New York · Hiking

Rock Garden Trail

Rock Garden TrailPhoto: Idawriter, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
1.0 mi
round trip
676 ft
climb
1,387 ft
high point
Out and back
route

Rock Garden Trail is a short, easy hike in the Wilmington Wild Forest in New York, managed by the State Department of Conservation. The trail is about a mile long and rises about 277 feet from its low point of 1,138 feet to a high of 1,387 feet. It makes a round trip of about 1.9 miles, with a total climb of roughly 676 feet, and the steepest stretch comes early on at about 17% grade. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. At a nearby weather station, typical July highs reach about 74°F with lows near 54°F, and September cools to typical highs around 66°F. That station sits about 500 feet higher than the trail, so temperatures on the trail may run slightly warmer. The trail is a quick outing. Plan about an hour for the round trip, and the Ridge and Bear Den Trail both start about a tenth of a mile away. Flume Knob Trail is about 0.6 miles off. Climbers can head to Cloudspin Cliff, roughly 1.4 miles from the trail.

Local outfitters

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  • Best time to go

    Best time to visit Rock Garden Trail

    No month here meets our mild-weather rule. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.

    1. Jan

      23° / 6°

      18 wet

    2. Feb

      27° / 8°

      14 wet

    3. Mar

      36° / 16°

      14 wet

    4. Apr

      49° / 29°

      14 wet

    5. May

      62° / 40°

      15 wet

    6. Jun

      70° / 49°

      14 wet

    7. Jul

      74° / 54°

      14 wet

    8. Aug

      73° / 52°

      13 wet

    9. Sep

      66° / 45°

      13 wet

    10. Oct

      52° / 35°

      15 wet

    11. Nov

      40° / 25°

      16 wet

    12. Dec

      28° / 14°

      18 wet

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Lake Placid 2 S, NY, 7.7 mi away at 1,888 ft. The station sits about 500 ft higher than this place, so expect it a little warmer here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

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Map and trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors