A Hudson Valley Almanac day-trip guide
Some corners of the Hudson Valley wear their cliffs on the horizon. Down at the foot of the Shawangunk Ridge — the white-quartzite escarpment that draws climbers and hikers from all over — New Paltz and its neighbors sit in a valley thick with orchards, rail-trail miles, and the distillery that started New York's whole craft-spirits movement. This is a Saturday for people who want a walk in the morning and good things in a glass by afternoon, built around New Paltz, Gardiner, and the Rondout Valley to the west.
Start in New Paltz with the Gunks in front of you. The Wallkill Valley Rail Trail runs right through town — flat, shaded, and scenic, ideal for a morning walk or bike with the ridge in view (the Shawangunk preserves themselves, Minnewaska and Mohonk, are a short drive up the mountain if you want a real hike, but their lots fill early on weekends, so go first if you go).
When you're ready to pick rather than walk, Dressel Farms on Route 208 does pick-your-own apples and sells vegetables and seasonal produce right in the shadow of the ridge.
A few minutes south in Gardiner sits a genuine landmark: Tuthilltown Spirits, founded in 2003 as the first legal whiskey distillery to open in New York since Prohibition. Its founder's advocacy is the reason the 2007 Farm Distillery Act exists — which is to say, half the cideries and distilleries in these guides owe this 36-acre spot at the foot of the Gunks their existence. It makes the Hudson Whiskey line — Baby Bourbon, Manhattan Rye, Single Malt — from local grain, beside an NRHP-listed 1788 gristmill. Take the tour and tasting; it's the historical heart of the whole region's drinks scene.
Head west into the Rondout Valley for lunch where the cider is made. Westwind Orchard in Accord is a certified-organic orchard and cidery with an Italian-influenced farm kitchen turning out Neapolitan wood-fired pizza and fresh pasta on weekends, alongside its award-winning estate ciders. If you'd rather a brewery, Arrowood Farms is just down the road — a terroir-driven farm brewery growing its own hops and rye, with the farm-to-table Apiary + Bar, fire pits, and Adirondack chairs out on the grass.
The Rondout hamlets are full of old craft. In High Falls, the Canal Forge Blacksmith Shop is a working forge overlooking the Rondout Creek beside the old D&H Canal, making fireplace tools, hardware, and ironwork (and teaching hands-on classes). While you're in High Falls, the High Falls Food Co-op — member-owned since 1974 — is a great spot to grab local provisions and something from the deli. And back toward Accord, Hudson Valley Seed Co. keeps a walk-in shop and trial gardens, famous for its artist-designed seed packets that double as keepsakes.
Finish on the Shawangunk Wine Trail, where the tasting rooms come with the ridge as a backdrop. Whitecliff Vineyard in Gardiner has more than 30 years in the ground and a Riesling that once beat 1,300 wines from 27 countries for Best of Show — sweeping Shawangunk views from the tasting room. Or stay at Arrowood and let the afternoon run long by the fire pits.
If you want a real hike in the Gunks, get to the preserve lots early — weekends fill by mid-morning. Westwind's pizza kitchen is a weekend thing, so time lunch accordingly. The wine and spirits stops mean a designated driver, as always. And the rail trail is flat, free, and dog- and family-friendly if anyone in the car isn't up for a climb.
The full southern-Ulster lineup is on the Almanac: Ulster County craft beverages.
Cliffs on the horizon, cider at the orchard, one very good Saturday.