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Climbing in the Gunks

The massively dramatic cliffs that characterize the Shawangunk Ridge in New Paltz may look foreboding, but those of us who live in the area know those cliffs are not as lonely as they seem. In fact, on weekends, they are teeming with adventuresome souls bent on the awesome challenge of climbing impossible faces of rock hundreds of feet in the air.

According to Richard Dumas' Swawangunk Rock Climbing guide, these cliffs are "one of the world's great climbing areas," and some of the hardest climbs in the country. The appeal is enhanced by the accessibility of the cliffs and routes, foremost via the wide carriage road that winds along beneath the main crag.

Because of the reputation of these cliffs, mountain climbers come from all over the world to scale their heights. The vertical or overhanging nature of the rock faces allow climbers to experience an affinity with the sky and the entire valley below as they hang by the sheer strength of their arms and fingers, looking for that next good "bucket hold."

Some of the names given to the cliffs give a good idea of the experience. Climbing cliffs with names like Cookie Monster, Carbs and Caffeine, Open Cockpit, and the Sound and the Fury may sound like the world's worst self-imposed torture to those of us who intend to cling to terra firma, but to climbers, they are mecca.

According to those who climb in the Gunks, the Trapps cliff is THE cliff of the area. This enormous rock face has a uniform height of over 200 feet for almost 1 ½ miles and is the most popular crag in the entire range, and offers hundreds of routes.

According to the Mohonk Preserve, there are more climbers today than ever at the Gunks. Because of the amount of climbers who scale the cliffs, the Preserve has implemented policies to allow climbers their freedom while protecting the cliff environment. One of these policies was the creation of fixed anchors at the top of certain very popular routes to allow for a quick and safe return to the ground. Also, funded by a grant from the American Alpine Club, the Preserve has formed a subcommittee to assess the impacts of climber use and has installed these anchors in the most needed spots. This results in less impact at the top of the cliffs, fewer social trails, fewer nylon slings left behind by climbers descending, and a safer situation.

Climbing has expanded beyond the Mohonk Preserve to Minnewaska State Park Preserve as a result of the work of the Access Fund, a climbers' advocacy group, and with the advice of the Preserve. Climbing is now allowed in the Peterskill area of the Park. This is the first time New York State Parks has allowed climbing to be practiced on its property.

The rock climbing on the ridge is among the best in the world, and climbers will be here to enjoy it for a long time to come. (Much of this information has been excerpted from the www.monhonkpreserve.org web site). Please see this site for further information.

*If you have specific climbing routes to recommend, please email them to us.
We would be happy to include your suggestions on these pages.

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