Minnewaska State Park Preserve

Lake Minnewaska from the cliffs on the eastern shore
Gertrude's nose from Hamilton Point
Lake Awosting in fall
Castle Point Trail in Minnewasaka State Park

The Minnewaska State Park Preserve is a 22,275-acre (90.14 km2)[1] preserve located on the Shawangunk Ridge in Ulster County, New York on US 44/NY 55, five miles (8.0 km) west of New York State Route 299. The park, which features scenic overlooks of the nearby Catskill Mountains, is primarily used for picnicking, hiking, mountain biking, snowshoeing and swimming. The park is managed by the Palisades Interstate Park Commission and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

Four of the five sky lakes on the Shawangunk Ridge lie within the preserve: Lake Minnewaska, Lake Awosting, Mud Pond (also known as Lake Haseco), and Lake Maratanza; Mohonk Lake is on the property of the Mohonk Mountain House to the north of Minnewaska. Lake Minnewaska is a bit less than one-half mile (0.8 km) long by one-eighth mile (0.2 km) wide at its widest point. Lake Awosting is roughly three times as large, with a length of about one and an eighth miles (1.8 km) and a maximum width of about one-quarter mile (0.4 km) mile.

  1. ^ "Section O: Environmental Conservation and Recreation, Table O-9". 2014 New York State Statistical Yearbook (PDF). The Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government. 2014. p. 673. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 16, 2015. Retrieved March 6, 2016.