Spring Hiking in the Gunks

By Erin Quinn

Spring has sprung! The peepers are peeping, the trilliums and trout lilies are blossoming, and humans are getting a hankering to head out into the woods and onto the trails to take in the majesty of spring’s awakening after a long winter.

Where do you go to enjoy some of the subtle or more grandiose natural features of the Shawangunk Ridge? There are hundreds of miles of antique carriage roads to enjoy, as well as some less-visited but just as scenic trails that populate the Shawangunk Ridge – or the “Gunks,” as they’re lovingly referred to.

Here are three hikes that almost everyone can enjoy and they all begin at the Testimonial Gatehouse, a trailhead parking area for the 8,000-acre Mohonk Preserve, which is located less than a mile outside of the village of New Paltz: mohonkpreserve.org. Unlike the other trailhead parking areas of the Mohonk Preserve, the Gatehouse lot is almost never full and offers ample parking for cyclists, horse trailers, and those in motor and electric powered vehicles.

Right off the bat visitors start out with some amazing eye-candy. The is the breathtaking archway and tower of the historic Testimonial Gatehouse that was built in 1908 to celebrate the wedding anniversary of Albert and Eliza Smiley, founders of the Mohonk Mountain House. It served as the formal entrance for the mountain house resort and spa from 1908 to 1935. In those decades before the advent and popularity of motorcars, guests of the hotel would arrive by train in downtown New Paltz – which is today, the Wallkill Valley Rail-Trail – and then be taken to the gatehouse for check-in and transported along the 19th century Victorian carriageways to the hotel by horse and carriage.

Now, hikers can enjoy this same, romantic entrance to the Shawangunks by walking through the dramatic stone archway of the Testimonial Gatehouse, and stroll along the pin-oak alle all the way to Lenape Lane.

Easy Hike – Start at the Testimonial Gatehouse, walk along the beautiful tree-lined Pin Oak Allee. There are numerous benches to sit on along the route and a wooden gazebo in the field for a group to take in the scenery. Hikers can stroll along the allee and then cross over a pedestrian bridge that puts them onto Lenape Lane. This leads foot traffic (or horse traffic) through pastures that eventually narrow to Brook Farm. This is an old farm house, currently under renovation and restoration, to become the Preserve’s new conservation science and education facility. Just before the Brook Farm house is an active beaver dam. 

The route has hikers going up a bit further until they get to the White Oak Bend trail on their right. This will take them to Pine Road where they will take another right – past an old barn and another farm house – all the way until they can take one more right to loop onto the River-to-Ridge Trail that will take them back to the pedestrian bridge and the Testimonial Gatehouse. This is approximately a 3.5-mile hike that treats visitors to views of wildflowers in the meadows, red-tailed hawks, and soon the black and yellow bobo birds. The wonderful part about starting at the Testimonial Gatehouse is that there is almost always parking, and if you’re not up for a long walk, just taking a short stroll along the alle provides some beautiful vistas and a place to enjoy a sunset or a sunrise. 

Moderate Hike – From the Testimonial Gatehouse, continue up past Brook Farm all the way to the Mohonk Preserve Ranger kiosk. Here you will bear left onto the Duck Pond Road trail and as you wind up towards the pond, you will see the iconic Sky Top Tower, the highest point on the Shawangunk Ridge, perfectly framed between the foothills. 

If you follow the carriage road going right it will take you up above the pond, through a large meadow that overlooks the stunning conglomerate cliffs below Sky Top Tower. Hikers will take their next right onto Kleinkill Farm Road that will bring them back to Lenape where they can stroll back down towards the Testimonial Gatehouse. This hike is approximately five miles. 

Hard Hike – Hikers begin once again at the Testimonial Gatehouse and continue onto Lenape Lane, which they will take to Duck Pond. Once at Duck Pond, turn right and only 0.1-mile passed the pond, will be a wooden sign for “Duck Pond Trail.” This is a short but steep trail that takes hikers almost 900 feet straight up, on a singletrack trail with some water crossings, until reaching a carriage road at the top – as well as a wooden gazebo. This is the Forest Drive carriageway. Turn left onto the carriage road and follow it until you get to the intersection of Lake Shore Path. This will take you along the shores of Lake Mohonk and provide a wonderful view of the Mountain House Resort and Spa. Then, you can take the Sky Top Footpath (on the right) all the way up to Sky Top Tower. Visitors are able to climb the stone steps of the 100-foot tower. While the views of the ridge are dramatic during any type of weather, if it is a clear day, you will be able to see the entire Hudson Valley, the Hudson River and up to five different states. You can return the same way that you came, which round-trip would be a 9.2-mile hike. 

For those that are feeling very adventurous and are used to technical hiking, you can cross over Forest Drive Carriage Road and hop onto the Staircase Trail, which will take you through various rock scrambles and the infamous “Lemon Squeeze” all the way to Skytop Tower. This is an arduous climb and not for those afraid of heights or ledges! It goes from stone tower to stone tower! It’s a challenging hike but well worth the views and the sense of accomplishment to do the entire route. Make sure to take ample water and snacks. To follow the trail, having a paper map or digital map is advisable. 

Author’s Note: There is no access to the hotel for hikers. This is for guests only. Mohonk Preserve is a nonprofit land preservation and conservation organization that relies on membership and guest fees to help them to continue their mission of environmental stewardship and education. Day fees are $15 per person or $20 for cyclists and horseback riders. If you plan on visiting the 8,000-acre Mohonk Preserve more often, a membership is the best option: mohonkpreserve.org. 

The address for the Testimonial Gatehouse parking area is 35 NY Route 299, New Paltz, NY.

Erin Quinn (erinmaryquinn@gmail.com) is a professional ultrarunning coach, USA swim coach, and award winning journalist, and the host of the podcast, Start Where You Are: Running & Ultrarunning. To learn more, visit: erinmaryquinn.com.