Plan Your Visit

To plan a visit to Minnewaska State Park Preserve, aim to arrive at the 9 a.m. opening, because on good-weather days the lots fill and the gate closes until spaces open. Bring $10 for parking (or an Empire Pass), water, food and a bag for your trash, since the preserve has no trash cans and no cooking. If you are going to Sam's Point on a weekend or holiday between mid-April and November 15, reserve parking in advance. Check the posted closing time: it ranges from 9 p.m. in early summer to 5 p.m. in winter.

When to Go

• Weekdays are the easy days. Buses and horses are limited to non-holiday weekdays for a reason.
• Summer: longest hours (to 9 p.m. in June and most of July). The swimming areas are closed until the 2027 season, so do not plan around a swim.
• Fall: the busiest season. Searches for Minnewaska peak in October, and the lots fill fastest. Go early on a weekday.
• Winter: quieter, with cross-country skiing and snowshoeing when there is snow; the preserve closes at 5 p.m.
• Spring: waterfalls run high; check for soft carriage roads that close to bikes.

Weather

NY State Parks runs a live weather station at the Lake Minnewaska Visitor Center, linked from its Minnewaska page. The visitor center sits at about 1,650 feet, so conditions on the ridge can differ from New Paltz in the valley. Check it before you drive.

What to Bring

• Water and food. There is no cooking in the preserve and no trash cans.
• A trash bag to carry everything out.
• A map: the free PDF, the Avenza app, or the $5 topo map from the visitor center. See trail map.
• Good shoes for footpaths; the Ice Caves Trail has ladders and narrow crevices.
• A helmet if you are biking.
• A six-foot leash if you bring a dog.

Restrooms and Visitor Centers

• Lake Minnewaska Visitor Center: public restrooms, maps, exhibits; by the upper lot. (845) 255-0752.
• Sam's Point Visitor Center: open year-round, exhibits and a children's area. (845) 647-7989.

Getting There

• By car: main entrance at 5281 Route 44-55, Kerhonkson; Sam's Point at 400 Sam's Point Road, Cragsmoor. NY State Parks puts Minnewaska within an hour and a half's drive of New York City.
• By bus: Ulster County's free Nature Bus stops at Minnewaska on Saturdays from late April to the end of September.

See parking.

Winter at Minnewaska

NY State Parks lists cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in winter and publishes a Winter Recreation Map. Ski fees are $12 for adults and $10 for seniors and skiers 17 and under; snowshoes rent for $15 a day for adults and $14 for 17 and under. Dogs are not allowed on groomed ski trails while they are open for skiing. Biking stops when roads are snowy or icy. Ice fishing is not permitted on any park lake.

Accessibility

NY State Parks' pages list the Lake Minnewaska Visitor Center's restrooms and lobby, and the carriage roads are wide graded gravel, the gentlest surfaces in the preserve. It does not publish an accessibility guide for the trails, so call the visitor center at (845) 255-0752 to ask about current access before you go.

Programs

Guided hikes and nature programs run every month and are free unless noted, from bird walks to hikes to Kempton Ledge. NY State Parks lists them on its events page.

Before You Leave Home

1. Check NY State Parks' Minnewaska page for alerts (closures, biking status, swimming).
2. Note the day's closing time. See hours.
3. For Sam's Point on a weekend, book parking.
4. Download the map.
5. Read the rules: no drones, smoking, alcohol, glass or grills.