ABOUT THE PARK:
Mongaup Valley WMA - New York State DEP
Trails of the Upper Delaware River Valley - National Park Service
 |
| Note that this trail is closed from December 1 through March 31. |
DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 41.42717, -74.75539
 |
| Parking on the north side of Route 97 just east of the Mongaup River bridge. |
TRAIL MAP:
Mongaup Valley WMA - New York State DEP (does not show trails - not able to locate a trail map)
Mongaup River WMA, NY at EveryTrail
HIKE DISTANCES:
These three hikes all done in one day along with a scenic drive from one to the other.
Mongaup Valley WMA, NY - Mongaup River Trail - 2.3 miles
drive 8.3 miles/20 minutes to Plank Road Viewing Area (41.52152, -74.76094)
drive 4.1 miles/9 minutes to Route 43 Viewing Area (41.55491, -74.78505)
drive 16.2 miles/26 minutes to
Minisink Battleground Park, NY - 2 miles
drive 24 miles/41 minutes to
Huckleberry Ridge State Forest, NY (not part of the Upper Delaware NPS trails) - 4.3 miles
THE HIKE:
 |
| You pretty much can't touch the pull off for the view at Hawk's nest on a weekend because it's packed with cars but at 7AM, not another soul around. |
 |
| The Mongaup River Trail starts to the left of the kiosk - not so visible from the parking but it is there. |
 |
| The trail goes along the Mongaup River. |
 |
| About 10 minutes in, there went a bald eagle down the river corridor. I wasn't fast enough but got a little bit of his white feathers and a blur that was the eagle flying by. |
 |
| Around the .7 mile point the trail seems to become less defined but keep going because it opens up again. |
 |
| The end of the trail is actually just beyond this stone wall which is... |
 |
| ... an old cemetery from the early 1800's. |
 |
| Shawnee wanted to keep going but there was no trail at all any more so time to turn around. |
 |
| On the way back the sun had made its way over the ridge. |
 |
| Coming back out at the parking lot. |
 |
| On the way to our next stop, one of the eagle blinds on Rio Reservoir, I had to stop twice for turkey crossings. |
 |
| Rio Reservoir |
 |
| The eagle blind at Rio Reservoir just past the boat launch. |
 |
| I knew there would be no eagle viewing here today because... |
 |
| ... they were weed whacking in the power cut :( |
 |
| I pulled over because I thought I saw an eagle on a stump on the way to the Mongaup Falls Reservoir eagle blind but it turned out to be a Belted Kingfisher. Can't believe I saw this guy way out there from the car! |
 |
| Mongaup Falls Reservoir |
 |
| There are supposed to be hiking trails in this WMA but could see no evidence of this while driving around and have not been able to find a map. |
