VIDEO: Mohonk to Mohonk - Biking to The Labyrinth Trail

Yet ANOTHER adventure to be had within the glimmering Gunks! These bad boys really have no limit, huh?

Oh, and this is rock scramble numero DOS people, Bonticou Crag isn't the only thing WHISKING you off your feet!

Whisking…eggs…scrambled eggs...a ROCK SCARMBLE?! Best. Joke. Ever.

ANYways, so you want to tackle Mohonk Mountain House's Labyrinth Trail without paying the exorbitant $26 entry fee. Well you've come to the right place! Just as we XC-skied Mohonk Preseve to the Mountain House, you can just as easily bike in via the fabulous carriage roads winding throughout the natural areas of the Gunks.

Yes, there is STILL a fee at the Spring Farm Trailhead of $17/per person for biking on weekends (which is pretty steep)…BUT you’re saving $9 by coming from the always-lovely Mohonk Preserve! I’ll take it.

From the trailhead, you can bike Cedar Drive carriage road to Mossy Brook Road, ultimately bringing you into the Mohonk Mountain House grounds. While this place is mighty purrrty, your destination lies on the outskirts of Lake Mohonk along Lake Shore Rd where signage directs you toward The Labyrinth Trail.

With grippy shoes on your tootsies, you will follow the red arrows in, out, under, and over various rock formations as well as man-made ladders and platforms. This hike can get a bit crowded within the more claustrophobic areas (adding insult to injury, I must say), but seems to thin out once passed the tightest squeezes.

After you navigate the crevices and boulder fields of The Labyrinth, you’ll climb up to Skytop Road, a carriage road that leads you to Skytop Tower. From this 1,542 ft pinnacle, you will have the pleasure of gazing at the Gunks from a heightened perspective, with the verdant Hudson Valley adding to the show.

While we were atop this mountain, distant sounds of thunder drove us to scurry back down Skytop Road to Skytop Path to escape the incoming threat of rain and…electrical disturbances. Why is it whenever we’re on an exposed mountaintop, thunderstorms insist on rolling in?

So quickly we ran to our bicycles and speedily we journeyed back along the carriage roads to Mohonk Preserve, raindrops pelting us as we went.

While our trip was cut short due to weather, you can assuredly make this bike-hike a full-day experience, adding as many Mohonk Mountain House hikes as you please! Consult the Mohonk Mountain House map as well as the NYNJTC website for all the information you need to set up an extended stay in these fascinating grounds.

For a FIRST-PERSON look at this journey, check out the video below & become a part of the action!