Settled beneath the shoulder of the breathtaking Shawangunk Ridge, New Paltz shines as one of the jewels of Ulster County. Visitors come to New Paltz for a variety of reasons: to swim in glacial lakes, cycle on the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail, soak up the region’s rich history and culture, sample the seasonal bounty of New Paltz’s many farms, orchards, and wineries, enjoy the sights and scents of gorgeous flowering gardens and delicious meals eaten al fresco, climb unique rock faces, take bracing hikes and take in New Paltz’s spectacular views.
Celebrate New Paltz’s long and bountiful agricultural history at the region’s myriad farms, farm markets and wineries. Pick your own strawberries, raspberries, apples, peaches and pumpkins in season, feast on baked goods fresh from the oven, and be sure to pick up some goodies to savor at home. Sample world-renowned Hudson Valley wines on the Shawangunk Wine Trail, composed of 10 family-owned wineries, all proud of their well crafted reds and whites, ranging from dry to sweet. Oenophiles will find award-winning vinifera and French/American varietals and blends alongside sparkling wines, beautifully made local fruit wines and much more.
New Paltz is arguably best known around the world for its outdoor attractions, and for good reason. The Shawangunk Ridge offers a host of trail options for hikers and bicyclists with some of the best views in the Hudson Valley. Bonticou Crag in the Mohonk Preserve, Skytop on the grounds of the world-renowned, 140-year-old Mohonk Mountain House resort, Awosting Falls in the Minnewaska State Park Preserve and the Ice Caves in Sam’s Point Preserve are just a taste of what the Shawangunk Ridge has to offer. For rock climbers, ‘The Gunks’ are the single busiest climbing destination in North America, with some 50,000 technical climbers visiting the area each year to scale roughly 1200 documented climbing routes. The less adventurous can see the climbers in action from the Mohonk Preserve’s Undercliff/Overcliff trail.
