Minnewaska State Park Preserve
Rainbow Falls Trail
Date
Project: Descent To The Rainbow
Rainbow Falls is a popular attraction off the preserve's Awosting carriage road and is situated at the base of some of the famed cliffs of the Shawangunk Mountains. Due to the amount of foot traffic and the constant water seepage from the dramatic cliffs above, the trail leading down to the falls had turned into a muddied gully on even the driest of days.
In the Fall of 2012, the Minnewaska State Park Preserve approached the Jolly Rovers to craft a solution that would reinforce the steep descent while not impeding the various drainage needs from the watershed above. The Rovers came up with an approach that involved the installation of 78 stone steps and several stone culverts, stepping stones and stone paved water crossings (swales) so that water would be directed underneath or over the stonework. Completed in the Spring of 2015, over 18 days and 40 crew members volunteered over 5,000 hours to complete the project.
