Hiking Labyrinth, Crevice and Skytop Tower

As April zooms by, we dared to do another hike in Mohonk, this time the Labyrinth, Crevice and Skytop Tower. The original plan was to hike at least eight miles, from the Mohonk Preserve West Trapps Trailhead to the Skytop Tower. Well, we ended up doing twelve miles instead.

After parking the car and getting out gear we headed towards the Trapps bridge. We did not cross the bridge this time, instead we went down Undercliff Road trail. This trail is mainly used by rock climbers, and you’ll probably see at least one person lugging their equipment or climbing the massive rock formations. I would like to try this one day, but for now, I prefer the rock scrambling and avoid hanging off cliffs.

Soon we went from the Undercliff road to Old Minnewasanka Road. From the rocky cliffs to lush forest and a small stream. We had the trail all to ourselves until we got to the Partridgeberry Trail which went to Lake Shore Path. This is when we decided to take the Lake Shore Path around the Mohonk Lake and gave ourselves a little extra milage.

Hiking Labyrinth Trail to Crevice

Once we made a full circle around the lake and the Mountain House, we jumped on the Labyrinth Trailhead. A child was doing it while his parents watched from the road, so how hard could it be? After squeezing here and there through different rocks and crevices, we were finally out. Along this rocky trail we saw a few other people, mostly families, enjoying this challenging rock path. Before heading towards the Crevice or Lemon Squeeze, they took their snack breaks while we continued on.

Hiking Crevice to Skytop Tower

After this the trail opened up and instead of squeezing through rocks we were walking on giant boulders. And before we knew it we were at the Crevice heading towards the Skytop Tower. Whether you call it the Crevice or Lemon Squeeze, it will be a full little adventure you will surely remember. From climbing ladders to squeezing between rocks, you’ll wonder who the heck made this path and how skinny were they.

I am not sure how we did it, but we somehow got through this tight squeeze. The ending was a relief and being outside in the open felt wonderful. I sent my family videos right after, so they could witness this incredible adventure. A very short walk up the steps and we were in front of the Skytop Tower.

Skytop Tower and Skytop Reservoir

Just when you thought this was the end, the Skytop Tower was open and allowed us to walk up the steps. I started counting them then quickly lost track and gave up. We got to enjoy the tower to ourselves while other people were in the front enjoying the sunshine and strong winds. I did not last too long at the top of the tower, thanks to the wind. I quickly hid back inside and waited to go back down. As we were walking down the steps a father and daughter duo that we saw at the Crevice were coming up. I was in awe at how many kids and families were on the Labyrinth trail going to the Lemon Squeeze. Hopefully they all enjoyed their adventure and created some core memories.

After the tower, we started heading back down to go back to the Trapps trailhead. Well, this is where the extra miles really added on. We first started heading down Skytop Road only to realize we were going away from the Mountain House. If we kept going we would have ended up at Lily Pond. So we headed back the other way and kept walking. Every trail that would lead us back to the Lake Shore Road was closed. So, back we went up the trail to retrace our steps. We eventually came back down to the Labyrinth and were able to cut through, connect to the Partridgeberry Trail. We through that we could take Short Woodland Dr and connect back to Old Minnewasanka Rd but boy we were wrong. It just connects and loops around Long Woodland Dr, so we learned our lesson there as well.

After getting back on track we took the Overcliff Road back to the car, instead of the way we came, Undercliff Road. While there were no giant rocks and cliffs to look at, the carriage road walk was still peaceful. As we got closer to the main road, we saw more hikers, enjoying the warm day. By this time my feet were asking to be free from my hiking boots but at least the wind eased up.

Overall, this hike was beautiful and had its memories. The last time we came to Mohonk to hike the Lemon Squeeze, the trail was closed. This was probably a year or two ago. I’m glad we were able to finally do it and see what all the fuss was about. The Labyrinth, Crevice and Skytop Tower should have been about eight mile hike, if we didn’t make some extra turns and didn’t do the loop around the lake. I enjoyed the hike and look forward to the new Mohonk adventure, before our free pass expires.