Rock Climbing

The Gunks are world-famous for rock climbing, drawing over 100,000 climbers a year to the cliffs just up the road. The rock here is a distinctive white quartz conglomerate full of horizontal cracks and overhangs, and it is considered some of the best traditional climbing in the eastern United States, with classic routes for every level.

Most climbing happens at the Trapps and Near Trapps in Mohonk Preserve, with easy access from the West Trapps trailhead off Route 44/55. Even if you do not climb, it is a spectacle, you can walk the carriage road beneath the cliffs and watch climbers work the routes overhead. Peters Kill, inside Minnewaska, is another good area with single-pitch climbs and top-roping.

If you are new to it, do not go alone. Local guide services like Alpine Endeavors, Mountain Skills, and Mountain Skills Climbing Guides run beginner lessons, provide all the gear, and cover the day fees, so you just show up. As one guide puts it, if you can climb a ladder, you are good to go.

A few details worth knowing before you go: climbing requires a Mohonk Preserve day pass, $20 for climbers, or a state park fee at Peters Kill. Season runs roughly April through mid-December, plus warm sunny winter days. Part of the cliff closes each spring to protect nesting peregrine falcons. Rock and Snow in New Paltz is the local climbing shop for gear and guidebooks. West Trapps parking is off Route 44/55 and fills early.