Carriage Roads of the Mohonk Preserve

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Ulster County, NY, US

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Route Overview

Electric Bikeways

Loop routes for your electric bike in New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and Pennsylvania

16 mi.

1,689 ft.

Shimmering Mohonk Lake lies at the heart of this route, but is by no means the only attraction. Climb to the top of the ridge for sweeping views, then cruise under the canopy of cool pine and hemlock. A magnificent ride through the jewel of the Shawangunk Ridge.

Please note! If you purchase an annual membership to Mohonk Preserve, this entitles you to 7am entry, plus free parking/no entry fee. Otherwise, the day pass to ride the trails is $20.00 for cyclists.

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@photo[Shimmering Mohonk Lake](10702038) lies at the heart of this route, but is by no means the only attraction. Climb to the top of the ridge for @poi[sweeping views](41190041), then cruise under the canopy of cool pine and hemlock.

There are over 70 miles of well-tended carriage roads that thread the woods, fields, hollows and cliffsides of [Mohonk Preserve's](https://www.mohonkpreserve.org/) 8000 acres. This loop route introduces you to the unique beauty of this rocky, pitch pine-laced jewel in the heart of the Shawangunk Ridge, the southernmost region of the Catskill Mountains in eastern New York State.

For this 15.8-mile loop ride, you'll start in the lot at the Mohonk Preserve Testimonial Gateway, off Route 299 and just west of the Gate House Road intersection. Here you'll also find a restroom and trailhead kiosk. The entrance fee for bike riders -- $20.00 -- is a little more than for the hiking public ($10.00), but if you have a Mohonk Preserve Plus Annual Membership ($105.00/year), that covers your fees. It also allows you to enter the park at 7am, instead of 9am, when the park opens to the general public. If you're an early riser, I can enthusiastically recommend the crack-of-dawn option.

Begin at the magnificent beginning: cycle between the legs of the @photo[Testimonial Gateway](10701943), a stone arched memorial to the wedding of the couple that founded the preserve. From there, continue beneath the umbrage of a wide @poi[pin oak allee](41190037), with vistas across shaggy farmlands and barns. The Mohonk ridge, too, lies ahead, and soon the road cuts gently uphill and into the preserve.

For the most part, any electric bike will make easy work of the hills on the carriage roads, but you'll want to put on your climbing legs for the steep uphill portion just past Duck Pond.

The Sky Top Tower, atop Skytop Crag, acts as a sort of pivot around which you circumnaviate the ridge on carriage roads. Here and there glimpses of the stone tower — there are exactly 100 steps to the top floor — open up through the pines.

In other spots, a gazebo peaks down from high on a ridge. Or, the @poi[Mohonk Spring house](41190042) appears in a remote area of the preserve, with just enough trickle of mountain water to call to you from the trail.

The shimmering jewel in the crown of this ride is, of course, glacial Mohonk Lake, and the 150-year-old resort that shoulders up to its shore. Your first glimpse of @photo[the Mountain House](10702039) comes as you ride along the pines of Lake Shore Road: a massive, rambling, unforgettable inn with a historic past and lively (if really, really expensive) present. You're free to explore the grounds of the resort -- just don't enter the Mountain House itself unless you're a guest of the inn.

Contine along, this time -- briefly -- past @photo[the barn](10702041) and then onto paved roads through a small settlement. You enter the forest again shortly.

This route is one of surprises, and scenery as rich as anywhere in the Northeast. There’s not a dull part of this bike ride, and as I ride along, a favorite carriage road is replaced in my estimation by the one right after it.

Along @poi[Humpty Dumpty Road](41190041), you can stop to take in views of a valley of gigantic white boulders called “Giant’s Workshop”.  And more: the hemlock and pitch pine forest. The massive white Shawangunk conglomerate boulders, covered with rock tripe lichen. @photo[The shaggy cedar post fencing.](10702145) Small, perilously-perched gazebos leaning out over pale rocky cliffs. That deep blue early springtime sky. The gargling crows on the updrafts. @photo[A winding carriage road. ](10702140)

Follow the route as it winds through the preserve, and leave yourself enough time to stop here and there, take pictures, or have a picnic lunch in one of the rustic gazebos along the way (again, Humpty Dumpty Road is a favorite stopping place).

Or, leave that picnic for another time, and plan to visit colorful New Paltz. The college town, full of interesting restaurants, cafes and breweries, makes a perfect bookend to a morning of Mohonk exploration.

* Nearby New Paltz, New York is a college town with a walkable, colorful and eclectic mix of shops and restaurants.
* [Mountain Brauhaus](http://www.mountainbrauhaus.com/) (3123 Route 44, at the corner of US 299) is a favorite post-climb hangout for 'Gunks climbers and cyclists. The food is German; I recommend the spaetzle, a rich, cheese-lashed dumpling.
* Gardiner, New York, is a seven-mile drive from the Testimonial Gateway. It's another sweet spot for an after-ride lunch (or before-ride breakfast). Try [Cafe Mio](https://www.miogardiner.com/) for breakfast for a superb, fresh, locally-sourced omelet or their veggie-tofu scramble.
* There's camping nearby! Stay at the [Sam Pryor Shawangunk Gateway Campground](https://americanalpineclub.org/gunks-campground) run by the American Alpine Club. You don't have to be a climber! It's a four-mile, mostly flat bike ride from the campground to the start of this route.
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# More resources

Mohonk Preserve opens at 9am for the general public, but you can access the park at 7am -- the golden hour of park solitude! -- by becoming a [member of the Mohonk Preserve](https://www.mohonkpreserve.org/how-to-help/join/join.html). It will set you back $105.00, but the price of admission is worth the early (and free!) access to Mohonk's magnificent trail system.

The best trail map for Mohonk Preserve comes from the [New York-New Jersey Trail Conference](https://www.nynjtc.org/view/hike_nj?utm_campaign=25315116&utm_source=g_c&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=425747902315&utm_term=b_best%20hiking%20trails%20new%20jersey&adgroupid=839279706&gclid=CjwKCAjwzMeFBhBwEiwAzwS8zHXDzSYczIAPVG1vz_JNMK6aeSLQFK3qPy-ccPN5sWml3yWRrtSKxhoCvuMQAvD_BwE). Their [Shawangunk map set](https://www.nynjtc.org/maps/shawangunk-trails-map), containing three maps of the Shawangunk area, is available in hard copy (waterproof, tear-proof Tyvek material) or digital format, for use with the Avenza map app.

# Important Reminders

Lots of dirt, some stones, some beautiful cinder, and a brief paved section in the Mountain House area make up your route.  A hybrid bike at the very least, or a mountain bike is your best bet.

There are a few rustic outhouses along the way. You'll find one @poi[just west of Duck Pond](41190039), and one just past the Mountain  House.

Unless you're staying at the @poi[Mountain House](41190040), there is no access to the interior of the house or lake swimming. There are also no food facilities for the outside public.

A @poi[spring house](41190042) on Forest Drive provides fresh flowing water, but if you're uncomfortable drinking fresh-from-the-ground spring water, bring your own -- there are no other sources of water once you leave the parking area.

Remember, only Class 1 (pedal-assist) electric bikes are allowed on the Mohonk Preserve trails, as well as adjacent Minnewaska State Park trails. And you should never ride your bike on trails designated for foot traffic only.

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Carriage Roads of the Mohonk Preserve

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