Just about anyone who has been to the Mohonk Preserve or the Mountain House has looked out at Rock Hill Ridge.  It is that immediate hilltop that runs along to the west of the Preserve.  If you are gazing out at the Rondout Valley and Catskills, there’s Rock Hill, just beyond the Clove. 

We tend to think of it as Mohonk’s “sister ridge”.   Although it’s elevation is lower, the topography and geology are very much the same.

The rocky cliffs of Dickie Barre and Ronde Barre are of the same quartz conglomerate that make up the surface of Mohonk.  Pitch pines, hemlocks, white pines, red and white oaks, as well as maple trees are abundant. The ubiquitous blueberries are a summertime favorite and are quite delicious.  Of course, Rock Hill has its share of mountain laurel, which blooms every June.

Only a small portion of the hill is reachable by car (Rock Hill Road, of course.) The majority is privately owned and not open to the public, with the exception being the area reachable by the High Peters Kill Trail. This begins at the Coxing parking lot and runs up to Dickie Barre, down to the Peters Kill, and back up to 44/55.

Rock Hill’s place in history is owed to High Falls Millstone, aka Shawangunk Conglomerate, aka Esopus Millstone that was blasted and drilled out of the mountainside, cut to various size millstones, and transported out to the Hudson River via the old D&H Canal.  Hiking across certain areas of Rock Hill, one can come across signs where this activity took place.

Rock Hill is home to all types of wildlife:  White tailed deer, wild turkeys, black bear, red fox just to name a few.