The Open Space Institute (OSI) has acquired Verkeerderkill Falls, a dramatic 187-foot waterfall at the southern end of the Shawangunk Ridge, permanently protecting one of the Hudson Valley’s most celebrated natural landmarks and securing public access to the site for generations to come. The acquisition, announced October 24, builds on OSI’s three-decade conservation legacy at Minnewaska State Park Preserve and Sam’s Point.
The purchase includes 134 acres surrounding the falls, located in the Towns of Wawarsing and Shawangunk in Ulster County and accessible via a six-mile round-trip hike from the Sam’s Point Visitor Center. The land had previously been privately owned, but the former landowner allowed hikers to access the falls by crossing the property. OSI’s acquisition ensures that access will continue permanently once the parcel is eventually added to the state park.
“There’s simply no place quite like Verkeerderkill Falls. It’s a true natural treasure,” says Erik Kulleseid, president and CEO of OSI, in a statement. “But this is more than just protecting land—we will be taking this project to the next level with a trail enhancement project that will make it safer for people to experience the wonder of the falls, while safeguarding the fragile and rare landscapes surrounding the trail.”
The project represents a crucial addition to the Sam’s Point area, one of the most ecologically significant landscapes in New York State. Sam’s Point sits atop the highest section of the Shawangunk Ridge and contains globally rare pitch pine barrens, deep ice caves, and sweeping views toward the Catskills and Hudson Highlands.
Community Support and Trail Improvements
OSI’s acquisition effort was supported in part by RunWild, a Hudson Valley-based nonprofit that raises funds for land conservation through trail races and outdoor events. RunWild contributed $205,000 toward the purchase and upcoming trail restoration.
“The trail-running community is incredibly passionate about the Shawangunk Mountains,” says RunWild board chair Ken Posner. “We deeply appreciate OSI’s leadership in permanently protecting this special place and the trails that pass through it.”
In partnership with New York State Parks, the Palisades Interstate Park Commission (PIPC), and the New York–New Jersey Trail Conference, OSI plans to rehabilitate and realign parts of the Verkeerderkill Falls Trail. The popular route suffers from erosion, pooling water, and damage from “social trails”—informal footpaths created by hikers leaving the designated trail, which can harm sensitive vegetation and wildlife habitat.
Weather permitting, trail work is expected to begin later this year and conclude in fall 2026.
“The Verkeerderkill Falls Trail at Sam’s Point offers one of the best hiking experiences in the region,” says Joshua Laird, executive director of the PIPC. “This acquisition is a major victory for land conservation efforts in the Shawangunks.”
A Conservation Legacy at Minnewaska
The protection of Verkeerderkill Falls continues OSI’s decades-long partnership with New York State to expand Minnewaska State Park Preserve and improve public access to its cliffs, lakes, and wilderness.
Since the mid-1990s, OSI has helped more than double the size of Minnewaska from 10,400 acres to over 24,000 acres, making it New York’s third-largest state park. The nonprofit has also permanently conserved more than 10,000 acres around Sam’s Point—including the Ellenville Ice Caves—and restored more than 15 miles of historic carriage roads. In 2020, OSI helped fund and build the new Lake Minnewaska Visitor Center.
The Verkeerderkill Falls parcel also includes segments of long-distance trails central to regional recreation, including part of the Long Path, a 357-mile trail running from the George Washington Bridge to Albany County, and the 73-mile Shawangunk Ridge Trail, which connects New Jersey to the Rosendale Trestle.
The Verkeerder Kill itself, fed by the protected headwaters on the property, is categorized by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation as a trout-supporting stream clean enough to provide drinking water.
The land has been listed as a priority in the New York State Open Space Plan and is designated a Critical Environmental Area by the Town of Shawangunk.
Once trail improvements are completed, OSI plans to transfer the land to New York State as an addition to Minnewaska, using funding from the state’s Environmental Protection Fund.
