Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation

Hours of Operation

• Open Year round, current hours of Operation are 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., hours will change seasonally.

Fees & Rates

Most New York State Parks charge a vehicle use fee to enter the facility. Fees vary by location and season. A list of entry fees and other park use fees is available below. For fees not listed or to verify information, please contact the park directly.

The easy-to-use Empire Pass card is $80 and your key to all-season enjoyment with unlimited day-use entry at most facilities operated by State Parks and the State Dept. of Environmental Conservation including forests, beaches, trails and more. Purchase online or contact your favorite park for more information. Learn more about our Admission Programs including the Empire Pass.

• Vehicle Entrance Fee

• $10 per vehicle

  Parking reservations are required weekends/holidays from April 15 through November 15. Reservations can be made online https://newyorkstateparks.reserveamerica.com or by calling 1-800-456-2267.
  
  Bus Permits:
  Bus permits: $60
  

  Bus Permits Not Scheduled in Advance: $150

  Buses are not permitted on weekends and holidays. Please contact the Visitor Center to schedule a bus.

• Snowshoe Rental

• $15/day - Adult,
  $14/day - 17 and under

Maps

New! Download this park's digital map to your iOS Apple and Android device.

• Minnewaska State Park Preserve Trail Map

• Sam's Point Trail Map updated 2024 (pdf)
• Minnewaska State Park Preserve Trail Map (pdf)
• Hunting Map (pdf)

Public Programs
Minnewaska State Park Preserve offers public programs, free of charge, at the Lake Minnewaska and Sam's Point areas.

View public programs by clicking on the "Upcoming Events" button on the right side of this page.

School & Other Group Programs

Please call the Park Office at 845-647-7989 to inquire about school or other educational group visits with our Environmental Educator. Buses are not permitted on weekends or holidays.

The Connect-Kids-to-Parks Field Trip Grant Program (Connect Kids) is designed to connect students in New York State with nature and history. Each grant provides reimbursement of up to $80 per student (and $160 for Special Education students) for field trips to state and federal parks, forests, historic sites, fish hatcheries and outdoor recreation areas.

Program Information on Environmental Education Programs available to School Groups at Minnewaska State Park Preserve

Key BCA Criteria:

• Migratory concentration site
• Diverse species concentration site
• Species at risk site
• Bird research site
  

The Minnewaska BCA is located within the Minnewaska State Park Preserve. The Preserve is located on the Shawangunk Mountain ridge, which rises more than 2,000 feet above sea level. The Minnewaska BCA has many spectacular rock formations, soaring precipices, windswept ledges with pine barrens, fast-flowing mountain streams, mountain lakes and several scenic waterfalls. The BCA is especially important for its unfragmented forest, which supports a high diversity of forest-dwelling bird species, and for its partnership with researches studying birds and their habitats. The Nature Conservancy has designated the entire ridge as one of the "Last Great Places." The Shawangunks, including Minnewaska, are one of the highest priority areas for biodiversity conservation in the northeastern United States. The Minnewaska BCA is part of the Northern Shawangunk Mountains Important Bird Area.

Minnewaska is part of a migratory corridor that exists along the entire upland plateau of the Northern Shawangunks. It is an exceptional example of a characteristic higher elevation forest community with a high diversity of forest dwelling species. The BCA includes birds of forest habitat including breeding Northern Saw-whet Owl, Black-and-white Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Canada Warbler, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Northern Flicker and Scarlet Tanager; and breeding shrub/scrub species Eastern Towhee, Field Sparrow, Gray Catbird, Indigo Bunting and Prairie Warbler. Species at risk include a pair of Peregrine Falcons (Endangered) that nest on the cliff face. Download a copy of the BCA map.

Attention Hunters: Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (i.e., "bird flu") has recently been detected in New York State in a variety of waterfowl species. Although the NYS Department of Health (NYSDOH) has stated that avian influenza rarely spreads to humans, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) is encouraging hunters to take extra precautions while processing harvested waterfowl. For more information on best practices for hunters to minimize risk of exposure, please read NYSDEC Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza - What Hunters Need to Know (leaves State Parks website).

For general information on Avian Influenza, please see: Cornell University, College of Veterinary Medicine - Avian Influenza Fact Sheet (leaves State Parks website).

For additional updates on Avian Influenza, including current updates, see NYSDEC - Animal Diseases (leaves State Parks website) and NYSDOH - Questions and Answers about Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) (leaves State Parks website).

Deer hunting is allowed in specific areas of the park preserve during hunting season.  Minnewaska's hunting dates coincide with the NYS DEC hunting dates. Bow, rifle/shotgun/pistol, crossbow and muzzleloader hunting is permitted. Anyone interested in hunting on Minnewaska State Park Preserve lands must get a free hunting permit.  Permits for Minnewaska and the Sam's Point Area can be obtained by completing the application under the attachments tab and emailing over to Terri.McNeil@parks.ny.gov.  If you complete your application this way your permit will be sent back to you electronically or you can mail your completed application to one of the addresses listed below. 

Minnewaska State Park Preserve, PO Box 893, New Paltz, NY 12561   Attn:  Terri McNeil

Sam's Point Preserve, PO Box 86, Cragsmoor, NY 12486

All hunters must have their current hunting license first because we require your NYS Hunting License ID # on the application.  Your license ID # is shown directly under your printed name on your carcass tags or at a 90° angle on the right side of your license.  It is not your DOC #.  Failure to provide the correct number will void your permit.  After hunting season ends, all hunters are required to complete and send back the park questionnaire by 1/15/25.  

In-person permits will not be issued this year due to COVID.

• Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) Info
• EHD FAQ's
• For hunting permit applications, questionnaire and maps, see the "Documents" section below.