Mohonk Preserve
Vernal Pool–Bonticou Road, 6 sights
3.6 mi · ▲ 428 ft · 1 hr 25 min
Vernal Pool–Bonticou Road, 6 sights is a 3.6-mile out-and-back in Mohonk Preserve near Mohonk Lake, NY. The route reaches Vernal Pool at the turnaround, 1.8 miles in. It climbs 428 ft and is mostly gravel. It scores 76/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: genuinely wild.
Elevation
Getting there
Directions
Vernal Pool–Bonticou Road, 6 sights
3.6 mi · ▲ 428 ft · 1 hr 25 min
Elevation 787–1,138 ft
Out & Back · Mohonk Preserve
Trailhead: Whitney Road · 41.77928, -74.13663
Weather Sep 7: sunrise 6:29 AM · sunset 7:22 PM
Parking lot at the trailhead
- Start on Whitney Road, heading E.
- 250 ftTurn left onto Spring Farm Road, heading N.
- 50 ftBear left, heading NE.
- 0.7 miContinue straight onto Bonticou Road, heading N.
- 450 ftContinue straight onto Spring Farm Road, heading N.
- 50 ftTurn right onto Bonticou Road, heading N.
- 0.2 miSharp left onto Crag Trail, heading NE.
- 0.3 miTurn right onto Cedar Drive, heading N.
- 0.3 miContinue straight onto Table Rocks Trail, heading NE.
- 50 ftTurn right onto Cedar Trail, heading NE.
- 50 ftTurn left onto Cedar Drive, heading NE.
- 300 ftTurn left onto Cedar Drive Loop, heading E.
- 50 ftReach Vernal Pool, then turn around and head back the way you came.
- 100 ftTurn right onto Cedar Drive, heading E.
- 300 ftTurn right onto Cedar Trail, heading SE.
- 50 ftTurn left onto Table Rocks Trail, heading SE.
- 50 ftContinue straight onto Cedar Drive, heading E.
- 0.3 miTurn left onto Crag Trail, heading SW.
- 0.3 miSharp right onto Bonticou Road, heading S.
- 0.2 miTurn left onto Spring Farm Road, heading SE.
- 50 ftContinue straight onto Bonticou Road, heading SE.
- 450 ftContinue straight onto Spring Farm Road, heading SW.
- 0.7 miBear left, heading S.
- 200 ftTurn right onto Whitney Road, heading SW.
- 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 surface
Weather
Sunset
The best sunset spot on this hike is right at the trailhead, so there is no walk out. Be there by 7:02 PM to have the sun's last 20 minutes of sky before it sets at 7:22 PM. Your car is right there — dark at 7:50 PM.
Good to know
- Parking lot at the trailhead
More from Whitney Road Trailhead
- Koi Pond–Bonticou Road Loop, 3 sights 2.6 mi · ▲ 294 ft
- Guyot Hill–Bonticou Road Loop, 5 sights 2.7 mi · ▲ 173 ft
- Mohonk Mountain House Property Beach–Vernal Pool, 5 sights 2.9 mi · ▲ 447 ft
- Huguenot Drive–Kleine Kill Rd., 7 sights 3 mi · ▲ 179 ft
- Piney Woods & Terrace Path via Lenape Lane 3 mi · ▲ 205 ft
- Bonticou Road–Stokes Trail, 3 sights 3.1 mi · ▲ 387 ft
Get outside more
A wild hike near Mohonk Lake, emailed to you once a week.
Hikes near Mohonk Lake, New York