Ulster County
New Paltz
The village under the Shawangunks, with a ridge you pay for and a gravel loop you don't. Skydive the Ranch is in Gardiner, the next town south.
Perfect fall day in New Paltz
01 · Morning
If it isn't Tuesday, start at Main Street Bistro, 59 Main Street. Their site prints breakfast and lunch Monday and Wednesday through Sunday from 8 to 3, and dinner Friday through Sunday from 4:30 to 8. They are closed Tuesday.
02 · The ridge
Mohonk Preserve is the day pass for the cliffs. They call fall one of the busiest times and ask you to arrive early, with a backup. Pine Road has been closed for road work since October 13, until further notice, so that lot is not the backup.
03 · The free version
River-to-Ridge is the gravel loop from the village. It is open year-round and it does not need the Preserve ticket.
04 · Sunday
The Reformed Church of New Paltz, 92 Huguenot Street, prints Sunday worship at 10:00 am.
Worth the drive

Mohonk Preserve
New Paltz, New York
The cliffs are worth the drive if you get there before the lots fill.

River-to-Ridge Trail
New Paltz, New York
The free gravel loop when you want the ridge without a day-pass line.
Skydive the Ranch
Gardiner, New York
A tandem over the farms in Gardiner, if their season page still says yes.
Food
Main Street Bistro
The trailhead is not a restaurant. Main Street Bistro is at 59 Main Street in New Paltz. Their site prints breakfast and lunch Monday and Wednesday–Friday 8:00 am–3:00 pm and Saturday–Sunday 8:00 am–3:00 pm, closed Tuesday, and dinner Friday–Sunday 4:30–8:00 pm. The same page says Doug and Teresa Thompson bought it on July 1, 1993.
Their pageChurch
Reformed Church of New Paltz
The congregation’s history page traces the church to January 22, 1683, when Pierre Daille preached in the Huguenot settlement. Worship is at 92 Huguenot Street.
ScheduleSauna
Wintersun Sauna
Their homepage says the sauna is now at Taliaferro Farm, 187 Plains Road, New Paltz, and that this stop begins October 24. Weekday social sessions are 90 minutes, communal, up to 8 people, and they ask for a minimum of 2.
House siteFarm stands
- Hudson Valley Open Market · Their site says every Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., May through October, at 196 Main Street, in the New Paltz Middle School parking lot.
- Hudson Valley Open Market · Their site says every Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., May through October, at 196 Main Street, in the New Paltz Middle School parking lot.
- Gardiner Farmers' Market · Seasonal. The list puts it on Fridays at Main Street, near Pasquale's. The season line on that list has ended. This desk did not find the market's own page.
Getting here
Metro-North’s Hudson Line is the calmer arrival for Beacon and Cold Spring. Hyde Park is a taxi from Poughkeepsie. New Paltz and Phoenicia want a car. Times on the day-trip pages are a guide, not a promise.
Staying in New Paltz – snapshot (lodging only)
Last checked: 2026-10-16. We recommend; you book directly. Prices are nightly, low–high by season, with a source. “From” prices depend on your dates. Items we couldn't verify are marked †.
The quiet base: New Paltz for the ridge. Brookfield Farm is the farm stay, in Modena.
Inns, B&Bs, farm stays, guesthouses, campgrounds
- Gatehouse Gardens, New Paltz
- Type.
- B&B suites
- Price (low–high).
- Open 3/29–12/2 (closed in winter). 2026: $180 room / $260 4-guest / $410 6-guest suite. 2027: $190/$270/$480 (own)
- Good for.
- Strong, up to 6
- Book via.
- Booking/Expedia/Airbnb: not found
- Why we like it.
- Private entrances, pond
- Brookfield Farm B&B, Modena
- Type.
- Farm B&B
- Price (low–high).
- $210 Mon–Thu, $230 Fri–Sun, 5% off 5+ nights; no seasonal variation shown (own)
- Good for.
- Suite for 4
- Book via.
- Booking/Expedia: not found
- Why we like it.
- Highland cows, orchards
Vacation rentals
- Haywood Farmhouse, New Paltz
- Sleeps.
- 5 guests
- Price (low–high).
- No price on file
- Good for.
- 5 guests, pool
- Book via.
- Airbnb
- Why we like it.
- 5 guests, pool
Know before you book: Gatehouse Gardens is open 3/29–12/2 and closed in winter. Haywood Farmhouse has no price.
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