Winter walk in Minnewaska State Park - Kerhonkson, NY
With Spring just a week away I decided it was the perfect time to share one last Wintery adventure. Even though let’s be realistic, it will be cold here in New York for another few weeks lol. But as much as I adore the snow I am so thrilled that Spring is nearly here and pretty soon we will be surrounded by green and flowers! Yay! But I really do try to be present in the moment and enjoy the current season and hiking through Minnewaska in the snow seemed like the perfect way to enjoy the last few days of Winter. Minnewaska is a New York State park in Kerhonkson which is just about 3 hours away from where we live on Long Island and is the perfect spot to head to when we don’t feel like going too far but want to get away. My boyfriend and I have been there in pretty much every season except the Winter, so it was so cool to see it in all its snowy/icy glory.
The main trail that goes around Lake Minnewaska is closed for skiing so if you’re planning on visiting very soon and want to get views of the lake you won’t be able to do that unless you’re skiing. I’m not 100% sure when that ends but we had no idea that was the case until we got to the booth to pay for entry, so I figured I would mention that. You can however, walk the trail that leads to Awosting Falls and that is something I definitely recommend. This trail is quick and easy in my opinion, there are some slightly steep areas as you go down but nothing super difficult. We have done this trail before in the fall and in the summer, so seeing it covered in snow was super cool. There were some areas of ice where the trail got a little slippery but they were easily passable as long as you take your time. The ice actually made the trail more exciting in my opinion because it created these gorgeous, massive cascading stalactite-type shapes down the sides of the rock walls which was really incredible to see. Once you get to the bottom of the trail it leads you right to Awosting Falls which looked so stunning with all the ice frozen around it. We were pleasantly surprised to see that the falls were still flowing pretty steadily despite all the ice and snow around the area. The small pool that the falls flow down into was also starting to thaw just a bit but was mostly still frozen. You can get really close to the falls here on a little path to the left which was pretty amazing and was definitely my favorite part. ( just be careful!)
If you’re itching to have a little wintery adventure before spring officially rolls in I would recommend visiting Minnewaska and walking the Awosting Falls trail. There was a lot less people than there normally is and we basically had the entire trail and the falls to ourselves for the most part which always makes me happy. lol But honestly I would recommend visiting in any season, it’s just a pretty place all around and definitely worth a visit no matter the weather.
