The ground rules for climbing location "yeahs" and "neahs"
- Each location will receive an opinion rating - "It Rocks!", "Worth It," "Meh," or "Trash."
- Each crag has its own personality with unique advantages and challenges, which are highlighted.
- It is tempting to list “beautiful” as a “yeah,” but that is true for a lot of crags. I allude to beauty and scenery in the summary. You can also (sometimes) tell by the photo. If the place is a dump, then that will be listed in the “neahs” and rated as "Meh" or "Trash.
Summary
The Gunks are one of the first rock climbing areas established in the U.S. Many routes have first ascent dates in the 1940s and 50s. Because of it’s early history, the grading is “old school” (more on that in the “Grading” section below).
The Gunks are located about 1.5 hours north of New York City in the southeastern part of New York state. The climbing itself is on a series of confined cliff bands primarily within the Mohonk Preserve (a private preserve) and a little bit in the Minnewaska State Park Preserve.
You have to pay quite a bit of money to climb here, especially to climb in the most popular, well-known areas (The Trapps, Near Trapps, Peter’s Kill).
The Mohonk preserve charges $20 PER PERSON PER DAY to climb. Or you can buy an annual pass for $95. If you decide you want to stay and climb for more than a few days, you can apply ONE $20 day pass fee towards the $95 annual fee.
The Minnewaska State Park Preserve charges $10 PER PERSON PER DAY to climb, it also offers an annual pass. The climbing area in the state park is called Peterskill, a small cliff most known for walking up to the top and setting up top ropes. The state park does limit the number of people accessing Peter’s Kill.
The nearest good-sized town, with stores, restaurants, and a well equipped climbing shop (Rock and Snow) in New Paltz, which is about a 20-30 minute drive to the climbing. The town, like the climbing areas and campgrounds (of which there are few – more on camping below) get congested on seasonal weekends. Be mentally prepared for crowds if you are visiting on a weekend.
Directions
The majority of Gunks climbing is on the Mohonk Preserve of highway 55 (north of the intersection at Hwy 299). Look for the visitor center. You can buy your entry pass at the visitor center or at the booth at the west Trapps parking area.
Peter’s Kill is located on the Minewaska State Park.
Grading, Boltings, and Guidebook Tips
Bolting – It’s not. The Gunks are a traditional climbing area (i.e. all climbs require knowing how to place gear for protection). There is an occasional bolted anchor here and there to protect some sensitive tree species (so you don’t belay off the tree) and a few climbs with 1, maybe 2 bolts in otherwise unprotectable sections. For the most part bolts are a big no-no here and replacing old bolts or adding any new bolts must be coordinated and approved with the park.
Grading - As mentioned in the introduction, this is an “old school” area. People have been climbing here for a long time, almost longer than anywhere else in the U.S. The grades reflect this. Prior to approximately the 1960s, the Yosemite Decimal System (YDS) started at 5.0 and stopped at 5.9. If you think about it, this makes sense. In mathematics there is no difference between a 5.1, 5.10, and 5.100 – they all equal 5.1. Before 5.10 actually became a real climbing grade, anything that was harder than they were used to the climb was given a grade of 5.9. So an “old school” 5.9 (dated prior to the 1970s) might be a 5.9, 5.10, 5.11, or harder on today’s scales.
In general, to climb here, you will need to slide the current scale down by at least 1 to 3 grades. For example an “old school” 5.5 is more like a spicy 5.7 or 5.8 in today’s terms.
Guidebooks (Listed alphabetically)
With the exception of the Todd Swain book (which includes all of the different areas), the guidebooks tend to be chopped up. Mountain Project has a more comprehensive list of guidebooks (including bouldering) for the area, but here are the main roped climbing resources.
1. Climber’s Guide to the Shawangunks/The Trapps, By Dick Williams (2015)
2. Gunks+ Apps
Photos on the route description are good to find the route, the topo photo shows the entire route (especially helpful for multipitch climbs)
The GPS feature is not map oriented – it will tell you the route you are close to and go to that route in the list. The app does not have any maps but does have helpful route descriptions.
3. Gunks Guide - Regional Climbing Series, by Todd Swain (2004)
4. A Rock Climber's Guide to the Peter's Kill Area, by Marty Molitoris and Mike Rawdon
Rock Type, Climbing, and Style
Climbing - Although the Gunks are a trad area, it has a unique “sporty” feel with easy/clean trail approaches and many 1, 2, and 3 pitch climbs. You can nab climb after climb as you work your way down the long cliff. Because the primary Trapps area is well climbed, the routes tend to be (mostly) clean of lichen, moss, overly zealous plant matter, and loose rock. If you seek to get away from the crowds and miss the dirty, plant-and-crap-covered climbs that usually accompany trad climbing, you can walk to the far end of the Trapps wall. Or, if you want even more adventure, with some steeper approaches and walk-offs, cross the road to work the Nears and it’s far adjacent cliff.
Rock - The rock in the Gunks is a tightly cemented conglomerate/sandstone mix. The pebbles in the conglomerate are small white quartz pebbles. The bottom layers of the cliff tend towards being slicker with fewer holds and face features. As you gain elevation, the friction, features, and juggy roofs increase.
Style - The Gunks are primarily featured face climbing with lots of small and large roofs that vary in style and challenge, but it also sprinkled with some pure crack and slabby-like surfaces (particularly in the lower layers of the cliff).
Camping
If you are used to free, easy-access camping so prevalent in the western U.S., forget it here. Camping is few and far between and expensive (starting at $30 or more per night, unless you are an American Alpine Club or Mohonk Preserve member for the Sam Pryor campground, which is $24/per night).
There is no public land with dirt roads where you can hide out.
The closest camping area to the climbing is the American Alpine Club Sam Pryor Shawangunk Gateway campground. If you are climbing on the weekends, you’d better make reservations ahead of time online for this campground. Sometimes you might get lucky for a walk-in campsite on the weekend. Things chill out a lot on the weekdays and availability improves dramatically. If you sleep in your car or van, there are a few drive-in style sites with flat parking. Otherwise some of the drive-in sites are not level. Also, you are NOT allowed to sleep in your van/vehicle in the walk-in parking lot.
The Sam Pryor campground is newer and nice. But, also be prepared that 4-minute showers cost $3 in quarters. There is also very limited wi-fi.
The other camping options are about a 30-minute drive from climbing. I list several below but of these, I have only stayed in SoHi.
SoHi has the amenities, like bathrooms and a warm free shower and wifi across the park, but the bath/shower facilities are a bit “shack-like” and, at the time of this writing, lack things like shelving to put your towel and clothes on. This campground is on quite a bit of acreage and also has a playground, mini-golf area, and a pool. So, it’s got the goods, but it’s certainly not “high-end.” It’s more like Uncle Bob and Aunt Mary turned their forested land into campground using leftovers from the barn.
Yeahs
Neahs
Opinion Rating
It rocks!
Despite the crowds and the major hit to the wallet, the Gunks are worth checking out at least once in your climbing life. If you don’t climb trad, hire a guide or find someone who will rope gun for you.
The Gunks are one of the first rock climbing areas established in the U.S. Many routes have first ascent dates in the 1940s and 50s. Because of it’s early history, the grading is “old school” (more on that in the “Grading” section below).
The Gunks are located about 1.5 hours north of New York City in the southeastern part of New York state. The climbing itself is on a series of confined cliff bands primarily within the Mohonk Preserve (a private preserve) and a little bit in the Minnewaska State Park Preserve.
You have to pay quite a bit of money to climb here, especially to climb in the most popular, well-known areas (The Trapps, Near Trapps, Peter’s Kill).
The Mohonk preserve charges $20 PER PERSON PER DAY to climb. Or you can buy an annual pass for $95. If you decide you want to stay and climb for more than a few days, you can apply ONE $20 day pass fee towards the $95 annual fee.
The Minnewaska State Park Preserve charges $10 PER PERSON PER DAY to climb, it also offers an annual pass. The climbing area in the state park is called Peterskill, a small cliff most known for walking up to the top and setting up top ropes. The state park does limit the number of people accessing Peter’s Kill.
The nearest good-sized town, with stores, restaurants, and a well equipped climbing shop (Rock and Snow) in New Paltz, which is about a 20-30 minute drive to the climbing. The town, like the climbing areas and campgrounds (of which there are few – more on camping below) get congested on seasonal weekends. Be mentally prepared for crowds if you are visiting on a weekend.
Directions
The majority of Gunks climbing is on the Mohonk Preserve of highway 55 (north of the intersection at Hwy 299). Look for the visitor center. You can buy your entry pass at the visitor center or at the booth at the west Trapps parking area.
Peter’s Kill is located on the Minewaska State Park.
Grading, Boltings, and Guidebook Tips
Bolting – It’s not. The Gunks are a traditional climbing area (i.e. all climbs require knowing how to place gear for protection). There is an occasional bolted anchor here and there to protect some sensitive tree species (so you don’t belay off the tree) and a few climbs with 1, maybe 2 bolts in otherwise unprotectable sections. For the most part bolts are a big no-no here and replacing old bolts or adding any new bolts must be coordinated and approved with the park.
Grading - As mentioned in the introduction, this is an “old school” area. People have been climbing here for a long time, almost longer than anywhere else in the U.S. The grades reflect this. Prior to approximately the 1960s, the Yosemite Decimal System (YDS) started at 5.0 and stopped at 5.9. If you think about it, this makes sense. In mathematics there is no difference between a 5.1, 5.10, and 5.100 – they all equal 5.1. Before 5.10 actually became a real climbing grade, anything that was harder than they were used to the climb was given a grade of 5.9. So an “old school” 5.9 (dated prior to the 1970s) might be a 5.9, 5.10, 5.11, or harder on today’s scales.
In general, to climb here, you will need to slide the current scale down by at least 1 to 3 grades. For example an “old school” 5.5 is more like a spicy 5.7 or 5.8 in today’s terms.
Guidebooks (Listed alphabetically)
With the exception of the Todd Swain book (which includes all of the different areas), the guidebooks tend to be chopped up. Mountain Project has a more comprehensive list of guidebooks (including bouldering) for the area, but here are the main roped climbing resources.
1. Climber’s Guide to the Shawangunks/The Trapps, By Dick Williams (2015)
2. Gunks+ Apps
Photos on the route description are good to find the route, the topo photo shows the entire route (especially helpful for multipitch climbs)
The GPS feature is not map oriented – it will tell you the route you are close to and go to that route in the list. The app does not have any maps but does have helpful route descriptions.
- Trapps Routes $24.99 – 10% of the sale is donated to the Mohonk Preserve
- Nears Routes $10.99 - 10% of the sale is donated to the Mohonk Preserve
- Peter’s Kill Routes $14.99
- Trapps Bouldering $19.99
- Nears Bouldering $4.99
- Peter’s Kill Bouldering $9.99
3. Gunks Guide - Regional Climbing Series, by Todd Swain (2004)
4. A Rock Climber's Guide to the Peter's Kill Area, by Marty Molitoris and Mike Rawdon
Rock Type, Climbing, and Style
Climbing - Although the Gunks are a trad area, it has a unique “sporty” feel with easy/clean trail approaches and many 1, 2, and 3 pitch climbs. You can nab climb after climb as you work your way down the long cliff. Because the primary Trapps area is well climbed, the routes tend to be (mostly) clean of lichen, moss, overly zealous plant matter, and loose rock. If you seek to get away from the crowds and miss the dirty, plant-and-crap-covered climbs that usually accompany trad climbing, you can walk to the far end of the Trapps wall. Or, if you want even more adventure, with some steeper approaches and walk-offs, cross the road to work the Nears and it’s far adjacent cliff.
Rock - The rock in the Gunks is a tightly cemented conglomerate/sandstone mix. The pebbles in the conglomerate are small white quartz pebbles. The bottom layers of the cliff tend towards being slicker with fewer holds and face features. As you gain elevation, the friction, features, and juggy roofs increase.
Style - The Gunks are primarily featured face climbing with lots of small and large roofs that vary in style and challenge, but it also sprinkled with some pure crack and slabby-like surfaces (particularly in the lower layers of the cliff).
Camping
If you are used to free, easy-access camping so prevalent in the western U.S., forget it here. Camping is few and far between and expensive (starting at $30 or more per night, unless you are an American Alpine Club or Mohonk Preserve member for the Sam Pryor campground, which is $24/per night).
There is no public land with dirt roads where you can hide out.
The closest camping area to the climbing is the American Alpine Club Sam Pryor Shawangunk Gateway campground. If you are climbing on the weekends, you’d better make reservations ahead of time online for this campground. Sometimes you might get lucky for a walk-in campsite on the weekend. Things chill out a lot on the weekdays and availability improves dramatically. If you sleep in your car or van, there are a few drive-in style sites with flat parking. Otherwise some of the drive-in sites are not level. Also, you are NOT allowed to sleep in your van/vehicle in the walk-in parking lot.
The Sam Pryor campground is newer and nice. But, also be prepared that 4-minute showers cost $3 in quarters. There is also very limited wi-fi.
The other camping options are about a 30-minute drive from climbing. I list several below but of these, I have only stayed in SoHi.
SoHi has the amenities, like bathrooms and a warm free shower and wifi across the park, but the bath/shower facilities are a bit “shack-like” and, at the time of this writing, lack things like shelving to put your towel and clothes on. This campground is on quite a bit of acreage and also has a playground, mini-golf area, and a pool. So, it’s got the goods, but it’s certainly not “high-end.” It’s more like Uncle Bob and Aunt Mary turned their forested land into campground using leftovers from the barn.
Yeahs
- The climbing – it’s hella fun.
- Approaches – easy peasy spoil-city
- Near cutsy town, New Palz, NY where you can grocery shop, get your coffee, and eat at a variety of restaurants.
Neahs
- Weekend crowds – galore. It’s quite the circus show on the weekends, but crowds are avoidable on the weekdays. On the weekends, you are likely going to run out of parking for the “easy” approach at the west parking lot. If that happens you have to park by the visitor center and climb “the stairmaster.” As approach trails go, the stair master is well-constructed, and, looking on the Brightside – it’s downhill at the end of the day.
- The cost of admission for climbing! Damn, this one hurts.
- Expensive and limited camping. Yeah, this one hurts too.
Opinion Rating
It rocks!
Despite the crowds and the major hit to the wallet, the Gunks are worth checking out at least once in your climbing life. If you don’t climb trad, hire a guide or find someone who will rope gun for you.