Very interesting site, thanks to those who set it up. I can't believe it's not more active!!
Now that the lands of Awosting Reserve have been made public and annexed by Minnewaska State Park, I was wondering if anyone can give advice regarding trails and trailheads in this area. I know that there's supposed to be a parking area off Aumick Road, but that's as much as I can find out. Any info on trails farther up the ridge would be greatly appreciated. I was hoping that some of the veterans on this site may have explored this area before Bradley closed the Long Path and all access to the area; I think a trail map is too much to ask for, but it sure would be nice!
Awosting Reserve Trails
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MrAnderson
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- Location: New Paltz
Lake Awosting Hike ideas
http://eastvillagepodcasts.com/2006/07/ ... new-paltz/
My girlfriend and I hiked the upper carriageway to Lake Awosting from the upper parking lot ... if you click on the photo in the above link, you can see a few pictures..
3.5 miles in and out. gradual grade up as you go in.. and the opposite as you go out, of course. Well worth the exertion. We love the area.
John
My girlfriend and I hiked the upper carriageway to Lake Awosting from the upper parking lot ... if you click on the photo in the above link, you can see a few pictures..
3.5 miles in and out. gradual grade up as you go in.. and the opposite as you go out, of course. Well worth the exertion. We love the area.
John
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MrAnderson
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- Location: New Paltz
Thanks for trying to help, but the land I'm referring to is the Awosting Reserve (Lake Awosting is not part of this parcel), not Minnewaska State Park. Awosting Reserve is located south of Minnewaska Park and is the parcel that all the "Save the Ridge" effort was directed at. Although bought by the state and will be annexed by the park in the future, I don't think it is yet open to the public. The rangers I've spoken to this summer indicated that trails have yet to be marked.
The ridge was saved, and now I want to hike it!!
The ridge was saved, and now I want to hike it!!
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Joe DeFalco
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- Location: Long Island, New York
Also looking for Awosting Reserve Trail Map
I took a walk without a map in the newly acquired Awosting Reserve. There is a carriage road that runs from a gate off Aumick road. Here are directions:
Take Rt 44/55 west through Gardiner to County route 7. Follow County Route 7
south to Tillson Lake Rd on right. Follow Tillson Lake Rd to Aumick rd on
right. Follow Aumick Rd about 1.5 miles to an undeveloped gravel roadway on
the left that is gated and contains a State Park sign. Park off the road
anywhere up to the gate.
I'd suggest calling the park to see if there is a map out. I haven't found one. Without a map, I walked up a carriage road to just below the crags. With a map, you could most likely find your way to mud pond and lake awosting.
Hopefully, someone will post something more explicit than what I've provided. Have fun!
-VT
Take Rt 44/55 west through Gardiner to County route 7. Follow County Route 7
south to Tillson Lake Rd on right. Follow Tillson Lake Rd to Aumick rd on
right. Follow Aumick Rd about 1.5 miles to an undeveloped gravel roadway on
the left that is gated and contains a State Park sign. Park off the road
anywhere up to the gate.
I'd suggest calling the park to see if there is a map out. I haven't found one. Without a map, I walked up a carriage road to just below the crags. With a map, you could most likely find your way to mud pond and lake awosting.
Hopefully, someone will post something more explicit than what I've provided. Have fun!
-VT
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petercbenson
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- Location: Poughkeepsie, NY
That's great news! Thanks for the directions. What are some of the features of the Carriage Road hike that you took? I'm a little hazy on the exact location of the new land-- Do you think this aquisition could open up hikes into the Palmaghatt Kill in the future? I'd love to rediscover some of the lost Minnewaska Mtn House trails there.
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johnseward
- Posts: 5
- Joined: Mon Sep 25, 2006 10:48 am
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CRB
AWOSTING PPPPPPRESERVE MAPS
NY/NJ trail Conf. maps are alright... definatly not the best trust me...as for gettin some maps for this new land aquisition by the NYS OPRHP(state parks)... you will be able to obtain free maps from the state park within months....probably 2-4ish months.. of both minnewaska, awosting PRESERVE ( not reserve!!!!!!) and sams point ( NYSOPRP has just aquired about 98% of sams point as well.... for MAPS if you are really interested i would suggest emailing my at cbsublim81@yahoo.com. (I HAVE ALL THESE MAPS!!!!!!!!!
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Ridge70
Awosting Reserve trails
I've been up the Awosting Reserve roads many many times now since it was opened up nearly a year ago - I filmed the news conference - very exciting day! Anyway, I went up there without a map and figured I would just "wing it." One of the things I love about the gunks is that you really can't get lost. If you follow the main Aumick Road entrance all the way up, it takes you to the Long Path and Spruce Glen footpath which leads you right to Lake Awosting. The gravel road off Aumick is pretty much a main road with very few intersections/turnoffs. However, you have to know which road to follow to get to where you want to go.
Keep in mind, this road inclines pretty steadily throughout. It's great exercise! The beginning of the road basically runs along the Palmaghatt. You can actually veer off the main road and follow the Palmaghatt up to a certain point. However, I don't think the Awosting Reserve property includes the Palmaghatt so you can't access it. There are signs there indicating as such. Even still, there are some cool visuals there.
When you have to get back on the main road you're basically walking on a carriageway through the woods. The road itself is really no different than the ones at Minnewaska.
There are several "open" clearings on this main gravel road. The first one is off of a small road on the left. It's the first main turn-off. Not sure what Bradley was intending on doing there but it was definately blasted. The interesting thing about this area is that if you sit above the pit you can start to see some views of the valley. The road basically ends here. You can scurry up and follow some paths that lead you back to the main road or the next open area just behind this one.
This second open area has a small manmade (?) pond and shed. Oh, I can't forget about the small desk and yellow vinyl/chrome chair at that site either! Anyway, after you pass through this area (maybe 5-10 minutes) you'll run into a small stream and there's a road that forks off to the right. If you just continue straight (over the stream) you can get to Mud Pond but it'll take a while. I haven't been that way before but I've checked out satellite imagery and you can pretty much make out the roads. If you take the road on right you'll get to Spruce Glen, Long Path, Lake Awosting etc. Just make that right and keep following the road. It starts to get challenging at this point cause these roads incline quite a bit. And every time I go up there I think "I'm almost there! But I'm not!"
You run into the last open area on this road which is on the right. I believe at this point you're in the vicinity of Hamilton Point (although you can't see the cliffs even in the winter). I remember this area in the fall had some really nice wildflowers and colors. Lotsa blackberries too. Leave this area and keep going. As you're walking, look behind you and you can start to catch glimpses of Hamilton Pt and Castle Pt etc. It's pretty visible when the leaves are down. You'll come upon some small streams here and there until you ultimately get to a "T" intersection (it'll take about 15-20 minutes or so from that last open area). When you come to the "T" intersection you have to go either left or right. Going left, again, takes you to Mud Pond - it hooks up somewhere to that road I mentioned earlier. I've only gone that way once but it really wasn't too difficult. It does take at least 45 minutes though to get to Mud Pond from this point. If you make the right, you get to Lake Awosting, Long Path, Spruce Glen etc.
At this point (making the right) you're off the main road and on a footpath. After a few minutes you reach the crags (I believe Margaret Cliff area). This area is my favorite. You're walking alongside the crags and hemlocks (-?). Very enchanting spot. It's short but very cool. Then you basically run into signs for Mud Pond, Lake Awosting, and the Long Path. From here, you can consult the published trail maps.
From the entrance, it'll take about an hour and a half to get to the "top" near the Lake Awosting area. I'm usually stopping and taking pics and so forth but I've estimated it to be as such. Walking back down takes about an hour and ten minutes as you're now basically going downhill. It would probably take about 1/2 hour to get back down on bike.
I love this Awosting Reserve because it's not crowded at all. I hope it stays this way. I think it will because most tourists want to drive up to Minnewaska and be at the top. They will most likely be bored with the Awosting Reserve. I was last up there back in early February after we had several inches of snow and I was the first one up the road. It was great! No tracks yet! I felt like I owned the place. You can really just walk and take all of nature in undisturbed. I rarely go to the main Minnewaska area because it tends to have too many people. Plus, my favorite spots are in those areas between Mud Pond and Lake Awosting. Now that the formerly closed Long Path between Mud Pond and Verkeerderkill Falls has been cleared and reopened, you can go that way too. I don't know if there was a formal announcement that the Long Path was reopened but I went up there last November with the Trail Conference and we cleared that section of the path. We actually went in via private landowner's property, the Concors (Upper Mtn Rd), who own the Falls. You can actually access the Falls from the bottom. But, this was special permit so, unless you know them, you can't access the property.
I have many pics of the Awosting Reserve. I can send if you're interested. Or, just go up yourself and check it out!
Keep in mind, this road inclines pretty steadily throughout. It's great exercise! The beginning of the road basically runs along the Palmaghatt. You can actually veer off the main road and follow the Palmaghatt up to a certain point. However, I don't think the Awosting Reserve property includes the Palmaghatt so you can't access it. There are signs there indicating as such. Even still, there are some cool visuals there.
When you have to get back on the main road you're basically walking on a carriageway through the woods. The road itself is really no different than the ones at Minnewaska.
There are several "open" clearings on this main gravel road. The first one is off of a small road on the left. It's the first main turn-off. Not sure what Bradley was intending on doing there but it was definately blasted. The interesting thing about this area is that if you sit above the pit you can start to see some views of the valley. The road basically ends here. You can scurry up and follow some paths that lead you back to the main road or the next open area just behind this one.
This second open area has a small manmade (?) pond and shed. Oh, I can't forget about the small desk and yellow vinyl/chrome chair at that site either! Anyway, after you pass through this area (maybe 5-10 minutes) you'll run into a small stream and there's a road that forks off to the right. If you just continue straight (over the stream) you can get to Mud Pond but it'll take a while. I haven't been that way before but I've checked out satellite imagery and you can pretty much make out the roads. If you take the road on right you'll get to Spruce Glen, Long Path, Lake Awosting etc. Just make that right and keep following the road. It starts to get challenging at this point cause these roads incline quite a bit. And every time I go up there I think "I'm almost there! But I'm not!"
You run into the last open area on this road which is on the right. I believe at this point you're in the vicinity of Hamilton Point (although you can't see the cliffs even in the winter). I remember this area in the fall had some really nice wildflowers and colors. Lotsa blackberries too. Leave this area and keep going. As you're walking, look behind you and you can start to catch glimpses of Hamilton Pt and Castle Pt etc. It's pretty visible when the leaves are down. You'll come upon some small streams here and there until you ultimately get to a "T" intersection (it'll take about 15-20 minutes or so from that last open area). When you come to the "T" intersection you have to go either left or right. Going left, again, takes you to Mud Pond - it hooks up somewhere to that road I mentioned earlier. I've only gone that way once but it really wasn't too difficult. It does take at least 45 minutes though to get to Mud Pond from this point. If you make the right, you get to Lake Awosting, Long Path, Spruce Glen etc.
At this point (making the right) you're off the main road and on a footpath. After a few minutes you reach the crags (I believe Margaret Cliff area). This area is my favorite. You're walking alongside the crags and hemlocks (-?). Very enchanting spot. It's short but very cool. Then you basically run into signs for Mud Pond, Lake Awosting, and the Long Path. From here, you can consult the published trail maps.
From the entrance, it'll take about an hour and a half to get to the "top" near the Lake Awosting area. I'm usually stopping and taking pics and so forth but I've estimated it to be as such. Walking back down takes about an hour and ten minutes as you're now basically going downhill. It would probably take about 1/2 hour to get back down on bike.
I love this Awosting Reserve because it's not crowded at all. I hope it stays this way. I think it will because most tourists want to drive up to Minnewaska and be at the top. They will most likely be bored with the Awosting Reserve. I was last up there back in early February after we had several inches of snow and I was the first one up the road. It was great! No tracks yet! I felt like I owned the place. You can really just walk and take all of nature in undisturbed. I rarely go to the main Minnewaska area because it tends to have too many people. Plus, my favorite spots are in those areas between Mud Pond and Lake Awosting. Now that the formerly closed Long Path between Mud Pond and Verkeerderkill Falls has been cleared and reopened, you can go that way too. I don't know if there was a formal announcement that the Long Path was reopened but I went up there last November with the Trail Conference and we cleared that section of the path. We actually went in via private landowner's property, the Concors (Upper Mtn Rd), who own the Falls. You can actually access the Falls from the bottom. But, this was special permit so, unless you know them, you can't access the property.
I have many pics of the Awosting Reserve. I can send if you're interested. Or, just go up yourself and check it out!
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apgar-tc
Awosting Reserve Trails
I am the cartographer with the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference, and we are currently updating the Shawangunks mapset (20ft contours, updated trails and land boundaries, new color scheme, etc.). At the current time, we do intend to include the network of woods roads throughout the Awosting Reserve.
Keep your eye out for the new mapset in a couple months!
Keep your eye out for the new mapset in a couple months!
Aumick Road to Mud Pond
When going from Aumick Road to Mud Pond and have just passed the second open area, the one with the pond, you will shortly arrive at another intersection. Go straight ignoring the partialy washed out road on the right. A very short distance later is another intersection. The road to the right and up hill leads to Spruce Glen.
At this point continue straight, crossing a stream after a few hundred feet later. After the stream, at the next intersection, turh sharply right and up the hill, most of the vehicle tracks will be going that way also.
After going up hill you will arrive at the "T" mentioned in a earlier post. At this point turn left for Mud Pond. If you go right you are heading towards Spruce Glen and will see Margret Cliff ahead.
After turning left towards Mud Pond, the gravel road is fairly level. Just after the Rhododendrons appear the road dead ends. At this point a low cliff will be on your right. Do not despair, as I did this Friday, Mud Pond is just on the other side of the cliff. Once on top of the cliff Mud Pond comes into view. The trail from Lake Awosting is about (100) feet to your right and is the easier way down to the pond.
I would like to suggest that you take the trail to Lake Awosting and Spruce Glen back. Do not go down to Lake Awosting but make a point to take Long Path over Murray Hill. The views from ther are great.
At this point continue straight, crossing a stream after a few hundred feet later. After the stream, at the next intersection, turh sharply right and up the hill, most of the vehicle tracks will be going that way also.
After going up hill you will arrive at the "T" mentioned in a earlier post. At this point turn left for Mud Pond. If you go right you are heading towards Spruce Glen and will see Margret Cliff ahead.
After turning left towards Mud Pond, the gravel road is fairly level. Just after the Rhododendrons appear the road dead ends. At this point a low cliff will be on your right. Do not despair, as I did this Friday, Mud Pond is just on the other side of the cliff. Once on top of the cliff Mud Pond comes into view. The trail from Lake Awosting is about (100) feet to your right and is the easier way down to the pond.
I would like to suggest that you take the trail to Lake Awosting and Spruce Glen back. Do not go down to Lake Awosting but make a point to take Long Path over Murray Hill. The views from ther are great.
Re: Awosting Reserve Trails
apgar-tc wrote:I am the cartographer with the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference, and we are currently updating the Shawangunks mapset (20ft contours, updated trails and land boundaries, new color scheme, etc.). At the current time, we do intend to include the network of woods roads throughout the Awosting Reserve.
Keep your eye out for the new mapset in a couple months!
Great news! Want you folks to know your work is MUCH appreciated. The maps are very well done. Hope people are also thinking of an electronic version.
P.S. (I understand the need sometimes to take a trail off the map but I hope NYNJTC will be generous in incluting little "tails" that hint at a trail These have been helpful..