Gertrude’s Nose
Gertrude's Nose Trail Head
Time:5 hours
Difficulty:Moderate to Strenuous
Length:8 miles
Route Type:Circuit
Dogs: Not a great idea but allowed on leash.
The Gertrude’s Nose hike is another Gunks classic. It’s about a 5 hour trip so if you time things right, you can have lunch on the flat rock outcropping above the nose. Plan to leave the Minnewaska parking lot about 2.5 hours before you want to stop for lunch. Take food and water, wear hiking boots; the hike starts and ends on carriage road, but the meat of it is rocky and gnarly roots.
Upon leaving the parking lot take the carriage road to the right, you will be heading counter-clockwise around the lake. The Lake Shore Carriageway encircles Lake Minnewaska. A short hill takes you to the junction of Awosting Lake Carriageway and the swimming area, which is open, and is on the left. There are composting toilets up and to the right. These will be the last of any such convinces you will see for hours, so take advantage.
Stay on the carriage way that goes around the lake for about another eighth of a mile at which point you’ll reach the intersection with Millbrook Mountain Carriageway, which is blazed in yellow. Take the yellow blazed carriage path as it bears right and up.
The forest you are walking through is made up of many Hemlock trees. Hemlock bark was used in the tanning of animal hides in the mid-1800s and the trees were cleared almost to extinction.
Difficulty:Moderate to Strenuous
Length:8 miles
Route Type:Circuit
Dogs: Not a great idea but allowed on leash.
The Gertrude’s Nose hike is another Gunks classic. It’s about a 5 hour trip so if you time things right, you can have lunch on the flat rock outcropping above the nose. Plan to leave the Minnewaska parking lot about 2.5 hours before you want to stop for lunch. Take food and water, wear hiking boots; the hike starts and ends on carriage road, but the meat of it is rocky and gnarly roots.
Upon leaving the parking lot take the carriage road to the right, you will be heading counter-clockwise around the lake. The Lake Shore Carriageway encircles Lake Minnewaska. A short hill takes you to the junction of Awosting Lake Carriageway and the swimming area, which is open, and is on the left. There are composting toilets up and to the right. These will be the last of any such convinces you will see for hours, so take advantage.
Stay on the carriage way that goes around the lake for about another eighth of a mile at which point you’ll reach the intersection with Millbrook Mountain Carriageway, which is blazed in yellow. Take the yellow blazed carriage path as it bears right and up.
The forest you are walking through is made up of many Hemlock trees. Hemlock bark was used in the tanning of animal hides in the mid-1800s and the trees were cleared almost to extinction.
Patterson's Pellet
The tree line opens and you'll see Patterson's Pellet, a glacial erratic, to the right of the trail.
A glacial erratic is a rock that was picked up by the glaciers during the last ice age. When the glaciers in the Hudson Valley melted some 12,000-10,000 years ago, the rocks trapped in the ice simply dropped out. Some, like Patterson's Pellet, landed in interesting ways. If you look carefully at the rock you will notice it is a uniform composition, white with black running through it, not at all like the quartz conglomerate under your feet.
From this opening, there are views to the west over the Palmaghatt Ravine, a wilderness valley that will provide more beautiful vistas as you continue along the carriageway.
Not much further down the carriage road on the right you’ll see the red-blazed Gertrude’s Nose Trail. The trial narrows down to single track under the forest and descends; it crosses a small stream at a power line.
The trail snakes around, sometimes under the cover of the trees, and other times out in the open, on the bare rock ledges with sheer drops just off the trail.
This is one of the most beautiful views in the area. It is not necessary to get too close to the edge to appreciate the splendor. More glacial erratics are strewn around the cliffs. There are many fissures in the bare rock, these are places where the rock spread apart between the joints and formed deep crevices.
Take note of the dwarf pine, unique to the Gunks, growing along the cliffs.
The trail can be difficult to follow through this section. Look for blazes painted on the rock. When there are two blazes, the trail turns in the direction of the upper blaze.
You'll eventually come out at Gertrude’s Nose, the southern tip of the ridge. The name is for the rock outcropping which may or may not resemble a nose.
After the nose, the trail curves around and begins to run north along the eastern side of the ridge. The valley that you now see is the Wallkill Valley.
After a relatively flat section, the trail descends to once again cross beneath the power line. It then climbs - steeply at first, then more gradually - to reach an area where pitch pines grow out of long expanses of flat bedrock.
The white of the rock showing through the loamy earth, the blue sky in the background, and the scent of the pine in the air surly makes this a high point of the hike.
The trail begins to run parallel with the Millbrook Carriage Road. One last time, the trees open up and from this position on the rock face, the Sky Top Tower is visible on the ridge to the north.
The Gertrude’s Nose red blazed trail ends here, but you will pick up the Millbrook Ridge Trail which is also marked in red. You will briefly be on Mohonk Preserve land, but not to worry it’s fine for this little bit. Watch out for the sign pointing to Lake Minnewaska, but don’t let it fool you, the lake is not yet close. This sign is the trailhead for the Millbrook Mountain Path.
Turn left here and follow this red-blazed trail as it descends steadily into the valley of the Coxing Kill. In about a quarter of a mile, the blue-blazed Coxing Kill Trail veers off to the left, but you should stay on the red trail or you will have a much longer hike than you bargained for.
After the descent down to the Coxing Kill Valley you will again ascend and head toward Lake Minnewaska.
After being on the single track for so long you will be suddenly thrust out onto the Lake Shore Carriageway at the tip of Lake Minnewaska. Follow the road in a counterclockwise direction along the northeast shore of the lake. Stay to the left at the fork. There is picnic area and if you haven’t had enough visual stimulation, there is a spectacular view the lake.
Head back down the grassy hill. A little diversion off to the right will take you over the dry bridge and back to the parking lot where your day’s adventures began.
A glacial erratic is a rock that was picked up by the glaciers during the last ice age. When the glaciers in the Hudson Valley melted some 12,000-10,000 years ago, the rocks trapped in the ice simply dropped out. Some, like Patterson's Pellet, landed in interesting ways. If you look carefully at the rock you will notice it is a uniform composition, white with black running through it, not at all like the quartz conglomerate under your feet.
From this opening, there are views to the west over the Palmaghatt Ravine, a wilderness valley that will provide more beautiful vistas as you continue along the carriageway.
Not much further down the carriage road on the right you’ll see the red-blazed Gertrude’s Nose Trail. The trial narrows down to single track under the forest and descends; it crosses a small stream at a power line.
The trail snakes around, sometimes under the cover of the trees, and other times out in the open, on the bare rock ledges with sheer drops just off the trail.
This is one of the most beautiful views in the area. It is not necessary to get too close to the edge to appreciate the splendor. More glacial erratics are strewn around the cliffs. There are many fissures in the bare rock, these are places where the rock spread apart between the joints and formed deep crevices.
Take note of the dwarf pine, unique to the Gunks, growing along the cliffs.
The trail can be difficult to follow through this section. Look for blazes painted on the rock. When there are two blazes, the trail turns in the direction of the upper blaze.
You'll eventually come out at Gertrude’s Nose, the southern tip of the ridge. The name is for the rock outcropping which may or may not resemble a nose.
After the nose, the trail curves around and begins to run north along the eastern side of the ridge. The valley that you now see is the Wallkill Valley.
After a relatively flat section, the trail descends to once again cross beneath the power line. It then climbs - steeply at first, then more gradually - to reach an area where pitch pines grow out of long expanses of flat bedrock.
The white of the rock showing through the loamy earth, the blue sky in the background, and the scent of the pine in the air surly makes this a high point of the hike.
The trail begins to run parallel with the Millbrook Carriage Road. One last time, the trees open up and from this position on the rock face, the Sky Top Tower is visible on the ridge to the north.
The Gertrude’s Nose red blazed trail ends here, but you will pick up the Millbrook Ridge Trail which is also marked in red. You will briefly be on Mohonk Preserve land, but not to worry it’s fine for this little bit. Watch out for the sign pointing to Lake Minnewaska, but don’t let it fool you, the lake is not yet close. This sign is the trailhead for the Millbrook Mountain Path.
Turn left here and follow this red-blazed trail as it descends steadily into the valley of the Coxing Kill. In about a quarter of a mile, the blue-blazed Coxing Kill Trail veers off to the left, but you should stay on the red trail or you will have a much longer hike than you bargained for.
After the descent down to the Coxing Kill Valley you will again ascend and head toward Lake Minnewaska.
After being on the single track for so long you will be suddenly thrust out onto the Lake Shore Carriageway at the tip of Lake Minnewaska. Follow the road in a counterclockwise direction along the northeast shore of the lake. Stay to the left at the fork. There is picnic area and if you haven’t had enough visual stimulation, there is a spectacular view the lake.
Head back down the grassy hill. A little diversion off to the right will take you over the dry bridge and back to the parking lot where your day’s adventures began.
