F-SP2 Naturalist Guided Walks at Minnewaska State Park Preserve - Early Session

SP classes/dates vary | Available (Membership Required)

Minnewaska State Park 5283 State Route 44/55 Kerhonkson, NY 12561 United States
Outdoors
9/8/2025-9/29/2025
10:00 AM-1:00 PM on Mon
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F-SP2 Naturalist Guided Walks at Minnewaska State Park Preserve - Early Session

SP classes/dates vary | Available (Membership Required)

Note: To ensure broad participation, members are asked to register for only one Minnewaska class. A second section was added to accommodate more members. If space permits and you wish to attend both, please email Lifetime with your request.

Join Laura Conner, Environmental Educator at Minnewaska State Park, for a series of weekly, guided outings. Each modestly paced walk will take place on level, gravel-surfaced carriage roads and will feature education served with a side of scenic views, cultural history, and signs of wildlife. Two outings will also include short sections of narrow footpath walking. All walks will begin at the Lake Minnewaska Visitor Center at 5281 Rt 44/55, Kerhonkson, but one outing will meet at the Lower Parking Lot.

*Please note that participants need to be able to walk the distance of each outing in the allotted time frame (Approximately 4 miles).

PARKING: State residents who are 62 years of age or older pay no parking fee during the week, except on holidays.

Monday, 9/8/25 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.: Around the Lake with a Catskills View Walking around Lake Minnewaska, we’ll stop at all the scenic vistas. Then, we’ll continue to the quiet Beacon Hill Carriage Road, which offers a spectacular view of the Catskills. Distance: 4 miles round trip.

Monday, 9/15/25 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.: A Scenic Stream and a Waterfall, Meet at Lower Parking Lot  We will Walk Lower Awosting Carriage Road to reach the rustic bridge over the Peter’s Kill stream, whose clear waters gurgle as they cascade over the rocks below. Then, we’ll return along the level Mossy Glen Footpath and follow two carriage roads to reach Awosting Falls. Approximate Distance: 3.5 miles round trip.? 

Monday, 9/22/25 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.: Cliff Edge Fall Foliage View Join us for a picturesque walk along Millbrook Mountain Carriage Road, passing Patterson’s Pellet and other scenic views, on the way to the start of the Gertrude’s Nose Footpath. We’ll walk for five minutes on this trail to reach the first, rock-slab, scenic view before returning on the same route. Approximate distance: 4 miles round trip.  

 Monday, 9/29/25 10:00 am – 1:00 pm: Echo Walk. A favorite route that offers vast views of the hemlock forest, where porcupines are sometimes visible in the treetops. Our destination, Echo Rock, sits perched above the Palmaghatt Ravine, where vultures can be seen soaring. Distance: 4 miles round trip. 

  • This course is scheduled on 9/22/25 the week when in-person classes are off. Participants need to be able to walk  the distance of each outing (approximately 4 miles) of each outing in the allotted time frame
Laura Conner

Laura Conner began her career with New York State Parks in 2000, when she worked as a seasonal environmental educator at Grafton Lakes (Rensselaer County). Next, she was the Assistant Park Manager at Moreau Lake (Saratoga County), while still offering environmental education. In Environmental 2007, she became the Educator at Minnewaska. Originally pursuing fine art, with a BFA in photography from the School of Visual Arts, she changed careers in 1995, when she received an MS in Environmental Studies from Antioch New England Graduate School.