Mohonk Preserve In The News
Insider’s guide to cross-country skiing in Ulster County
by Alexandra Zissu
Times Union | February 10, 2023
For beginners, including families with young kids, Ruoff suggests Mohonk Preserve’s Overcliff-Undercliff loop as Overcliff is groomed for skiers. “That whole stretch out to Rhododendron Bridge is great,” he said of the approximately 2.5-mile, mostly flat path. At any point along Overcliff, skiers can easily turn around or finish the full 5-plus-mile loop for a challenge…”
A beginner’s guide to bouldering in the Hudson Valley
by Erin Quinn
Times Union | August 2, 2022
The easiest route to the sport of climbing is via bouldering: a full-body workout that only requires some shoes that grip, a pad to fall on, and some chalk to soak up the hand sweat.
In fact, bouldering is now the most common form of indoor climbing, with gyms sprouting up in cities as well as more rural areas that have popular outdoor climbing areas, like the Shawangunk Ridge, which is rich in rock-climbing routes and history as well as simple to complex bouldering puzzles…
Gardiner, N.Y.: Open Space and Mountain Views in Ulster County
by Karen Angel
NYTimes | July 6, 2022
The 50-mile Shawangunk Ridge is just one of the reasons New Yorkers are flocking to this Ulster County town, which is also prized for its wide-open spaces…
About 6,200 acres — 22 percent of Gardiner — is protected land, according to the town’s database of preserved land. The two major holders of protected land are the 8,000-acre Mohonk Preserve, with 1,990 acres in Gardiner, and the 24,000-acre Minnewaska State Park Preserve, which has 2,790 acres in Gardiner.
2022 Nature & the Outdoors Winners
Chronogram | July 1, 2022
Mohonk Preserve was voted the Chronogrammies Readers’ Choice Awards winner for Best Park/Preserve and runner-up for Best Hiking! Thank you to the 20,000 people who participated in this year’s Chronogrammies Readers’ Choice Awards.
Point of view: First impressions
by Abigail Gierke
HV1 | July 1, 2022
Events conspired to bring us here to the Hudson Valley, and in the beginning I didn’t realize how much I felt the absence of the Rockies. It didn’t take long, though. It was like a bad case of snow blindness was wearing off. This began to dawn on me during one of our regular visits to the Gunks in the Mohonk Preserve. It happened on the GT ledge looking out, eye to eye with the clouds and the vultures. An exuberant solemnity welled up within me. I was with my partner, and the route was challenging but not too difficult for us not to enjoy ourselves.
We sat there in awe of the landscape before us: a perfect combination of forest, water, rock, and the wildlife living above that lush green canopy below us. Sublime…
Long-term ice phenology records spanning up to 578 years for 78 lakes around the Northern Hemisphere
by Sapna Sharma and Additional Authors and Affiliations
Scientific Data | June 16, 2022
In recent decades, lakes have experienced unprecedented ice loss with widespread ramifications for winter ecological processes. The rapid loss of ice, resurgence of winter biology, and proliferation of remote sensing technologies, presents a unique opportunity to integrate disciplines to further understand the broad spatial and temporal patterns in ice loss and its consequences. Here, we summarize ice phenology records for 78 lakes in 12 countries across North America, Europe, and Asia to permit the inclusion and harmonization of in situ ice phenology observations in future interdisciplinary studies…
Mountain laurel is nearing peak bloom at Mohonk Preserve
by Erin Quinn
Times Union | June 13, 2022
The mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia) is blooming all along the Shawangunk Ridge and is due to be at peak flowering on or near June 15. This large, shade-tolerant shrub, which is native to North America, explodes in white and pale-pink hexagon-shaped blossoms that…
Mohonk Preserve offers free six-week passes to Ulster County residents
by DAILY FREEMAN
DAILY FREEMAN | May 20, 2022
Mohonk Preserve is offering county residents a free six-week pass as part of the Healthy Ulster Pass program.
The program is being offered from Wednesday, June 1, through Sunday, June 5. Visitors with proof of Ulster County residency may obtain their passes at the Preserve’s Testimonial Gateway Trailhead on Route 299 in New Paltz, or the Spring Farm Trailhead off Mohonk Road in High Falls from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Passes will be valid from June 1 through July 16.
Healthy Ulster is made possible through support from the Ulster Savings Charitable Foundation. Passes are limited and available while supplies last…
Peak time for birders
by Erin Quinn
HV1 | May 1, 2022
Birdsongs and mating dances are in flight right now as migratory birds flock to the region and resident birds tease out a breeding companion. “The last week of April through the first three weeks of May are really the peak times for birders,” said Steve Stan, a retired specialist from the Department of Environmental Conservation, an avid birder, and…
Minnewaska, Sam’s Point brace for Southern pine beetle attacks
by Erin Quinn
HV1 | April 29, 2022
The rare and beloved pitch-pine ecosystem is facing a threat brought on by global warming: the Southern pine beetle (SPB). Increasingly warmer temperatures have resulted in the SPB moving north over the last eight years…
71 acres of Shawangunk Ridge to be protected
by Tracy Ziemer
Times Union | March 30, 2022
Over 71 acres of the Shawangunk Ridge have been permanently protected by the Mohonk Preserve and The Shawangunk Conservancy. A group of Ulster County landowners seeking to protect over 71 acres of land from development in the northern Shawangunk Mountains has sold the parcel to two local nature conservancies to permanently preserve it.
After almost two years of planning, The Shawangunk Conservancy (TSC) and Mohonk Preserve announced on Tuesday that they purchased the 71-acre tract from The Shawangunk Conglomerate, a homeowners association of environmentally minded people who sought to protect the land…
Hike the Trails of Mohonk Preserve
by Anne Pyburn Craig
Visit Vortex | March 20, 2022
Protecting over 8,000 acres of mountain cliffs, forests, fields, streams, ponds, and other beautiful places, Mohonk Preserve is New York’s largest nonprofit nature preserve and a true local treasure, preserving what the Nature Conservancy has called one of Earth’s “last great places” for its bounteous biodiversity…
Birdwatching Spots
Visit Vortex | March 19, 2022
There are several areas of the Preserve that can be especially rewarding for bird-watching. The open fields at Spring Farm have a large population of nesting indigo buntings…
More Articles
Ten races to help runners in the region get back to normal
by Steve Schallenkamp
Daily Freeman | March 12, 2022
The 12th Annual Rock and Snow Bridge 2 Bridge 5-miler, presented by the Mohonk Preserve, is Saturday, April 9. All five miles are on the preserve’s unpaved, groomed carriage trails. Everything is centered around the spectacular Slingerlands Pavilion at Spring Farm…
An Equestrian’s Guide to Horseback Riding in the Hudson Valley
Hudson Valley Magazine
March 12, 2022
Whether you want to learn to ride like a pro or simply mosey along a trail, this stable of local resources will get you going straight out of the gate…
6 Hudson Valley Trails for Hikers of All Experience Levels
Hudson Valley Magazine | March 12, 2022
We may be biased, but the Hudson Valley is one of the best destinations in New York for enjoying the outdoors. With dozens of parks and mountains, there is an endless variety of miles to cover…
Winter is prime time to spot hawks, owls & eagles in the mid-Hudson
by Erin Quinn
Hudson Valley One | February 14, 2022
Wherever you are in the Hudson Valley this winter, there is likely to be an array of hawks, falcons, eagles and owls perched on a tree, swooping in on their prey or blending in with the bark of the tree cavity in which they’re roosting…
16 of the Best Day Trips from New York City
I LOVE NY | February 4, 2022
For amazing views of the Hudson Valley’s Shawangunk Ridge, head to Mohonk Preserve, just a couple of hours from the city. Hike on 70 miles of carriage roads and trails, bike on historic carriage roads, climb the world-famous Gunks cliffs, horseback ride, and run through forests, fields, and mountains. For rock climbers, there are more than 1,000 climbing routes, and plant and animal lovers will adore the discoveries awaiting them in the preserve’s 8,000 acres…
Activity Halted on Popular Hudson Valley Ridge
by Paty Quyn
Hudson Valley Post | February 2, 2022
For those of you who are brave enough to be out climbing the Shawangunk Ridge this time of year, there is an important closure that you should know about that was posted today by the Mohonk Preserve. Not being a climber or boulder myself, I am not very familiar with the places that are being mentioned in the closures that were posted today by the Mohonk Preserve. I am however a big fan of the ridge and it is exciting to see that its stewardship is being well looked after by the Mohonk Preserve…
Snowshoeing for beginners in mid-Hudson Valley
by Erin Quinn
Times Union | January 25, 2022
Light falling on snow has a contagious effect. You want to keep running after it, as if to saddle that sunshine to last you for the next few months. Snowshoeing can make it easier to soak in those fleeting rays. But fearing that snowshoes would be complicated to put on and present an entirely new sport to learn, I have been hesitant to try it. Until Rich Gottlieb, former owner of Rock and Snow outdoors shop in New Paltz, offered to take me out and provide a few pointers…
5 Hudson Valley Trails That Are Perfect for Winter Hikes
by Timothy Malcolm
Hudson Valley Magazine | January 5, 2022
Bundle up and hit the trails for cold-weather Hudson Valley hiking in the Catskills, Shawangunks, and across local state parks. Tired of waiting for warmer weather to go hiking? Plenty of local spots offer amazing sights even in the cold winter months. Here are some great recommended trails for novices looking for serious Hudson Valley views…
Inclusive outdoor programs ensure nobody gets left behind
by Chris Soto
Land Trust Alliance | January 1, 2022
Mohonk Preserve in New York has an active environmental education program for local K-6 students who look forward to their annual trip to the Preserve for field studies. The program was built on the knowledge that bringing students back to the Preserve every year will help them form lifelong connections to the land. But one day, Kathy Ambrosini, director of education, received a call from a special education teacher who let Kathy know children with disabilities were being left behind at school on these field days. Shocked, Kathy wondered how it was possible that they had been administering this program for years and didn’t realize they were missing hundreds of special education students. She immediately set out to correct the inequity…
A look back at Mohonk’s Undercliff/Overcliff Carriage Road Loop
by Erin Quinn
Hudson Valley One | December 31, 2021
One of the Mohonk Preserve’s most iconic routes is Undercliff/Overcliff, that oval-shaped 4.7-mile loop that takes visitors underneath soaring cliffs with rock climbers dangling above to the quietude of more forested Rhododendron Bridge and back along a meandering carriageway that opens up with breathtaking views of Clove Valley and rolling contours of the Catskill Mountains in the distance. Paul Huth, who worked for decades alongside of Dan Smiley and later as the director of the Daniel Smiley Research Center at the Preserve, can attest to the timelessness of this loop, which was built between 1902 and 1928…
A guide to locally sourced and renewable gifts
by Erin Quinn
Hudson Valley One | December 10, 2021
In the Hudson Valley we are surrounded by natural beauty. Yet, too often, we can become complacent, almost dulled as to what exists right outside of our own backyards. We stick to the same routines, the walk around the block, the elliptical at the gym, sometimes even the shuffle from the grocery store to the parking lot might be the only bit of fresh air we breathe in a day. This is where a gift-giving rupture can have life-changing effects. What if, we were to give our friends, family, loved ones, a membership to a local nature reserve or an arts center? It could literally be giving them a ticket to another type of life, one that is enriched by beauty, only a short walk or drive from their home…
Photos: New Paltz and Gardiner foggy landscapes
by Tania Barricklo
Daily Freeman | December 7, 2021
Clouds lie over the Shawangunk Mountains in Gardiner, N.Y., on Monday afternoon, Dec. 6, as seen from Butterville Road in New Paltz, N.Y…
Trail mix: Hiking the crown jewel of Mohonk Preserve
by Erin Quinn
Times Union | December 2, 2021
Lots of hikes in the Hudson Valley offer scenic views. But this particular loop, which is part of the 8,000-acre Mohonk Preserve, is special for the natural eye candy throughout and its accessibility. Being located near two beloved, longstanding dining spots for a post-hike reward doesn’t hurt. Iconic and well-traveled, the 4.7-mile Undercliff Carriage Road to Overcliff Carriage Road loop, located in the Shawangunk Mountain Range in Gardiner, is a year-round destination for every flavor of outdoor enthusiast: runners, hikers, bikers, snowshoers, cross-country skiers, boulderers and rock climbers…
Banner Photo by Gerald Liddelow
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