Minnewaska State Park, Awosting Falls, Bull Wheel, High Peter's Kill Trail, 5.6 Miles RT, 2,175' Max Elevation, February 28, 2026

February 28, 2026

Today we went back to Minnewaska to continue along the Awosting Falls Trail. We planned to hike to the Bull Wheel Trail and loop back on the High Peter’s Kill Trail. We arrived shortly after the lot opened at 9 a.m., and people were just starting to filter in.

We took the Awosting Falls Trail past the waterfall and along the scenic Peter’s Kill stream. This trail is a wide carriage road. It was still covered in ice and snow and the waterfall was flowing, but parts of it were also still frozen. We continued until we reached the footpath for the Awosting Falls Connector Trail and followed it to Route 44. After crossing the road to the High Peter’s Kill parking area, we found the Red Loop footpath and followed it briefly until reaching the Bull Wheel Trail.

From there, we gradually ascended to an open area filled with pitch pines and the remains of a concrete slab which was once the base of a tower that supported a pulley for a ski lift. This was part of the Ski Minne downhill ski area that operated from 1964 to 1978. The pulley, known as a “bull wheel” is how the trail got its name.

We continued past the impressive cliffs of Dickie Barre, where the Bull Wheel Trail ends and connects with High Peter’s Kill, which also follows the route of the Shawangunk Ridge Trail. We climbed through a notch in Dickie Barre, followed by another descent, and eventually reached an open area where pitch pines grew on the exposed rock ledges at Compass Rock. The views here were incredible, and we could see far north all the way to the Catskills. I pulled out my PeakFinder app to identify some of the high peaks.

After spending some time taking it all in, we continued along High Peter’s Kill, with more ups and downs along the way, until we reached the stream. We stopped for a bit to listen to the flow of the water and relax. After crossing two bridges, the trail began to climb again.

We were hiking on a mix of snow and along the exposed rocky outcrops of the beautiful Shawangunks, with views over the valley. The trail followed the ridge above Peter’s Kill and eventually, we could see Route 44 again. The trail began to parallel the road until it led us back to the main parking area.

The temperature had warmed up quite a bit throughout the day, making the hike along the ridge especially slushy, slippery, and a little more challenging. But the sun was shining, and it was a gorgeous day.

We ended it with a stop at Rough Cut Brewing for burgers and brews heading back to the city.

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Minnewaska State Park, Mossy Glen Trail, Awosting Falls, 5.6 Miles RT, Max elevation 1,745', February 21, 2026

February 21, 2026

It was a beautiful day at Minnewaska State Park. There was much more snow than the last time we were here a few weeks ago, when it was mostly hard-packed ice on the trail. This time, the ice was covered by a few more inches of snow, but we were able to hike in microspikes and didn’t need to switch into snowshoes.

We hiked the Mossy Glen Trail, as we did last time, and thought we might continue on to the viewpoint at Castle Rock. But the trees were heavy with snowmelt, and we were getting a little wet ducking under the rhododendrons and brushing past the pines. It was a bit warmer today, even though the sun never came out.

When we reached the end of Mossy Glen, we decided to head back the way we came and enjoy the trail in the opposite direction. When we arrived back at the parking lot, it was still fairly early, so we took the Awosting Falls Trail to see the falls, which we’d never been to before. There were beautiful ice flows along the trail, and near the falls we saw blue ice.

I made a note to continue on this trail next time.

After the hike, we stopped at Rough Cut Brewing for burgers and IPAs. It was a great day.

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Minnewaska State Park Preserve, Mossy Glen, Lake Awosting, 5.9 Miles RT, 574' +/-, January 11, 2026

January 11, 2026

IIt has been a month since we’ve been able to go out for a hike, and I have been craving that balance between nature and city. This past weekend was our first hike of 2026, and getting out into the woods was much overdue. I had been wanting to check out Minnewaska State Park Preserve for some time, and today we made the hour and forty-minute drive out of the city to explore it.

Minnewaska State Park Preserve is located on the Shawangunk Ridge in Ulster County, New York. The Shawangunk Mountains, aka The Gunks, extend from the northernmost point of the border with New Jersey to the Catskills. It’s a continuation of the easternmost section of the Appalachian Mountains. In New Jersey, this ridge is known as Kittatinny Mountain, which we have hiked many times in the Delaware Water Gap.

With the freeze-thaw conditions over the past week or so, I knew the terrain would be a mixed bag of mud, snow and hard-pack ice requiring traction. We brought our microspikes and snowshoes, which I keep in the back of my car throughout the winter just in case there’s enough snow for snowshoeing. I’d studied the winter recreation map, as some trails are closed to hikers during the winter, and chose the Mossy Glen Trail to Lower Awosting Carriage Road to the lake and back.

We entered the main parking area just off Route 44, where there is a kiosk, and a helpful ranger handed us a map and advised us on trail conditions that would require microspikes throughout. There was a $10 fee, which goes back to fund the park, which I did not mind paying. To be honest, I’m so used to hiking in remote areas with no facilities or information that sometimes I really appreciate a nice, paved parking area with bathroom facilities and a visitor center!

The morning was chilly, but there was no wind, and the sun was glistening on the ice-covered carriage road, which begins the hike. Then we entered the glen, which runs along the Peterskill stream. The trail undulated through beautiful hemlock, pitch pine, hardwoods, and rhododendron tunnels. There were wooden bridges to cross over the stream and wooden planks to navigate along the trail. Along Peterskill stream, we walked across large flat rocks layered in about six inches of hard-pack ice. The day could not have been more beautiful.

The Mossy Glen Trail terminates at the junction for the Blueberry Run footpath. You can continue south on the Blueberry Run Trail up to Castle Point Ledge, or north, crossing back over Peterskill to the Lower Awosting Carriage Road. We chose to cross back over the stream, continue southwest to Lake Awosting, and then head back along the carriage road to return to the trailhead. Lake Awosting is one of The Gunks’ five naturally occurring “sky lakes.” It was looking pretty well frozen today.

After checking out the lake, we made our way back, crunching along the carriage road in our microspikes. From here we caught a glimpse of the Catskills just north in the distance. We passed a few people out for a walk with their dogs, some wearing traction and some slipping and sliding without. It was about 12:30 pm, and we decided to grab lunch and a couple of brews up the road at Rough Cut Brewing. By the time we were ready to get back on the road, the sun was covered by clouds, the winds were picking up, and there were a few snow showers passing through. We got back to the city just in time to enjoy the rest of the evening, warm, cozy, and satisfied with our much-needed time spent in nature.

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