The stunted trees testify to the fact that there is no neighboring mountain range to curb the wind. Take your windbreaker. The Lake Awosting Trail is rated most difficult only because it is ungroomed and far from the parking area. It circles the long, pretty Lake Awosting with only a mere hint of a hill. Because of the wind and melting patterns, the snow can be thin on the southern side of the lake.
Rocks rise to the surface.
This is not a good trail for a new pair of skis. The Hamilton Point Trail is probably the most technically challenging at Minnewaska. The far end runs along an exposed ridge, with some steep slopes and turns. The near end slides under a canopy of hemlocks and passes intricate, layered rock outcroppings that a master stonemason would be glad to imitate. The beautiful Clifftop Trail rises and falls with the cliffs around Lake Minnewaska.