Gertrude's Nose

Patterson's Pellet

Exploring Minnewaska State Park today. I heard of a really cool place to hike to from a co-worker called Gertrude's Nose. This hike is a 7.5-mile loop that takes you to 1,288 ft about a bunch of stunning cliff edges, rock formations, and some really amazing views. From the Minnewaska State Park - Lake parking lot, you head down past the bathing beach area and continue left along the Minnewaska Lake Loop (a red trail). As you continue up and around some s-curves, you'll pass the Castle Point Carriage Road, and then after a few more minutes, you'll reach the Millbrook Mountain Carriage Road on your right. This yellow-blazed carriage road will bring you to a great overlook with an awesome quartz conglomerate erratic called, Patterson's Pellet. It's a boulder that is remarkably balancing and staying put on the edge of the cliff face. As you continue on the yellow trail, you'll reach a junction for a red-blazed foot trail for Gertrude's Nose. You'll pass along some great scenic scapes and cliff edges. You'll eventually head down into the woods along some scrambly rocks and boulders. After the rocky descent you'll pop into a clearing with powelines overhead and continue under them. Back onto the cliff's edge, down again, and back into woods. Once you emerge from the woods, you'll get back to the cliff's edge and head toward Gertrude's Nose. It is definitely a long stroll along the cliff until the nose. Gertrude's Chin is a giant pile of rocks and talus below. The Nose is about 25 minutes from the Chin as you continue forward. The "Nose" means a rock formation that juts out of the cliff with nothing pretty much underneath it. After lots of photos and summit posing and hanging out at the nose area for lunch, we continued the loop going over more of the top of the ridge towards Millbrook Mountain that is the tallest in the Near Trapps (this is on the Mohonk Preserve side). After hanging there and getting some breeze-appreciation, we hiked back towards the middle of the ridge and back towards Minnewaska Lake. There are a lot of Lowbush Blueberry bushes and a great loop hike! I strongly suggest it! Enjoy the photos!

TheChristyBel

Couple Photo on the Nose