other side of the lake, where you could see the Catskill Mountains as a backdrop.

Cool Bridge in Woods

Gazebo on Top of a Rock Near Lake

View of Catskill Mountains from Minnewaska State Park


We passed a really nice little wooden bridge with the path going underneath it and some quiet picnic areas.

Picnic Table in Woods

When we got to the top of the area, where we could get the best view, we found a great field for football, baseball or whatever. The breeze was great up there, so you would be fine on even a hot day.

Large Lawn for Playing at Park

We must have asked about 5 people where the waterfall was. No one knew. They were all probably looking around just like us. We wandered back down the trail to continue our quest for Awosting Falls. With no luck up in that part of the park and with it getting dark, we decided to hop back on the bike and head for the gate. On our way to the gate, we noticed a little trail with a small sign on it: Awosting Falls. Ah ha! We parked the bike and walked down the path for a few hundred feet. The setting sun was so nice glistening off the river water. It is things like that I will remember forever. We finally got to the falls and were pretty excited. They had a very nice drop and reminded me of the falls up in Ithaca, NY


Awosting Falls Lake

Awosting Falls

We stayed at the falls for a while and walked back up to the waiting motorcycle while putting our helmets on for the trip home.

Related posts:

  1. Mashamoquet Brook State Park in Pomfret, CT
  2. Devil’s Hopyard State Park in East Haddam
  3. Visting Gillette Castle State Park in East Haddam, CT
  4. Hiking at Gay City State Park
  5. More Hiking At Devil’s Hopyard State Park

Filed Under: Hiking & Walking

What’s Next? Email Updates!

If you enjoyed reading this post as much as I enjoyed writing it, why not sign up to receive my posts by email? It's free and you can unsubscribe at any time!

Comments

  1. Rickie Nothstein says

    November 4, 2014 at 2:32 pm

    Thank you for the pictures of my old stomping grounds. I love the flats right before the Awosting falls. My parents used to take us there in the summer months when the water wasn’t rushing down them.

    I have pictures of the hairpin turn (deadmans curve) when the wall on the edge of it was about 2 1/2 to 3 feet high. We used to park there and watch the cliff climbers. Now it is just about gone. My dad wrecked his new 1955 Buick Special right there coming home one foggy evening.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CONNECT WITH ME

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • RSS
  • Twitter

RECEIVE MY POSTS BY EMAIL!

Interested in receiving my posts by email? This is your chance! Simply place your email address in the box below and I'll deliver each and every post I write directly to your inbox.

Copyright © 2021 · Jay Gaulard My Personal Blog Blog · About · Best Of · Contact · Privacy / Terms · Sitemap