Waterfalls Near New Paltz: Awosting Falls and Beyond

The waterfalls near New Paltz that are simplest to plan around are Awosting Falls at Minnewaska State Park Preserve and Split Rock on the Coxing Kill at Mohonk Preserve, each about 20 minutes west of NYS Thruway Exit 18. Verkeerder Kill Falls at Sam's Point and Kaaterskill Falls in Greene County take 50 to 60 minutes to reach, and each of the four has a parking catch worth knowing before you leave the house.

Drive times start at Farmers Choice New Paltz, 1 Old Route 299: Minnewaska's from our Minnewaska State Park page, the rest OpenStreetMap and OSRM estimates rounded to five minutes, with no traffic. To see the ridge from the car instead, our Shawangunks leaf-peeping road trip maps a loop from the same exit.

How do you get to Awosting Falls?

Minnewaska State Park Preserve is on Route 44/55, five miles west of the Route 299 intersection in Gardiner, and its address is 5281 Route 44-55, Kerhonkson. It is about 11 miles and 20 minutes from the store, and it is open 9AM to 7PM through October 12, 9AM to 6PM from October 13 to 31, and 9AM to 5PM from November 1.

Awosting Falls is on the Peter's Kill, near the park's entrance road. The park's own trail map places the Lower Parking Area close to the falls and lists Awosting Falls as a 2.5-mile round trip of about an hour and a half from the Lake Minnewaska Visitor Center.

Minnewaska charges a per-vehicle entrance fee, posted on the State Parks page for Minnewaska. Swimming is not permitted in any stream or waterfall in the park preserve, and there are no trash cans, so carry out everything you bring.

The park's trail map also marks Stony Kill Falls, on the park's western side, as open seasonally, with a parking area at the start of the half-mile Stony Kill Trail. Call the Lake Minnewaska Visitor Center at 845-255-0752 before driving out for it late in the year.

Where do you park for Awosting Falls on a fall weekend?

Wherever there is still room, which can run out on a clear October weekend. State Parks says Lake Minnewaska sees extensive congestion on good-weather days, closes intermittently as its parking lots reach capacity, and asks drivers not to park on the shoulders of nearby roads. Plan to arrive near the 9AM opening, or come on a weekday.

Mohonk Preserve publishes a suggested hike to Awosting Falls from its West Trapps Trailhead, 3700 Route 55, Gardiner, but that route starts on Preserve land, so it takes a Mohonk membership or day use fee, and the Preserve says the West Trapps lot fills very early on peak weekends too.

Split Rock on the Coxing Kill at Mohonk Preserve

Mohonk Preserve's Coxing Trailhead, at 800 Clove Road in Gardiner, is about 11 miles and 20 minutes from the store. It is the start of the Preserve's Valley View Loop, which the Preserve describes as the Split Rock waterfall on the Coxing Kill plus a forest path through hemlock groves that connects to the Overcliff Carriage Road, with views of the Clove Valley and the Catskills. Split Rock is at the site of the former Enderly family sawmill.

Coxing is the Preserve's smallest parking lot, and it fills very early on peak weekends, so arrive early on a fall Saturday or Sunday. Mohonk Preserve trailheads are open daily from sunrise to sunset, and going onto Preserve land past the trailhead takes a current membership or a day use fee. Our full-day Mohonk Preserve plan and Mohonk Preserve page cover its other trailheads.

Verkeerder Kill Falls at Sam's Point

The Sam's Point Area is the southernmost section of Minnewaska State Park Preserve, at 400 Sam's Point Road in Cragsmoor, about 28 miles and 50 minutes from the store.

State Parks describes Verkeerder Kill Falls as a 187-foot waterfall on private property, and asks visitors to respect that and stay on the trail. The Sam's Point trail map lists the falls as a 5.5-mile round trip of about three and a half hours from the Sam's Point Visitor Center.

This is the one waterfall on the list that needs a booking. Parking reservations are required on weekends and holidays through November 15, made through ReserveAmerica. Sam's Point has a small parking facility, State Parks suggests arriving early or visiting on non-peak days, and it warns that cars parked on nearby road shoulders will be ticketed or towed.

Is Kaaterskill Falls within an hour of New Paltz?

Just about. The Laurel House Road Parking Area, off North Lake Road in Greene County, is about 41 miles and 60 minutes from the store. From that lot, the state Department of Environmental Conservation says a firm gravel trail runs 0.3 miles to an observation platform overlooking the falls, and DEC lists that trail among the site's wheelchair accessible features. A 0.7-mile hike from the same lot continues down a moderately steep slope to the lower pools at the base.

Plan around parking. The Town of Hunter restricts parking on Route 23A, parking is prohibited in all vehicle pull-offs on Route 23A in Kaaterskill Clove from May through October, and illegally parked vehicles are ticketed and towed. DEC recommends the Laurel House Road, Scutt Road or South Lake parking areas, and says to move on if a lot is full.

Kaaterskill Wild Forest is open year-round with no fee, though DEC notes a day-use fee may apply to parking inside the North-South Lake campground. DEC's rules at the falls prohibit fires and glass containers, keep visitors out of the water within 150 feet upstream of the top of the falls, and require visitors to stay at least 6 feet from cliff edges except on marked trails. DEC also warns that flash floods may occur around the falls.

Keep a purchase sealed until home

Two of the land managers on this list ban smoking outright. Minnewaska State Park Preserve, the Sam's Point Area included, posts "No Smoking, No Vaping, No Cannabis" for the whole park preserve, and Mohonk Preserve prohibits smoking of any kind on Preserve property. New York's Office of Cannabis Management says nobody in a vehicle, driver or passenger, may open cannabis packaging, and that smoking cannabis in a vehicle is illegal whether it is moving or parked. Anything you buy rides home sealed, and our guide to New York cannabis laws covers the rest.

Farmers Choice New Paltz at Exit 18

Farmers Choice New Paltz is at 1 Old Route 299, where Route 299 meets NYS Thruway Exit 18, and Route 299 is the road west toward Minnewaska and Mohonk Preserve. The store is open 8AM to 10PM daily for adults 21 and over with a valid government-issued photo ID, and a Farm Hand can walk you through what is in stock, from formats to aromas and labels.

Order Now from the New Paltz menu once the day is done; most orders are ready inside an hour.