Escaping New York | Sam’s Point Hiking Day 🏃‍♀️

My friends and I drove out of New York City for a hiking trip on the weekend. Since we’re all hiking newbies, we chose a national park near New York ⛲️. It’s a relatively simple, easy, and fun trail, and along the way, you can pass through an ice cave 🧊 and then walk around the lake to enjoy the beautiful scenery! 🏞️ Sam’s Point Area of Minnewaska State Park Preserve It’s about a 1.5-hour drive from New Jersey. It’s recommended to book a parking spot in advance on the official website (newyorkstateparks.reserveamerica.com). There are two time slots to choose from: 9 am - 2 pm or after 2 pm (closing at 8 pm). The cost is $10 +$0.95 handling fee per vehicle. There is a special ticket check at the park entrance. The cell phone signal on the mountain is not very good, so it is recommended to take a screenshot or print out the confirmation order in advance for the convenience of staff registration and confirmation. 🅿️ Next to the parking lot is the visitor center, where you can get a map. There is also a restroom nearby. The staff will also patiently introduce how to walk on different trails. We chose the Sam’s Point Overlook to Ice Cave Trail. ✅It takes about ten minutes to walk from the entrance to Sam’s Point Overlook! The scenery is absolutely stunning, with a sense of shock from the cliffs and precipices. But be careful, especially when taking pictures on the rocks, don’t go too far to the edge! ✅Keep walking forward, and you’ll reach the ice cave. I really like this interesting little trail that extends out! There will be staff on the road to count the number of people. After entering, it’s as if you’ve entered an ice cave in winter! Sometimes narrow, sometimes wide, sometimes up, sometimes down. It’s very cool to walk in the cave in summer, with natural air conditioning. Some caves are very dark (but there are lights), and there will be the sound of dripping water, moss, small bridges over flowing water, natural cobblestones… all kinds of plants are growing well! Climbing up and down is a bit challenging, but it’s super fun! Highly recommended 🥳 ✅After leaving the ice cave, return to the main road, and keep walking down to see the lake. There are also small ducks by the lake. After walking around to enjoy the scenery, you will return to the parking lot! ✅This whole hiking trail is really super fun! It took us about 2.5 hours in total, with a great pace and beautiful scenery! There are mountaintops, caves, and lakes, making the whole journey very interesting! If you are a hiking expert, you can choose a more difficult trail. Further up, there is a waterfall scenic spot, and the scenery along the way will definitely be super beautiful! #OutdoorHiking #MyHikingDiary #TravelersWeeklyChallenge #TravelDiary #NewYorkLife #NewYorkSurroundingArea #NewYorkSelfDrivingTour #NewYorkFoodAndFun #NewYorkParks #NewYorkPlacesToGo