New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, Palisades Interstate Park Commission, and Open Space Institute Announce Completion of $1.3 Million Improvements to Lake Awosting Carriage Road Trail at Minnewaska State Park Preserve
Project Supported by $500,000 New York State Environmental Protection Fund Grant
The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) today with partners the Palisades Interstate Park Commission (PIPC) and Open Space Institute (OSI) announced the reopening of the Lake Awosting Carriage Road Trail at Minnewaska State Park Preserve. The 17-month, $1.3 million project repaired 2.6 miles of the trail along Lake Awosting. It is one of several projects that State Parks, PIPC, and OSI have implemented to restore and improve the park’s extensive carriage road trail system. See Flickr album here.
Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Executive Deputy Commissioner Tom Alworth said, “Standing shoulder to shoulder with the Palisades Interstate Park Commission and OSI, State Parks is proud to reopen the improved Lake Awosting Carriage Road Trail at Minnewaska State Park Preserve. Partnership and collaboration are critical to strengthening the State Parks system for the enjoyment of visitors today and in the future, a key component of Governor Kathy Hochul's 'Get Offline, Get Outside' campaign. We are grateful to the Commission and OSI for their support and investments to advance our shared mission of preserving and protecting public lands.”
"Minnewaska State Park Preserve's carriage road network offers a magnificent way to experience the beauty of the Shawangunks," said Palisades Interstate Park Commission Executive Director Joshua Laird. "The reopening of Awosting Carriage Road is another step toward the restoration of the entire network. The Palisades Commission is grateful to the Open Space Institute for its commitment to this work. The outstanding partnership between OSI, New York State Parks, and the Palisades Commission helps ensure that Minnewaska remains a special place of natural beauty and a destination for all to appreciate and enjoy."
“Minnewaska is a remarkable park and caring for it requires long-term commitment from many stakeholders,” said Erik Kulleseid, OSI’s President and CEO. “OSI’s work to protect and enhance the Shawangunk Ridge will never truly end, but we couldn’t do it without our partners and sustained support from public funding sources like the EPF. The completion of this project perfectly illustrates the tangible benefits of the EPF, which plays a vital role in efforts to conserve iconic landscapes like these, strengthen visitor experiences, and safeguard places across New York State that mean everything for people and nature.”
Completion of the Lake Awosting Carriage Road Trail project will allow visitors to complete a loop hike around the full perimeter of Lake Awosting, which is the largest sky lake on the northern Shawangunk Ridge and one of the park’s most spectacular destinations. The 17-month-long effort improves the visitor experience by widening and resurfacing sections of the carriage road to better accommodate a range of users, while also extending its lifespan through new retaining walls and drainage improvements that reduce flooding and erosion.
The trail restoration includes 8,500 linear feet of ditching; installation of 50 culverts; construction of 6,000 square feet of retaining walls; and installation, grading, and compaction of more than 15,000 tons of road materials. Work was performed by Keith Kortright and Keith Kortright, Jr., of Mombaccus Excavation.
This project was made possible in part through a $500,000 grant from the State’s Environmental Protection Fund (EPF). The 2026-27 New York State Budget maintained the EPF at a record-high $425 million, supplemented by an additional $25 million from the Sustainable Future Program. OSI received additional support for the project from Butler Parklands, the Hudson River Valley Greenway, Ken and Lindsay Morgan, Bruderhof, and the Martin Milano Foundation. Since 2014, in collaboration with OPRHP and PIPC, OSI has invested $6.6 million to renovate Minnewaska’s historic carriage road trails for walkers, hikers, runners, bicyclists, cross-country skiers, and equestrian users while protecting delicate surrounding ecosystems. To date, OSI has led efforts to restore a total of 18 miles of carriage road trails in the park, including Hamilton Point, Lake Awosting, Castle Point, Smiley, and High Point.
The effort advances the goal to rehabilitate Minnewaska’s entire 35-mile Victorian-era carriage road network, which has been eroded over time by a century of visitor use and exposure to weather. OPRHP and PIPC have restored an additional 10 miles of carriage roads throughout the park preserve with contractor and park staff efforts bringing the fully rebuilt network to nearly 30 miles. This includes the Millbrook Carriage Road, Lake Minnewaska Carriage Road, Lake Maratanza Loop Road, Ice Cave Road, and Lower Awosting Carriage Road. The carriage road network is a tremendous resource that offers a multitude of recreational opportunities for visitors. In addition, the carriage roads are utilized for search and rescue missions and maintenance operations, as well as provide the first line of defense for forest fire control.
In addition, the project advances OPRHP, PIPC, and OSI’s ongoing commitment to enhancing the Minnewaska experience for a wide range of visitors. Since 1974, OSI has conserved more than 40,000 acres on and along the Shawangunk Ridge and added 14,000 acres to Minnewaska, more than doubling the park's size. OSI also raised $3 million to support construction of the Lake Minnewaska Visitor Center, which opened in 2020.
Originally built in the 19th Century for horse-drawn carriages, Minnewaska’s crushed-stone carriage roads are among the park’s defining features. Their wide, gently graded paths offer opportunities for people of many ages, abilities, and recreational interests to experience the Shawangunk Ridge’s forests, lakes, rock formations, and expansive views.
Just 90 minutes from Manhattan, the Minnewaska State Park Preserve is the state’s third-largest park and one of the most popular, attracting an estimated 700,000 visitors each year. Situated atop the Shawangunk Ridge in Ulster County, the 24,000-acre park features panoramic views of the Hudson Highlands, Catskill Mountains, and farmlands in the Wallkill and Rondout valleys. Its landscape includes impressive sky lakes, waterfalls, and world-class rock-climbing offerings.
The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation oversees more than 250 parks, historic sites, recreational trails, golf courses, boat launches, and more, and welcomes over 86 million visits annually. For more information on any of these recreation areas, visit parks.ny.gov, download the free NY State Parks Explorer app, or call 518.474.0456. Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, the OPRHP Blog, or via the OPRHP Newsroom.
Formed in 1900, the Palisades Interstate Park Commission is the nation’s first bi-state partnership established to protect and conserve natural lands. PIPC operates Palisades Interstate Park in New Jersey and the Palisades Region of New York State Parks. Its early work helped inspire the emerging fields of environmental stewardship and education, pioneered the goal of exposing children to nature through its group campgrounds, and served as a model for the early growth of the national park system.
The Open Space Institute is a national leader in land conservation and efforts to make parks and other protected land more welcoming for all. Since 1974, OSI has partnered in the protection of more than 2.5 million at-risk and environmentally sensitive acres in the eastern U.S. OSI’s land protection promotes clean air and water, improves access to recreation, provides wildlife habitat, strengthens communities, and combats the devastating impacts of extreme weather. For more information, visit: openspaceinstitute.org
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