Harriman Hiker: Harriman State Park and Beyond: Eagle Cliff Area Scrambles at Mohonk

Mohonk Mountain House Area
Shawangunk Mountains
Ulster Co.,
New York

Hiking Trails:
Huguenot Trail: Hiking Trail
Whitney Road: Carriage Road
North Lookout Road: Carriage Road
Glen Anna Path: Hiking Trail
Fox Path: Hiking Trail
Eagle Cliff Road: Carriage Road
Undercliff Path: Hiking Trail
Lake Shore Path: Hiking Trail
Short Woodland Drive: Carriage Road
Eagle Cliff Scramble: Climbing Scramble
Humpty Dumpty Road: Carriage Road
Humpty Dumpty Path: Climbing Scramble
Arching Rocks Path: Climbing Scramble
Catherdral Path: Climbing Scramble
Plateau Path: Hiking Trail
Laurel Ledge Path: Hiking Trail
Fern Ledge Path: Climbing Scramble
Sunset Path: Hiking Trail
North Lookout Road: Carriage Road

Total Time: 3:30 Hours
Estimated Distance: 5.75 Miles
Level of Difficulty: Difficult
Level of Recommendation: Highly Recommended

Points of Interest: Great views and excellent scrambles
Cons: Expensive entrance fee, no parking near mountain house and even shuttle to day area cancelled

Hiking Partners:
Shimmy Rosenberg

It had been a while since I visited the Gunks, and I took the opportunity to leave early on this fine early summer day with Shimmy to do some scrambling in Mohonk. Mohonk has some of the best scrambles in the area, and I hadn't been to the Eagle Cliff area in a long time. There are many different scrambling routes to take there.

We drove up to the toll gate atop Mountain Rest Road. Our intention was to get a good parking spot closer to the Mountain House so we would be closer to the scrambling area. I had acquired membership back at the end of December, and I was told by the clerk when I purchased it that I would be granted the privilege of parking near the Mountain House on quieter days or when the parking lot is not full. Being that we arrived early, we were looking forward to parking closer to our objective. However, the staff at the toll gate did not allow us in, and were in fact rude to us about this when we asked about this. Not only that, but they said that the shuttle from the parking lot to the picnic area near the Mountain House - which has always been running for years - is no longer in operation. Day Hikers, even members, must now always walk the additional distance. I was stunned and quite disappointed by this.

I intend on contacting Mohonk Public Relations about this, and should my efforts be ignored or not be genuinely addressed, I will devote a special article to this. This article will be widely disseminated to my followers and to the regional hiking community, and will hopefully attract proper attention to this.

Despite our disappointment, we decided not to let this ruin our day, and still visit and enjoy the area we intended to visit. So we parked out in the parking area, and took the most direct path to the Mountain House: The Huguenot Trail to Whitney Road, to North Lookout Road, Glen Anna Path, and then the Fox Path.

We then walked along through the botanical gardens, towards Mohonk Lake, and then along the Eagle Cliff Road to the Undercliff Path. We took some scenic photos of Lake Mohonk, and continued to the Lake Shore Path, and then Short Woodland Drive, until we arrived at the the Eagle Cliff Scramble. We climbed up the Eagle Cliff Scramble, which affords an excellent view of the south and the west from atop.

We then turned around and went back down the Eagle Cliff Scramble, took the Humpty Dumpty Road, and looped around to the Humpty Dumpty Path. From this point on its quite a dramatic scrambling zone along the route we took, from the Humtpy Dumpty Path, Arching Rocks Path, and then the Cathedral Path. We then took the Plateau Path to the Laurel Ledge Path, and then to the short but very steep Fern Ledge Path. From there we took the Sunset Path and then went around the riding ring, to North Lookout Road and then Whitney Road and the Huguenot Trail to the parking area.