New York’s Minnewaska State Park gains 291 acres

Kerhonkson, N.Y. — Minnewaska State Park Preserve, in Ulster County, has expanded by 291 acres, helping conserve an important section in the northern Shawangunk Mountains in the Hudson Valley.

Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office said the protection of these lands as part of the New York State Park system provides an opportunity to safeguard natural resources and represents a valuable addition for accessibility and future recreational improvements. The addition of these acres also advances the state’s goal to conserve 30% of its lands and waters by 2030, in line with the global 30 x 30 Initiative to protect the world’s lands and waters.

The completed acquisition was made by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation from the Open Space Institute Land Trust, Inc. using the State’s Environmental Protection Fund for a total of $641,000. These latest acquisitions continue to enhance, expand, and protect biodiversity and ecosystem services, such as important wildlife habitat and preventing fragmentation of the forest in the northern Shawangunk Mountains.

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These parcels also increase recreational opportunities on the north end of the park and protect important views both from the park and the adjacent Rondout Valley.

The addition of this acquisition brings Minnewaska State Park Preserve to 23,974 acres. The park is situated on the dramatic Shawangunk Mountain ridge, which rises more than 2,000 feet above sea level and is surrounded by rugged, rocky terrain. The park features numerous waterfalls, three crystalline sky lakes, dense hardwood forests, incising sheer cliffs and ledges opening to beautiful views, clear streams cut into valleys, 35 miles of carriage roads and 50 miles of footpaths on which to bike, walk and hike.

“Minnewaska is one of the most loved parks in New York State with its trails, carriage roads, and Visitor’s Center attracting more than a million visitors a year,” Palisades Interstate Park Commission Executive Director Joshua Laird said in a governor’s office press release. “Minnewaska is now the third largest state park in New York.”

Minnewaska State Park Preserve protects a wilderness gorge through which the Peterskill stream flows, along with several rocky summits, including Dickie Barre, Ronde Barre and portions of Rock Hill.