We went on a Friday — the entrance fee was $21 as opposed to $26 on the weekends. Our goal of the day was to find the Sky Top Tower while scrambling and squeezing through/under/over rocks. You can call Mohonk for a recorded message on hiking conditions at 845-256-2197. We called before we left in case it closed for inclement weather.
There’s about a mile between the parking lot and the actual trail. The guy said that there was no shuttle that day. It’s not too bad of a walk though. 
Lots of lookouts. We wanted to see the fall foliage and there it was!
They provided us with a map.
There were a bunch of trails that led to Sky Top.
“Dawn seat”, I read as “Damn seat”…
There’s the Mohonk Mountain House.
This is where it gets difficult. Especially for me, since I’m afraid of heights. Like panic-attack-hyperventilating-legs-giving-out afraid.
There were lots of short and long ladders, at one point I had to crawl to get up through rocks. Lots of deep crevices.
When we got close, there was a long ladder that made me hyperventilate because it went over a deep crevice. I panicked but got through it. While we were in between that ladder and the next one, it suddenly started hailing. We debated whether to continue or turn back, since everything started getting wet. I did not want to hyperventilate again, so we continued. The second ladder was not bad at all because it was a more narrow passageway, so you can lean on the rocks as you ascend up the ladder. After that, the “lemon squeeze” or “fat man’s misery” was the narrow space where we had to climb up (we had to take off our backpacks in order to fit), and also my favorite part of the hike!
Victory!
This was the crevice… I couldn’t even take a picture of it straight down without getting dizzy.
This bridge led us to the Sky Top Tower.
Go inside…
I just love this picture, taken from inside the tower.
We took in the view before heading back. The sun came out from the clouds and the air was crisp and fresh.
And don’t worry, there are restrooms at the start and at the mountain house.
life on macro. 
Great photos!
My friends and I just did this hike yesterday, but its great seeing it during the Fall; beautiful!
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That’s great! It’s such a fun hike squeezing through the rocks! Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
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THANK YOU! Very detailed! Love your pictures! If you can reply to this.. I have a few questions about this hike! or email me?
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Sure, ask away! =)
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Hi, i really enjoyed your virtual tour. I was thinking of visiting in August, and wanted to ask few questions:
1. Where do you leave from and how long does it take to reach the top and how many miles?
2. Can I take my DSLR large camera and tripod?
3. I am not fat but also not skinny but very top heavy- is there any way you could estate what is the minimum inches crevice in lemon squeeze? they all say that you have to be slender to fit…but I wonder if like some people visited and truly were not able to fit and had to turn around? I would not want to miss the rest 🙂
4. If I take a camera backpack, and I take it off, do I had it to someone or carry it in my hands while squeezing?
5. can I wear Tewa hiking sandals or do I need serious hiking shoes.
The views look fantastic. Thank you for any tips or advice.!!
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Hi!
1) We left from Queens, NY. It didn’t take a long time to reach the top — around 2 hrs with some picture-taking along the way.
2) You can take your DSLR & tripod, just keep in mind there’s some climbing and scrambling involved.
3) According to this site, the slot is about 20-24 inches wide: http://www.meetup.com/Hartford-Area-Hiking/events/231175524/
4) I would hand it to someone because you’ll have to climb up using your hands.
5) I wore sneakers this time, it wasn’t bad at all!
🙂 Hope that helps!
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