6 BEST Things to do in New Paltz, New York

New Paltz is a beautiful town located in upstate New York. It is only a little over an hour drive from Manhattan, and there are also bus lines that go through both places. My girlfriend and I were in New Paltz for only 3 days, but we were able to pack our days with awesome activities. This article will cover all of the best things to do in New Paltz, New York.

6 Best Things to do in New Paltz, New York

The best top things to do in New Paltz are Mohonk Lake and Mountain House, Minnewaska State Preserve, Kettleborough Cider House, Huckleberry, McGillicuddy’s, and Antique shops.

Mohonk Lake and Mohonk Mountain House – Best hike and views in New Paltz

Mohonk Mountain House is a luxury hotel that sits on Mohonk Lake. The hotel is beautiful, and closely resembles a ski resort. To get to the lake, you must hike around 1 hours. They only let guests drive through the gate. While the cost to hike to Mohonk Lake is $35, I would still say it’s worth it.

Along the way to the lake and resort, there are some cool look out structures built along the paths which offer great views of the surrounding mountains.

Once you arrive at the lake, you should take a left and walk along the path that takes you up the cliffs. There are multiple great lookout points along the way.

We just hiked to the top of the lake’s cliffs, but there is another trail that leads up to the Sky Top Tower. This is one of the highest points in the county, so you can see for miles. If you want to visit the tower, you should go to Sky Top Road.

I also strongly suggest that you walk through the Mohonk Mountain House garden. It is located right in front of the resort’s entrance, and it is open to guests. There is a variety of colorful flowers and plants, along with wooden structures that you can climb up.

Minnewaska State Preserve- Best waterfall and swimming in New Paltz

Minnewaska State Preserve is about a 10 minute drive from downtown New Paltz. A great feature about the park is that they don’t charge an entrance fee for hikers. At the beginning of the park there is a waterfall called Awosting falls. This is known as the best waterfall in New Paltz.

Unfortunately, there was a drought when we were there (picture on the left). But the picture on the right shows what it looks like in normal times.

Even though there was a drought, Awosting waterfalls was still a scenic spot to enjoy our lunch.

Aside from the…