North-South Lake, North Point, The Catskills, NY
Trail Description: This great day hike in the Catskills at North-South Lake utilizing multiple trails offers stunning views such as Artists Rock, Sunset Rock, Newmans Ledge, and North Point. Also, some popular features such as Ashley Falls, Badmans Cave, and more.
Trail Info:
Where: Haines Falls, NY Distance: 7.0m (4-5 hours) Difficulty: Difficult Trail Type: Loop Features: Views, Mountains, Valley, Lake, Water, Cave, Catksills, Hudson Valley
How to get there:
93 North Lake Road, Haines Falls, NY 12436
https://goo.gl/maps/9rUFAjK3PieRJY7U9
Put the address above in your GPS. You will need to drive through the state park to find the trail. As you get closer, you will pass Scutt Road on the right, then go past the guardhouse. Turn right onto the first fork around the lakes heading south. Follow this road passing a big parking lot on the left until you reach another big parking lot at a dead end, past the pavilions. Park in this area and the trail will start in the back corner.
Hiking Tips
Not great phone service, so make sure to screenshot a map. Or my guide!
Lots of signage throughout trail, but keep an eye on the trail markers.
The Hike
This is a long one folks. Make sure you have all the snacks and hydration necessary on this hike. Once you are ready to go, head to the back right corner of the parking lot for the start of the trail, away from the picnic pavilion and lake area. There will be a gate with a stop sign. Go around the gate and start your trek on the yellow trail toward the old Catskill Mountain House, the first of many sites and views on this hike.
There will be a junction with the blue trail. Continue to walk straight across the field at the area of the old Catskill Mountain House. Off the ledge of the field will be the first view of the hike overlooking the Hudson Valley.
Turn around and head back toward the junction across the field. Stick to the right and continue following the blue trail until you see the North Lake signage. Past the guardrail with a stop sign, cross another parking lot to re-enter the woods & head straight across to find the blue trail. I did not see a sign (could have missed it) but just keep an eye for the blue markers.
Pass the picnic tables and this will lead to walking along a chain link fence to the right. At the end of the fence, there is a view off a porch ledge. Keeping straight on blue, the next item to pass is a registration box.
From here, the hike will begin to have an incline. In about 10 minutes will be the first viewpoint, Artist’s Rock. The first of many views on this hike.
Continue on the blue trail as the trail gets steeper toward the next viewpoint, Sunset Rock. There will be a set of cliffs above on the right. Sunset Rock viewpoint sits above these cliffs. The trail will eventually get you there. There will be a sign to hop on the yellow trail for Sunset Rock in 0.2 miles.
Keep a lookout for the markers, then turn right onto the yellow trail. The views will just open up and another incredible view will be had. But this isn’t Sunset Rock quite yet. Keep along the yellow trail and in a few minutes there will be a big rock to the right. I was actually too enamored with the view, I did not take a picture of the rock! But it will be pretty obvious & there is a sign. This area will have the best views of the hike. There will be views of North-South Lake with the Catskills in the background. Pretty jaw dropping in my opinion.
From here, retrace your steps from the yellow trail back to the blue trail. Turn right at the blue/yellow junction to rejoin the blue trail. There will be signage for Newman’s Ledge, 0.2 miles away, and North Point, 1.6 miles away. The trail will get steeper but in minutes you will reach more awesome views off of Newman’s Ledge.
In about 0.6 miles the next point of interest is Badman's Cave following the blue trail.
Continue on the blue trail as it becomes steep then levels out in an open area before re-entering the woods. In 0.6 miles there will be a junction with the red marked Mary Glen’s Trail. The red trail will need to be used but for now continue on the blue trail toward North Point. There will be a sign showing only 0.3 miles to North Point. The ascend for the next 0.3 miles is one of toughest in the hike. There will be a sign for North Point. The views will be beautiful as the Catskills will be right in your sight.
After you soak in the last of the amazing views, begin to head back toward the junction with the red trail. Take a right to hop on the red trail. This will be a rocky, steady decline as you eventually reach the sign for the North Lake Campsite, which will be another 0.6 miles. This will lead around the lakes onto the paved roads of the campsite. Continue to follow the red trail as you cross a footbridge over a stream. There will be a sign for Ashley Falls off the yellow trail if you wanted to take a look, it was very short but no waterfalls on this hot day in the middle of the summer.
Continue on the red and take a left on the road by the campsites. Then it will be almost a mile until you get back to the parking lot. At least it is a flat surface to end! Whew, what a hike. Tough but so many views.
HIKING FOR DONUTS
Hi, I’m Mark. I live in Connecticut. I take new trips every chance I get. A good trip has a great hike, great food, and something fun to do. My goal is to search out new trips and share them to inspire others to try something new and exciting.
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Minnewaska State Park Reserve
Minnewaska State Park Reserve Trail Guide (Kerhonkson, NY)
Minnewaska State Park Reserve is located in Kerhonkson, NY on the Shawangunk Ridge. The park is full of numerous awesome hiking trails to spend hours exploring. This post will cover Awosting Falls, Lake Minnewaska, and Kempton Ledge. Great picturesque views through out the hiking trails. A great visit visit to Minnewaska State Park reserve. Hiking for Donuts approved.
Trail Description: Minnewaska State Park Preserve is situated on the Shawangunk Mountain ridge. This park offers a variety of intersecting hiking trails that offer magnificent views. A great day hike consists of capturing Awosting Falls to cliff views off Kempton Ledge and back around Lake Minnewaska. This will offer best landscapes of the park.
Trail Info:
Where: Minnewaska State Park Reserve, Kerhonkson, NY Distance: 5.5 miles (4 hours) Difficulty: Moderate Trail Type: Loop Features: Views, Waterfall, Mountains, Lake, Cliffs, Views
How to get there:
The park is easy to find and it’s a cool drive. The address for the GPS is:
5281 Route 44-55, Kerhonkson, NY 12446
Once entering the park, you will pay the $10 parking fee at the guard shack. For this hike, pull straight ahead into the Awosting Falls parking lot.
Hiking Tips:
Get there early for a less crowded trail. It can be chaos.
There are no signs for the Kempton Ledge but there will be a big opening off the cliff ledge with a big open view. If you keep your eyes out, you won’t pass it.
The trails are well marked but there are areas that are not as obvious. Having a map will be handy.
The Hike
Finally getting around to some hikes I did in the summer! I have seen amazing pictures online of Lake Minnewaska. My girlfriend has told me memories of her hiking in this park and how much there is to offer. On this past Memorial Day Weekend, we decided to head to Minnewaska State Park Reserve in Kerhonkson, NY located on the Shawangunk Ridge. The park is full of many trails and provides some spectacular views of Lake Minnewaska and overlooks the Catskill Mountains. You can spend hours exploring or just come for a quick hike. The one downfall I was warned about it how unbelievably crowded this park can be. And, that was definitely the case. There are many parking lots in walking distance to pretty nice views and picnic table areas hence there will be lots of families. And, the trails are not that difficult. They are mostly carriage roads and can be flat. As one blog I read on this hike stated, you will find more peace and quiet at Walmart. However, the exploring of this park is completely worth it and there are many trails that are less trafficked.
Given the knowledge of the potential crowds, we started our drive toward Minnewaska early and got there as the park opened at 9am. Note, parking will cost $10 inside the park. Not bad in my opinion. Once you enter the park, you will pay at the guard shack. There are many lots to park. Since there weren’t many people there yet, we pulled straight ahead into the Awosting Falls parking lot. The busier it gets, the further you will have to park from the guard shack. Our agenda for this day was to check out Awosting Falls, Kempton Ledge, and finish with trail around Lake Minnewaska. Once parked, we followed the signs to the Awosting Falls Trail.
About a half mile from the parking lot, we found ourselves descending 60 feet into a wide open view of the falls. This is actually a decent size waterfall and there are multiple different viewpoints. You can climb the rocks up on the side of it and get close like I did. Meanwhile, Nichole got stuck videoing an engagement proposal. She was like did you see that? Not a chance, there was a waterfall in front of me!
At this time, there was no one really at the falls so I took advantage of it. After taking a half hour of pics, Nichole was ready to get this hike moving along. We headed back the same way we came. We found the orange blazed Sunset Carriageway on our left as we approached the road. We started taking the trail up the switchbacks. As we got closer to Lake Minnewaska, we noticed the parking lot to our left. This is where you would park if you didn’t want to hike the fun way. We kept on the trail and started following the red blazed trail labeled “Minnewaska Lake Loop.” There is a pretty awesome lookout right away of the lake and the cliffs.
Continuing on the red trail, we passed the swimming beach that gave another gorgeous view of the lake. After that, we came up to the bathroom facility. Then we noticed the sign for the blue blazed Castle Point Carriageway on our right. That is what we needed to get to Kempton Ledge. After about 30 minutes, you will arrive at Kempton Ledge. There is no sign for it but once you see the ledge, you will know. There is an amazing view.
We headed back the way we came and took the first right you can to the Hamilton Carriage Road (will see sign). We kept going straight ignoring the merging trails. Eventually, this road led us back onto the red blazed Lake Minnewaska Loop and right down to the edge of the water. Here you will get great views across the lake. This is where you find all those who parked at the top. This can be a crowded section on a busy day.
The red trail continues and becomes a little steeper. We noticed a viewpoint to our right that will display the Skytop Tower at Mohonk Mountain House. The skies weren’t as clear as we hoped this day but still a great view. After this, we kept climbing at the fork toward the white cliffs.
There was a wide open picnic area as we approached the top. We walked across the grass toward the cliffs and views of the lake. We decided to take a quick lunch as the views were beautiful. And, there was some solitude at this particular time.
After absorbing the views, we headed back around the lake staying as close to the lake as we could. The trails become less marked around this area. Looking for more red markings, we passed some private property and porto-potties. Taking the middle road to the left of the porto-potties, we walked by an open field of many picnic tables and families. This path gave us one last look of Lake Minnewaska before we reached the parking lot again. The orange trial (Sunset Carriageway) was on our right and we took that the same way we came up down the hill back out to the road. Following the signs to Awosting Falls parking lot, we made our way back to the car.
I had a blast on this hike. Minnewaska State Park Reserve has so much to offer. You can choose your trail and go as far as you like. There are so many awesome views to see. Yes, it can be crowded but I would just plan accordingly. I suggest going early because we didn’t hit the crowds much. And, you will know which trails will have more traffic, closer to the lake and the waterfall. The hiking paths are really wide and flat. Our hike on this day was just around 5.5 miles. This took us about 4 hours but I also was a photo whore so you can knock off 30-45 min from that. I would say it was easy to moderate only because of the mileage. I look forward to coming back to this park. Afterwards, we drove into the downtown area of New Paltz, NY that was about 10 minutes away from the park. And there were cool shops, restaurants, donuts, and a brewery. That is what I’m talking about! Hopefully I will be exploring more of what the Hudson Valley has to offer.
HIKING FOR DONUTS
A blog for the outdoors foodie enthusiast
Hi, I’m Mark. I live in Connecticut. I take new trips every chance I get. A good trip has a great hike, great food, and something fun to do. My goal is to search out new trips and share them to inspire others to try something new and exciting.
If you are looking for posts in a particular place, search by city or state here.
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Ninham Mountain Fire Tower Hike
Ninham Mountain Fire Tower Trail Guide (Carmel Hamlet, NY)
Hiking Ninham Mountain Fire Tower in NY. Another great Hudson Valley, NY hike. Easy hike, beautiful views.
Trail Description: Ninham Mountain Fire Tower is a short hike that provides an amazing 360 view of rolling hills, lakes, and reservoirs from the top. A glimpse of the Catskills can be visible with clear skies.
Trail Info:
Where: Ninham Mountain Fire Tower, Kent, NY Distance: 1.3 miles (1 hour) Difficulty: Easy Trail Type: Out and Back Features: Fire Tower, Lake, Views, Rolling Hills, Reservoir
How to get there:
As always, do your research on hikes. I read that finding the trail parking was an issue for some hikers. Luckily, I saw that and made sure we had the right directions. We found it pretty easy. It is in the middle of nowhere. The GPS I would enter is Mount Nimham Ct, Carmel Hamlet, NY 10512. This took us on the Taconic State Parkway. Once we were on Gypsy Trail Road, we made another right onto Mt. Nimham Ct. You will see a sign for Ninham Mountain Multiple Use Area. Follow this all the way down until you see the parking lot.
Hiking Tips
Finding the parking lot can be tricky.
The old stone chambers are directly across the parking area. This may be covered by bushes.
The Hike
Traveling through the Hudson Valley area once again, I was in search of a shorter hike. Always need to walk off the beer and donuts from weekend activities. I have a huge list of hikes to do in the area, but my girlfriend and I had some time constraints driving back to CT. Thankful for other hiking bloggers, I came across Ninham Mountain Fire Tower in Kent, NY. The hike was more of a walk with an incline, but the views were fantastic from the fire tower.
Wonder Lake.
Look for these signs at the entrance.
Where the Trail head starts. Parking area is to your left.
The trail head will start behind the gate. Before you even start, don’t miss the old stone chambers directly across the parking lot behind you like we did. We didn’t notice until we were ready to leave. The only reason we had these on our mind was that we read this area was full of paranormal activity. I took my pictures and walked away. I’m no ghost hunter.
Old stone chamber.
Now, onto the hike. Just continue up the gravel road. The trail is uphill but it’s not bad at all. Nothing too difficult but still a good workout. This seemed to be a popular trail for mountain bikers as well. It took us about 15-20 minutes to reach the fire tower.
pretty easy gravel road.
all the way up.
Ninham Mountain FIre Tower
The 360-degree view at the top of the tower was amazing. It was beautiful weather and a clearly visible day. You will see rolling hills, lakes, and reservoirs. The Catskills are also visible in the distance. After you have soaked it all in, you will come back down and walk the same path to your car. Pretty quick and easy. There are some trails you will see off the path but I can’t speak to those.
clear skies and rolling hills.
the money view.
Rolling hills a little closer.
Little overcast on this side of the tower.
Round trip and going up & down the fire tower, this is a total of 1.3 miles. This took us less than a hour. I am glad I came across this spot in my research. If you want the most bang for your buck, this jaunt checks all the boxes including a spectacular view.
HIking for donuts models.
HIKING FOR DONUTS
A blog for the outdoors foodie enthusiast
Hi, I’m Mark. I live in Connecticut. I take new trips every chance I get. A good trip has a great hike, great food, and something fun to do. My goal is to search out new trips and share them to inspire others to try something new and exciting.
If you are looking for posts in a particular place, search by city or state here.
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See where I have been recently on Instagram. Follow @HIKINGFORDONUTS