DESTINATION Rainbow Falls Trail 1 Photoset
2018-07-21 | |
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| Hiking | 14.00 Miles |
2,800 AEG |
| | Hiking | 14.00 Miles | 9 Hrs 30 Mns | | 1.47 mph |
| 2,800 ft AEG | | 15 LBS Pack | | |
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| no partners | | On a humid, but otherwise clear and sunny Saturday in July, my wife and I hiked the carriageways and footpaths of Minnewaska State Park, with our destination Rainbow Falls.
First, a little bit about Minnewaska. Minnewaska State Park, in the Hudson Valley region of New York, and sitting south of the Catskills, offers an inviting mix of hiking and scenery. Trails range from paved carriageways fit for an easy stroll and leisurely walk, to moderately strenuous paths with dips and curves and some hand-over-hand climbing. The scenery includes several magnificent plateau level lakes, a collection of water falls, expansive overlooks, and jutting rock battlements.
To the ardent hiker, though, be warned. The main park entrance at Minnewaska Lake features such easy access, and such effortless walkways, and such a nice picnic and swim area, that one looking for invigoration, or an escape from encroaching crowds, would be advised to not use the main entrance. Check the map, and go in via Sam’s Point Preserve, or Jenny Lane, or Mohonk Reserve. And the main entrance remains barricaded (to cars, one could walk in) until 8AM; parking at the alternate entrances is possible any time.
Our route posted here features a further alternate access, via Awosting Reserve. Few use this access, so a good bit of tranquity reigns. And this point of access starts well below the lake level, providing the invigoration of a good elevation change. Most of the route consists of dirt or gravel carriageways, with sections of footpaths mixed in, so the route presents a fairly smooth surface underfoot. The section at the northeast part of the loop, into Rainbow Falls, stands as an exception, with more excitement from rocky trails, sharp inclines, tree roots and the like, but would by no means be considered overly strenuous.
As for Rainbow Falls itself, while it lacks the volume flow of say Verderkeer or Awosting Falls, Rainbow Falls easily allows one to get right up and into the water as it cascades over the cantilevered cliff above. In the humidity, the cool spray refreshed, but at the same time made photography tricky since the best angles seemed to require not just getting in the spray, but in the heavy splashes. We stayed amidst the sounds and sights of Rainbow for a good bit, relaxing, in a solitude, as no one else was present or even passed us.
Rainbow Falls exemplifies the dichotomy of Minnewaska. Rainbow Falls, and the Awosting Access, provide an isolation, a peaceful seclusion. The main entrance, at Minnewaska Lake, as mentioned above, overflows with humanity and crowds (nothing wrong with that, just different). In the middle of that range, and passed in the route posted here, lies the public beach area of Lake Awosting, with some crowds. But think highly of them. No roads lead to Awosting beach. The bathers, including the children, walked, or rode a bike, several miles to enjoy the relative seclusion of the lake.
The route here passes other points of interest. The route travels around Lake Awosting, with a variety of scenic views and vistas, and the quiet presence of the calm lake. A side spur reaches Murray Hill, with amazing expansive views in essentially all directions. And Spruce Glenn trail passes interesting rock embankments, as well as plentiful groves of, well, spruces.
Other points of interest, not on the loop here, but readily added, include include Hamilton and Castle Points (via easy carriageways), Verderkeer Falls (via wooded and somewhat uneven foot trails), or even to Lake Minnewaska (via longer walks on carriageways, and into the crowds). If you venture to this park, check the maps and the web, as you likely would for any hike, to identity all the various scenic points of interest.
Finally, think Autumn. In the fall, the generous forests of the park sparkle with color, and the overlooks and vistas offer expansive views, and the trails and carriageways provide deep immersion, into the colors. Timing is critical – I have missed peak season on both sides (though still with gorgeous color), and haven’t quite figured out how to know peak color.
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