AMBLEWAY Wildest hikes

Minnewaska State Park Preserve

Castle Point Carriage Viewpoint–Castle Point, 9 sights

14.5 mi · ▲ 1,574 ft · 5 hr 37 min

Castle Point Carriage Viewpoint–Castle Point, 9 sights is a 14.5-mile out-and-back in Minnewaska State Park Preserve near Granite, NY. The route passes Lake Awosting, Lake Awosting Beach, Rainbow Falls Trail (Orange) Viewpoint and 2 more before reaching Castle Point Carriage Viewpoint at the turnaround, 7.3 miles in. It climbs 1,574 ft, with sections as steep as 19% grade. It scores 83/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: genuinely wild.

Elevation

0 mi1,191 – 2,182 ft · steepest grade: 19%15.0 mi

Getting there

Trailhead: Unnamed 41.73388, -74.29739
Nearest town Granite, NY
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Directions

AMBLEWAYwww.ambleway.com

Castle Point Carriage Viewpoint–Castle Point, 9 sights

14.5 mi · ▲ 1,574 ft · 5 hr 37 min

Elevation 1,192–2,183 ft

Out & Back · Minnewaska State Park Preserve

Trailhead: 41.73388, -74.29739

Weather Sep 7: sunrise 6:30 AM · sunset 7:22 PM

  1. Start at the trailhead, heading NW.
  2. 0.2 miTurn left, heading W.
  3. 0.3 miTurn left, heading SE.
  4. 0.4 miBear left, heading S.
  5. 1.4 miTurn left onto Smiley Carriage Road, heading S.
  6. 1.2 miContinue straight onto Stony Kill Carriage Road, heading E.
  7. 50 ftTurn right onto Smiley Carriage Road, heading E.
  8. 0.7 miPass Lake Awosting.
  9. 0.1 miContinue straight onto Lake Awosting Carriageway (Black), heading S.
  10. 0.7 miPass Lake Awosting Beach.
  11. 250 ftContinue straight onto Castle Point Carriage Road (Blue), heading S.
  12. 0.1 miPass Rainbow Falls Trail (Orange) Viewpoint.
  13. 250 ftTurn right onto Wolfjaw Connector, heading SW.
  14. 50 ftTurn left onto Castle Point Carriage Road (Blue), heading E.
  15. 0.4 miContinue straight onto Hamilton Point Carriage Road (Yellow), heading S.
  16. 500 ftTurn left onto Scenic Trail Scramble (Violet), heading SE.
  17. 50 ftPass Castle Point.
  18. 50 ftPass Castle Point Carriage Viewpoint.
  19. 300 ftTurn left onto Castle Point Carriage Road (Blue), heading SE.
  20. 50 ftTurn right onto Blueberry Run Trail, heading SE.
  21. 250 ftTurn right onto Castle Point Carriage Road, heading SE.
  22. 1.4 miSharp right, heading NE.
  23. 150 ftReach Castle Point Carriage Viewpoint, then turn around and head back the way you came.
  24. 1.4 miTurn left onto Blueberry Run Trail, heading W.
  25. 300 ftTurn left onto Castle Point Carriage Road (Blue), heading NW.
  26. 50 ftTurn right onto Scenic Trail Scramble (Violet), heading W.
  27. 250 ftTurn right onto Hamilton Point Carriage Road (Yellow), heading SW.
  28. 500 ftContinue straight onto Castle Point Carriage Road (Blue), heading SW.
  29. 0.4 miTurn right onto Wolfjaw Connector, heading W.
  30. 50 ftTurn left onto Castle Point Carriage Road (Blue), heading NW.
  31. 0.2 miContinue straight onto Lake Awosting Carriageway (Black), heading W.
  32. 0.8 miContinue straight onto Smiley Carriage Road, heading W.
  33. 0.8 miTurn left onto Stony Kill Carriage Road, heading SW.
  34. 50 ftContinue straight onto Smiley Carriage Road, heading SW.
  35. 1.2 miTurn right, heading W.
  36. 1.4 miBear right, heading N.
  37. 0.4 miTurn right, heading NE.
  38. 0.3 miTurn right, heading NW.
  39. 250 ftArrive back at the trailhead.

Each distance is the walk from the previous step. Tap a step for a map of its junction.

Trail map, photos and weather for this hike: www.ambleway.com/hikes/castle-point-carriage-viewpoint-castle-point-carriage-viewpoint-out-back-10-sights

Trail surface

59% gravel2% dirt39% unspecified

Weather

Sunrise 6:30 AMSunset 7:22 PM

Sunset

The best sunset spot on this hike is 6.0 mi in (~180 min). Leave by 4:03 PM for the 7:22 PM sunset. Back at your car by 10:10 PM, after dark — bring a headlamp.

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