Mohonk Mountain House - A Victorian Castle in the Hudson Valley

About 90 miles north of Manhattan in New York's Hudson Valley sits a Victorian castle that looks like it was plucked from a fairy tale and dropped onto the shores of a glacial lake. Mohonk Mountain House rises from the Shawangunk Ridge like something out of a Gothic novel, complete with turrets, gabled roofs, and enough stone masonry to make a medieval architect weep with joy.

This isn't your typical weekend getaway. At Mohonk, you'll find yourself in a place where afternoon tea is served daily in the Lake Lounge, where 85 miles of hiking trails snake through pristine wilderness, and where the biggest decision you'll face is whether to spend your morning canoeing across the lake or getting pampered in a world-class spa. It's the kind of place where you can genuinely disconnect – and not just because the rooms deliberately lack televisions.

A Family Legacy Spanning Centuries

The story of Mohonk begins in 1869 when Quaker twin brothers Albert and Alfred Smiley purchased 300 acres and a modest 10-room inn beside Lake Mohonk. Their vision was refreshingly simple: create a sanctuary where people could escape city life and reconnect with nature, themselves, and each other. What started as a small guesthouse gradually evolved into the sprawling Victorian castle you see today, built between 1869 and 1910.

The Smiley family didn't just build a hotel – they created a movement. From 1883 to 1916, Mohonk hosted annual conferences focused on improving living standards for Native American populations, bringing together government representatives, educators, and tribal leaders. The resort also played host to the Lake Mohonk Conference on International Arbitration from 1895 to 1916, meetings that helped establish the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague.

More than 150 years later, the Smiley family still owns and operates the resort, making it one of America's longest-running family businesses. The property earned National Historic Landmark status in 1986 and received a United Nations Environment Programme Award in 1994 for "125 years of stewardship."

Dining with a View

The Main Dining Room at Mohonk is where the resort's old-world charm truly shines. Floor-to-ceiling windows offer panoramic views of the Catskill Mountains, while the high ceilings and intricate woodwork transport you back to the Gilded Age. The three-course dinners here focus heavily on Hudson Valley ingredients, with menus changing nightly to showcase seasonal produce.

Your stay includes all meals, so you'll want to explore beyond the main dining room. The Granary offers a more casual outdoor dining experience with barbecue picnic-style meals that you can enjoy lakeside. For a quick bite or afternoon refreshment, there's always the daily tradition of afternoon tea and cookies served in the Lake Lounge – a ritual that has continued uninterrupted for more than a century.

The resort accommodates various dietary needs, with vegetarian and gluten-free options readily available. The breakfast and lunch buffets are particularly impressive, featuring everything from made-to-order omelets to dollar-sized pancakes and muesli prepared with milk and dried fruit.

Rooms with Character

Don't expect cookie-cutter accommodations at Mohonk. The 263 guest rooms and suites each have their own personality, reflecting the Victorian era when the hotel was built. Many feature wood-burning fireplaces, antique-style furnishings, and private balconies or porches where you can sit in a rocking chair and contemplate the lake.

The rooms blend period charm with modern comfort, though you won't find televisions – a deliberate choice designed to encourage you to engage with the natural surroundings and resort activities.

Dark wood paneling, patterned wallpaper reminiscent of Japanese calligraphy, and deeply comfortable mattresses create an atmosphere that feels like staying in a well-appointed country home rather than a commercial hotel.

For those preferring a more contemporary aesthetic, you can request accommodations in the Grove Lodge or one of the more minimalist rooms that have been recently renovated.

Grove Lodge: A Mountain Retreat

The Grove Lodge offers a different experience from the main castle building. This enormous retreat houses six guest rooms and features its own heated indoor pool, stone fireplaces, and a spectacular 1,080-square-foot "Great Room" where you can spread out and relax.

The lodge provides a more intimate, residential feel while still maintaining access to all the resort's amenities.

The architecture here is more rustic than the Victorian grandeur of the main building, but no less impressive.

It's particularly popular with families who want a bit more space and privacy while still being part of the Mohonk experience.

Waters of Wellness

The resort's aquatic offerings center around its spectacular 30,000-square-foot spa complex. The 60-foot-long heated indoor swimming pool is surrounded by stone tiles and comfortable loungers, with banks of windows offering views of the surrounding mountains. The pool area feels both grand and intimate, with natural light filtering through the dancing leaves outside creating an ever-changing pattern on the water.

Adjacent to the main pool, you'll find the outdoor heated mineral pool infused with Dead Sea salts. This therapeutic soak is particularly popular after a day of hiking or winter activities, providing a soothing end to active pursuits.

The spa itself offers treatments that incorporate local elements, including crystal facials using rose quartz and white quartz found in the nearby Shawangunk Ridge.

Steam rooms, saunas, and relaxation verandas complete the wellness experience, along with a new nature-inspired Lakeview Summerhouse outdoor treatment room that was designed specifically for treatments surrounded by views of Lake Mohonk and the towering cliffs.

Victorian Gardens

Albert Smiley had a special fondness for gardens, and his legacy lives on in Mohonk's Victorian Show Garden, which originated in the late 1880s. Unlike other resort departments that were closely watched for expenses, Smiley evaluated the gardens based on pleasure, satisfaction, good health, and beauty rather than dollars.

Today, you can stroll through these historic gardens and visit the Stone Summerhouse dating to the 1880s. The gardens provide a peaceful counterpoint to the more active pursuits available at the resort, offering a place for quiet contemplation and appreciation of landscape design from a bygone era.

Trails and Adventures

Mohonk's 85 miles of hiking trails and carriage roads were first carved into the mountainside in 1871 using horsepower and dynamite. These paths range from gentle strolls suitable for families to challenging scrambles that will test experienced hikers. The famous Lemon Squeeze trail, also known as the Labyrinth Rock Scramble, requires you to navigate through a narrow crevice between rock formations – not for the faint of heart, but rewarding for those who make it through.

The Sunset Path offers an easier option at less than a mile long, perfect for an evening walk to catch the day's final light over the mountains. Sky Top provides panoramic views from an observation tower, while numerous other trails wind through forests, meadows, and along cliff edges.

Lake Mohonk itself offers its own adventures. You can canoe, kayak, paddleboard, or row across the half-mile-long glacial lake, which reaches depths of 60 feet. Fishing is popular, and in winter, the lake often freezes solid enough for ice skating.

The resort provides equipment for most activities, from canoes and tennis rackets to snowshoes and cross-country skis in winter. There's also a nine-hole golf course, archery range, stables for horseback riding, and even the only Via Ferrata climbing route in the Shawangunk Mountains.

Beyond physical activities, Mohonk offers daily programming that might include geology talks, guided nature walks, bird watching expeditions, yoga and meditation sessions, and various workshops. The Barn Museum showcases the resort's history with Victorian-era carriages, antique farm equipment, and a 1929 Model A Ford Station Wagon.