Hiking the Labyrinth

Is there anyway to get to the Labyrinth by hiking in from a starting point other than the Mohonk Mountain House?

I've yet to find any trail descriptions that show if its possible or how far of a hike it would be from the West Trapps Trail head although I've been told it is.

I've been taking my son up to the Mohonk Mt. House for years to do this hike and he loves it. I've got friends who would like to come, but don't have the financial capability to pay the entrance fees.

If you've ever hiked with kids before you'll understand why I don't just want to wing it.

looking at the nynjtc map of the lake mohonk area at appears that there are 4 places where trails meet or cross rt 6 (mohonk rd/mountain rest rd)
1) mossy brook carrigeway
2) cedar drive
3) bonticou carrigeway
4) mohonk gatehouse
dont know if theres any parking areas other than at the mohonk gate house, i may rember seeing at pulloff area around where the bonticou carrigeway meets rt 6 but am not sure.

My kids love it too. Last fall cost was over $60 for four kids and two adults. It’s over a mile walk (almost 2?) from the first lot to the Mountain House. It costs another couple of bucks per person to take a tram to eliminate this walk.

Isn’t it about 3mi from the west trap lot to the Mountain House via carriage road? Should be a good bit less via the stair-master lot. Point is if you are going to hike anyway it should not be that big a deal to come from the other direction. I have alone, years ago. finding my way was easy. You still need to pay the Preserve if you do this and that might not be much less if you do not have a family pass. Hmmm, trying to dodge two fees isn't going to be any easier or more fun. You would need to find out how aggressive the Mountain House is about verifying who has paid. Thought we had some kind of visible proof we had.

How bout other similar hikes?

Got any other similar hikes to recommend?

I'm not real familiar with the area.... as I said, we've done Mohonk for years, and last year we explored Minnewaska (sp?) up to Gertrudes Nose.

I'm not trying to get out of paying entrance fees 100% but a weekend fee for Mohonk = $15 pp + an additional $5 pp to take the shuttle up to the visitors center.

Carraige trails make for whiney, bored tired kids, while rock scrambling puts big smiles on their faces and they are off and running.

I'm not sure where the stair master lot you refer to.

Anyway.... I"m open to all suggestions.

sams point would be great for kids, they will love the ice caves.
you might have to pay 5 dollars per car

** Giant's Workshop - mega scrambling, perhaps even too hard for very little kids.

** Millbrook Ridge - no scrambling per se, but great views, often in both directions

** Lost City (where? ) - talus hopping deluxe. Take the blue blazed trail to the yellow one (Kings Path, I thiink?), cool rock formations galore.

Stairmaster = Wawarsing parking lot. Or, if full, at the Visitors Center lot.

edited to add: Buy "A Rock With A View", available at the Mtn (Bistro) Deli, R&S, and I'm sure lotsa other places.
It's not expensive, and has info on all the above and more, well worth the nominal expense ($8? $12? I forget).
It paid for itself several times over in the enjoyment I got from doing the Giant's Workshop alone.

I've heard about the giants workshop..... might even have hiked it at one point long ago, if its possible to get there from the Mohonk Mountain House. Tried to search for it online, but nada

Are the trails you recommend on the map that you get at the Preserve? Or should I be hitting the local Campmor for a trail map?

I'd like to challenge them.... they are old enough preteen and teen.

Thanks for your suggestions!

I'm planning on Slide Mt tomorrow. Was on the home page here. Not the Laybrinth - but sonded like a good hike.

Will try to add later - otherwise I am off for the weekend.

mark

Unless the situation has changed recently, the Mtn House allows paid Preserve hikers to hike in with no additional fee. But you can not go on the hotel porch or enter the hotel.

I have hiked to the hotel from the Trapps (3 mi but boring) and from the Spring Farm Preserve trailhead (1-2 miles as I recall, and only slightly more interesting).

I agree with ML that Lost City might be the best area to explore. Less than a mile on the blue and then yellow trails puts you at the cliffline which has towers, chasms and boulder caves galore.

There is a rather extensive boulder cave (headlamp mandatory) at Peters Kill but unless you know the climbing routes there, I couldn't begin to describe how to get to it.

Lost city sounds like the best alternative, as from what I can figure Giant's workshop is accessed through the gatehouse or from a long boring hike in from another lot.

So, if we can get a spot at the Coxing Trailhead we'll see the blue trail and we just have to follow it to the yellow and then it's follow our noses right?

Wish me luck. We're headed up on 10/9.

One option for spicing up (and speeding up) the access to Giant's Workshop is to ride a bike there on the carriage road, rather than hiking.
(the hike is not bad tho, and there are several ways you can get there, but each is probably 2-3 miles each way of "boring" hiking)

Park at the W. Trapps lot, ride Overcliff or Undercliff to Giant's Workshop, chain up yer bikes to a tree there, hike it, then ride back the opposite way you came (for variety's sake)

Just some additional food for thought...



the Coxing Trailhead we'll see the blue trail and we just have to follow it to the yellow and then it's follow our noses right?

That's pretty much it. Blue trail departs from near the kiosk at the back of the lot.
Be prepared for some epic talus scrambling as you get closer. The M-dog had to resort to a few points of aid to get thru some of the dicier sections.


Oh, and I checked, the 'A Rock with A View' booklet is $7.95 - cheap at twice the price.

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One option for spicing up (and speeding up) the access to Giant's Workshop is to ride a bike there on the carriage road, rather than hiking. (the hike is not bad tho, and there are several ways you can get there, but each is probably 2-3 miles each way of "boring" hiking)

Funny, I just sent off an email to my GF that biking the boring parts might just be the way to go! We can cover alot more ground with alot less whining that way. Great minds think alike


Park at the W. Trapps lot, ride Overcliff or Undercliff to Giant's Workshop, chain up yer bikes to a tree there, hike it, then ride back the opposite way you came (for variety's sake)

Overcliff and Undercliff sound like they'd be fun to bike on and then stop to see the climbers. Although, that could open a whole nother can of worms when my son asks if we can climb next!


Oh, and I checked, the 'A Rock with A View' booklet is $7.95 - cheap at twice the price.

I also noticed the edit, and have written down the name of the book. Not sure we'll be able to get it before we get started on Sat. as I'm paranoid about getting a parking spot, but on the way home a stop to buy it is already planned!

To further ML (as if to almost say he’s right ) Lost City is the defacto on cool scrambles on the Ridge. I've been in there at least a dozen times, and still find new places to explore. Just be careful of the dirt and leaf bridges that cover crevasses that can sometimes be over 100' deep (kinda like training for glacier travel)

Did you get a map from the MMH? I got a large, paper map that shows the entire MMH area; the main map shows the location of Giants Workshop, northwest of the MMH land. On the reverse side it has a map of the eastern portion of MMH land, just about to the edge of Bonticou.

The NYNJ Trail Conference map 10A shows the same area but includes the Bonticou crag.