AMBLEWAY Wildest hikes
Lake Minnewaska from cliffs.jpg
Juliancolton · CC BY-SA 4.0
Minnewaska State Park Preserve

Stony Kill Falls–Lake Minnewaska, 16 sights

14.2 mi · ▲ 1,552 ft · 5 hr 31 min

Stony Kill Falls–Lake Minnewaska, 16 sights is a 14.2-mile out-and-back in Minnewaska State Park Preserve near Lake Minnewaska, NY. The route passes Lake Minnewaska Beach, Scuba Diving Access Area, Lake Minnewaska and 5 more before reaching Stony Kill Falls at the turnaround, 7.1 miles in. It climbs 1,552 ft, with sections as steep as 19% grade, and is mostly gravel. It scores 81/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: genuinely wild.

Elevation

0 mi1,378 – 2,182 ft · steepest grade: 19%14.9 mi

Getting there

Trailhead: Unnamed 41.72853, -74.23731
Nearest town Lake Minnewaska, NY
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Directions

AMBLEWAYwww.ambleway.com

Stony Kill Falls–Lake Minnewaska, 16 sights

14.2 mi · ▲ 1,552 ft · 5 hr 31 min

Elevation 1,377–2,183 ft

Out & Back · Minnewaska State Park Preserve

Trailhead: 41.72853, -74.23731

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

Toilets at the trailhead · Parking lot at the trailhead

  1. Start at the trailhead, heading SE.
  2. 50 ftPass Lake Minnewaska Beach.
  3. 50 ftPass Scuba Diving Access Area.
  4. 50 ftPass Lake Minnewaska.
  5. 100 ftSharp right onto Lake Minnewaska Carriage Road, heading W.
  6. 50 ftTurn left onto Sunset Carriage Road, heading SW.
  7. 50 ftContinue straight onto Lake Minnewaska Carriage Road, heading SW.
  8. 200 ftTurn left, heading S.
  9. 0.3 miContinue straight onto Castle Point Carriage Road, heading S.
  10. 50 ftContinue straight onto Lake Minnewaska Carriage Road, heading S.
  11. 0.3 miTurn right onto Millbrook Mountain Carriage Road, heading SE.
  12. 0.2 miContinue straight onto Hamilton Point Carriage Road, heading SW.
  13. 250 ftContinue straight onto Castle Point Connector (no blaze), heading SW.
  14. 50 ftBear left onto Hamilton Point Carriage Road, heading SW.
  15. 50 ftBear right onto Castle Point Connector (no blaze), heading W.
  16. 0.1 miBear left onto Castle Point Carriage Road, heading SW.
  17. 2.4 miTurn left onto Blueberry Run Trail, heading NW.
  18. 300 ftTurn left onto Castle Point Carriage Road (Blue), heading SW.
  19. 50 ftPass Castle Point.
  20. 50 ftPass Castle Point Carriage Viewpoint.
  21. 50 ftTurn right onto Scenic Trail Scramble (Violet), heading SW.
  22. 250 ftTurn right onto Hamilton Point Carriage Road (Yellow), heading N.
  23. 500 ftContinue straight onto Castle Point Carriage Road (Blue), heading SW.
  24. 0.4 miTurn right onto Wolfjaw Connector, heading W.
  25. 50 ftPass Rainbow Falls Trail (Orange) Viewpoint.
  26. 50 ftTurn left onto Castle Point Carriage Road (Blue), heading W.
  27. 0.2 miPass Lake Awosting Beach.
  28. 50 ftContinue straight onto Lake Awosting Carriageway (Black), heading W.
  29. 0.4 miPass Lake Awosting.
  30. 0.3 miContinue straight onto Smiley Carriage Road, heading W.
  31. 0.8 miTurn right onto Stony Kill Carriage Road, heading SW.
  32. 1.3 miReach Stony Kill Falls, then turn around and head back the way you came.
  33. 1.3 miTurn left onto Smiley Carriage Road, heading S.
  34. 0.8 miContinue straight onto Lake Awosting Carriageway (Black), heading E.
  35. 0.8 miContinue straight onto Castle Point Carriage Road (Blue), heading SW.
  36. 0.2 miTurn right onto Wolfjaw Connector, heading SW.
  37. 50 ftTurn left onto Castle Point Carriage Road (Blue), heading SW.
  38. 0.4 miContinue straight onto Hamilton Point Carriage Road (Yellow), heading SE.
  39. 0.1 miTurn left onto Scenic Trail Scramble (Violet), heading E.
  40. 250 ftTurn left onto Castle Point Carriage Road (Blue), heading E.
  41. 50 ftTurn right onto Blueberry Run Trail, heading E.
  42. 250 ftTurn right onto Castle Point Carriage Road, heading E.
  43. 2.4 miBear right onto Castle Point Connector (no blaze), heading E.
  44. 0.1 miBear left onto Hamilton Point Carriage Road, heading E.
  45. 50 ftBear right onto Castle Point Connector (no blaze), heading NE.
  46. 50 ftContinue straight onto Hamilton Point Carriage Road, heading NE.
  47. 250 ftContinue straight onto Millbrook Mountain Carriage Road, heading NE.
  48. 0.2 miTurn left onto Lake Minnewaska Carriage Road, heading NE.
  49. 0.3 miContinue straight onto Castle Point Carriage Road, heading NE.
  50. 50 ftContinue straight onto Lake Minnewaska Carriage Road, heading NE.
  51. 0.3 miBear right, heading NW.
  52. 200 ftContinue straight onto Sunset Carriage Road, heading NW.
  53. 50 ftTurn right onto Lake Minnewaska Carriage Road, heading NW.
  54. 50 ftSharp left, heading NW.
  55. 50 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-out-back-9-sights

Trail surface

71% gravel20% dirt9% unspecified

Weather

Sunrise 6:30 AMSunset 7:22 PM

Sunset

The best sunset spot on this hike is 3.4 mi in (~98 min). Leave by 5:24 PM for the 7:22 PM sunset. Back at your car by 9:02 PM, after dark — bring a headlamp.

More sunset hikes nearby

Good to know

  • Toilets at the trailhead
  • Parking lot at the trailhead

More from this trailhead

Hikes near Lake Minnewaska, New York