Nestled in the Catskill Mountains in the southern portion of New York State lies the historic Mohonk Mountain Resort, known to locals as the Mohonk Mountain House. The resort is anything but a house and you can spend a glorious weekend as a guest or you can visit for a day trip and feel like a wealthy guest. Mr. Local History took the short 1-hour drive north from New Jersey to check out this famous fall icon.
Here’s your first tip. Once you walk into the Mountain House, nobody knows whether you’re a Day Guest or an overnight resident, so don’t feel out of place. Walk around the Hotel. Sit in the sitting rooms, read the papers, and begin to take in the historic beauty of the resort. But here’s the real reason we decided to do a day trip…..
Unwind, but don’t sit too long. Get ready to find what’s called “A Hikers Map of the Mohonk Lake Region,” and get out the back door because there’s a view that’s been waiting over a hundred and fifty years to show off!
It’s called the Sky Top Trail, and it takes you up to the Skytop Observation Tower. Yeah, you’ll finally say to yourself “Ah, here’s the Lake!”, because it’ll be right in front of you.
Your first walk will take about an hour if you take a leisurely pace and choose to stop along the way. Just remember these words: ” The view just continues to get better and better.” If you have a fear of heights, challenge your fear and keep walking to the top of the Trail. At the top of the trail will be the Albert K. Smiley Memorial observation tower and a spectacular view.
The structure, also known as “Sky Top Tower” was completed on August 30, 1921. While my 12-year-old practically ran to the top of the tower, my sweet little four-year-old couldn’t overcome the coaxing to climb the iron-railed cement stairs to the top of the tower. I think my mind was playing tricks on me because it really looks like the stairs get narrower and narrower as you climb the tower. It was probably my own phobia playing tricks on my brain. At least my four-year-old went halfway! Son was fearless….right to the top. He kept wanting to know if he could climb up on the wall edge for a better view (wasn’t going to happen!). When you finally reached the top of the tower, two thoughts went through my mind. I’m sure it went through the minds of the thousands that have passed before us;
- “What a spectacular view!”
- “Could you imagine the lunatics that climbed all the way up these rocks and built this thing?”
Oh, you might have one more thought….”Is this thing stable?” Tell me if you don’t think the same thing! All in all, the total assent from the Resort to the top of the Observation Tower is 295 feet. (Mohonk Lake is at 1247 feet above sea level, and the top of Sky Top Trail is 1542 feet. There are a total of 100 steps to the top, and you can see six states on a clear day. (Can you name them all?) – Answers at the end of the article). And see the Reservoir below the tower? The adjacent reservoir was the quarry site used to supply the tower’s stone and is used today as a firefighting water source.
Six States can be seen at the top of the Sky Top Tower on a clear day: New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont.
From Sky Top Tower – The Great or Wallkill Valley is to the southeast, the Rondout Valley is to the northwest, and the Hudson River Valley to the east. Look west down the 20-mile length of the Shawangunk ridge, taking in the white Moby Dick headlands of The Trapps cliffs and Millbrook Mountain.
On the walk back down, stop and take a few additional photographs. You probably won’t be as fearful of those rickety-looking, over-the-edge, cantilevered timber sitting posts. My wife certainly had fun wanting to take staged pictures of her pushing me off the edge or simulated pictures of her tripping off the ledge.
Tip – Don’t go too close to the edge when my wife’s around!
Tip #2—There’s no need to buy photographs of the exterior of MMH in the gift shop because if you walk the Sky Top Trail and the weather cooperates, you can’t help but take a fabulous photo. Just point and shoot—voila, suitable for framing. I like the pictures mid-way up the trail since you get a great view of the Catskills in the background, unlike at the top of the Tower, where you’re looking down onto the resort.
Suggested Itinerary
Call the Mohonk Day Reservation line (four ladies answer the phone daily). Day Meal Reservations: 845-256-2056. Book a lunch reservation for sometime around 12:30-1:00 pm (reservations are available with starting times every 15 minutes). Don’t wake up crazy early. Just get to the main gate of the MMH at about 10 am (the gates open for day passes at 8 am). It’s about a 4-mile drive up the guardrail-less hillside to the MMH.
As I described earlier, Park in the self-park lot and walk through the house. Take about 10-15 minutes to acclimate yourself to the hotel to act like you’re staying there. You can even walk down to the offices (Office 5 houses the ladies who booked your reservation. Say hi to Wendy for me). There are bathrooms right outside these offices. Another set of bathrooms is on the second floor to the left of the staircase.
Walk back down the stairs, to the left of the “Information Speaker Stand,” and take the Skytop trail (just to the left, walking past the boats up towards the ice rink). Go up—come back down. When it’s time for lunch, return to the second floor of MMH and take a right down the hallway. Have a wonderful lunch.
The Receptionist will ask for your name and if you have a reservation (of course you do). If you do, just let them know you have a reservation. You have a fantastic buffet-style lunch with a bucolic view over the Rondout Valley to the plateau peaks of the Catskills: Thunderhill, Peekamoose, Balsam Cap, Ashokan, and Indian Head at the base of the Catskills (if you’re seated in the back).
You can special order chicken fingers, fries, or grilled cheese for the kids. Alcohol and tips are not included in your pre-purchased day meal, so bring the AMEX.
After Lunch
After lunch, I recommend performing the “rock scramble” and going to what’s known as “the Labyrinth”, if you’re inclined to a bit of rock climbing.
I’d recommend this for boys over the age of 10 and those looking for a bit of challenge and exercise. I’m glad my wife deferred this excursion to my out-of-shape, non-athletic body, I also had my 8-year-old daughter join us. I have to admit, I was scareder for her than she was. In fact, after we got about a half hour into the climb, she was looking out for me!
The Labyrinth takes you up to a place called “The Crevice” where a ladder allows you to climb up to the base of the Sky Top Tower. I think “Crevice” is French for “Don’t have a big fat ass or you’re going to get stuck”! So be advised that I told you before you’re looking up the face of a 75-foot ladder that goes up into a rock face that’s only about 15 inches wide! It’s a pretty insane climb if you ask me. I have to admit, The Labyrinth is yet another set of spectacular views, but with the added sweat equity that comes with a sense of physical accomplishment. You’ll know what I mean if you go. Make sure you follow the “red arrows!” which mark the rock climbing trail. It’s nature’s ultimate jungle gym if you’ve got older kids.
Another great walk is along the nearby cliff wall adjacent to the Hotel, known as the Eagle Cliff, down to the lake on the right, and along the beach. In summer, you can go on a pedal boat or canoe excursion around the lake. If you want to go horseback riding, book the reservation a few weeks ahead of time because the stable hands weren’t there the day we visited. All equine activities come at an additional cost. I would have loved a guided carriage ride through the gardens, but the stable was closed the day we visited.
Which Season to Visit?
The Fall must be the best! Sure the fall season brings the colors, and I’m glad I visited in early November, but I’m sure that each season provides a uniquely different experience so you’ll have to decide which is best for you. Winter offers the skating rink (usually opens around Thanksgiving) and I’d bet it’s a great place to go skating and have a nice warm cider and rum! The lake is open for swimming in Summer but I think that’s an activity reserved for guests staying at the hotel. You don’t want to drive all the way home with a wet bathing suit anyway. The spring bloom of the gardens must be truly fantastic. All in all, each season brings a unique viewing and activity-filled set of experiences. What a great business model….repeat capabilities for every season, each with unique experiences!
Don’t confuse the Mohonk Preserve with the House. It’s simple. The Mohonk Preserve surrounds the Mohonk Mountain House property. As a first-timer, you want to visit the Mountain House, so get the day pass.
Additional Tips:
- Day pass guests are asked to park at the gate entrance (4 miles from the house). I think there’s a bus that will drive you up…but if you book a lunch reservation, you get to park at the hotel.
- Day pass access starts at 8 am.
- Meal reservation gets you access to the house, grounds, and activities.
- Find the trail map table and get yourself a trail map.
- Take the Sky Top Walk first up to the Sky Top Tower.
- You can pick up an “Activities Schedule”—the daily newsletter that tells you everything happening at MMH for the day. (I got ours at Office 5 on the first floor.)
- Get there as early as you can.
- Bring walking shoes.
If you want to do the Labyrinth, make sure you like to climb and have shoes that work well on rocks. - Try the Chicken and garlic potatoes at lunch (fantastic)
- You can order chicken, fries, or grilled cheese from your server for the kids.
- Wine and gratuity are extra; you can pay with a credit card.
- Try the soup!
- The desserts are fantastic – cheesecake, key lime pie, ice cream, and Oreo cookie pie.
- And if you want to stay overnight, you can actually stay for as little as $300 per couple if you shop and are flexible including tea, dinner, and breakfast. With the exception of rock climbing, caving, fly fishing, horseback riding, carriage rides, weekend golf, and spa treatments, recreation is complimentary to overnight guests. Three meals daily– dinner, breakfast, and lunch – plus Afternoon Tea and Cookies – are also included in all room rates
History
In the summer of 1869, Alfred H. Smiley, a Quaker gentleman then residing at Poughkeepsie, came on an exploring trip and fell in love with the spot. He and his twin brother, Albert K. Smiley, head of the Friends’ School in Providence, Rhode Island, bought the property—280 acres—from Mr. Stokes for $28,000.
The extent of financing involved made paying guests a necessity. In the summer of 1870 the Stokes Hotel was slightly remodeled and guests, who were nearly all personal friends of the Smiley’s, began to arrive.
Year by year the number increased, despite the unwritten rules that prohibited liquor, card playing, and, later on, the promiscuous intrusion of automobiles upon the scene. The restful atmosphere of Mohonk Lake became one of its chief charms, attracting high-class guests from all over the country. In October 1883, Albert K. Smiley, who had been appointed by President Hayes to the Board of Indian Commissioners, called at Mohonk the first conference of Friends of the Indians. These meetings took place annually for many years and brought about a great change for the better in the treatment of the Nation’s wards. In 1904, when such reforms were practically realized, the conferences enlarged their scope and the title was changed to Lake Mohonk Conference of Friends of the Indians and Other Dependent Peoples. The last of such conferences met in 1929.
The Smileys added to their original purchase at different times until it now comprises seven thousand acres. New roads have been built, grades improved, and enchanting woodland paths have opened the forests to nature lovers. Vistas have been cleared, rustic shelters built, and wonderful gardens created.
In October 1908, the Testimonial Gateway at the entrance to the property, a gift of friends, was dedicated to commemorate Mr. and Mrs. Albert Smiley’s fiftieth wedding anniversary. The Albert K. Smiley Memorial Tower on Sky Top was presented in 1923 through contributions from 875 Mohonk guests and neighbors. An area covering the mountain’s upper reaches has been set aside as a game refuge for protecting wild birds and animals.
Albert K. Smiley died on December 2, 1912, at his winter home in Redlands, California, aged eighty-four. His wife died there a few weeks later. After Daniel Smiley’s death on February 14, 1930, at Mohonk Lake, the ownership and management of the property and the Lake Mohonk Mountain House passed to his sons, Albert K. and Francis G. Smiley.
Directions:
Mohonk Mountain House
Official Website
1000 Mountain Rest Road, New Paltz, NY 12561
General Telephone: 845-255-1000
Day Meal Reservations: 845-256-2056
Historic Mohonk Mountain House – Arcadia collection of historic photos – Click Here
People have come to Mohonk Mountain House for generations to experience its beauty, timelessness, and history. Discover the countless reasons why – year after year – friends bring friends, to share the warmth and comfort of our magnificent “lake in the sky.” Book your reservations at our New Paltz resort online today for exceptional all-inclusive rates. * With the exception of rock climbing, caving, fly fishing, horseback riding, carriage rides, weekend golf, and spa treatments, recreation is complimentary to overnight guests. Three meals daily– dinner, breakfast, and lunch – plus Afternoon Tea and Cookies – are also included in all room rates.
More History Stories for the Fall Season
Just came across your article and need some clarification. Is the Sky Top tower 295ft tall? I cannot seem to locate a true height of the structure.
Much thanks!
Dennis