Waterfalls and Swimming at Minnewaska

If you want waterfalls and a cool place to swim close to home, this corner of Minnewaska delivers. Awosting Falls is a short, easy walk from the main lot and drops about 60 feet into a scenic pool, one of the prettiest and most accessible falls in the Gunks. Lake Minnewaska itself has a designated swimming area in summer, with clear water framed by white cliffs.

For a bit more adventure, the Peters Kill area is where rock climbing is permitted within the park, so you can watch climbers work the cliffs or hike the trails that wind through it. Between the falls, the lake, and the climbing, it is an easy way to spend a warm afternoon without going far.

A few details worth knowing before you go: this is all within Minnewaska, so the same $10 parking fee and 9am opening apply. Swimming is only allowed in the designated lifeguarded areas, not at the base of the falls or in the streams. Climbing at Peters Kill requires a daily permit. Located off Route 44/55 in Kerhonkson.