Distance Between Crags At The Gunks, And Another Couple Of Gunks Questions

I'll be taking my brother out to The Gunks next week and, as it's my first time there and I'm trying to figure out what's feasible in one day (ideas?), I'm trying to figure out how far different areas are from each other.

The distances I'm curious about:

The Uberfall, to
Frog's Head - The Arch, to
Strictly - Shockley's, to
The Guide's Wall, to
High E

Also, what would the walking distance be from The Trapps to The Near Trapps?

Finally, should I expect any wait time at the classics on a Tuesday?

Thanks, MP crew-
Yair

The Near Trapps and Traps are right across the road from each other.

At a leisurely pace, it would take about an hour to walk from one end of the Trapps to the far end of the Near Trapps, although there is a closure (I think it's still in effect) that will stop you on the Nears.

So, it's all very close. The nears is a very well-used cliff bottom approach trail. The Trapps is a big flat carriage road you can ride a bike on.

Yes, there will be lines if it's 50 degrees on a November Saturday. Instead of planning particular climbs, I suggest you start walking down th carriage road, and climb the first open climb that looks good. Keep moving down and repeat. You will get way more routes in, and learn the area much better. Sitting around waiting is lousy.

If there's a climb you're really dying to do, get there early or wait until late (bring headlamps just in case). Usually when the sun nears the horizon people leave quickly.

IIRC the posted book time from the bridge to the Slime Wall is 45 minutes tops at the Trapps. FYI, there are yellow blazed climber's trails from the carriage road to the base of the cliff all along the carriage road. There is at least one per section of the Trapps. Stick to the flagged trails to help preserve the ground between the cliff base and the carriage road. The Dick Williams guide gives you half the routes, but twice the information as the Swain. (or get both if you have a guide book "problem")

Auto-X Fil wrote:The Near Trapps and Traps are right across the road from each other. At a leisurely pace, it would take about an hour to walk from one end of the Trapps to the far end of the Near Trapps, although there is a closure (I think it's still in effect) that will stop you on the Nears. So, it's all very close. The nears is a very well-used cliff bottom approach trail. The Trapps is a big flat carriage road you can ride a bike on. Yes, there will be lines if it's 50 degrees on a November Saturday. Instead of planning particular climbs, I suggest you start walking down th carriage road, and climb the first open climb that looks good. Keep moving down and repeat. You will get way more routes in, and learn the area much better. Sitting around waiting is lousy. If there's a climb you're really dying to do, get there early or wait until late (bring headlamps just in case). Usually when the sun nears the horizon people leave quickly.

he said tuesday.....

OP you should be fine midweek. i was there last mon-tues and we saw 2 parties each day.

the aren't crags.. the trapps are one basically single wall stretching the whole way. same with the Nears etc. If you're not going with anyone familiar then you will need to pay attention to the book and look for landmarks to find routes. Or look on here at pictures of routes you are thinking of and see what they look like. there is no distinction between the sections.

for one day i'd hit the trapps and get as much done as you can. either start at the uberfall and move down or walk all the way to the furthest route you want to do and move your way backwards.

I think you have a good chance of getting on a reasonable amount of classics no matter what. I was out this weekend and had no problem jumping on whatever I wanted. The parking lots looked full, but I think there were a lot of hikers and bikers out. Weather has gotten a bit nippy for the fair weather kids.

Its probably best to get yourself to an easily identified climb to gain your bearings, then just climb in that area. There is no reason to move around alot, as you will waste time walking and also have the possibility of losing even more time if you get off track. The gunks is remarkable in the amount of great routes that can be packed into 100ft of cliff.

What grades are you looking to get on? The begining of the Near Trapps has alot of diversity in the moderate grades and everything is packed together and can be walked off in less than 5 minutes.

Thanks for all the replies. Based on the Near Trapps closures that I'd rather not have to navigate around, I think it's simplest to stick to the Trapps - especially for just one day of climbing.

Based on the info here it seems as though I'll have no problem jumping on a number of solid routes next week. I'm stoked (and am hoping that the weather cooperates).

@Nathan Stokes - Do you think that I can find my way around using descriptions and photos from MP, or is one of the books necessary?

@Wormly - I'm a pretty new leader and am new to Gunks grades, so I plan on starting out with some 5.4s and probably won't be tackling anything over 5.6. Possible routes that I've been looking at are: Horseman, Easy Overhang, Sixish, Frog's Head, Shockley's Ceiling, Madame G's, Beginner's Delight, and High E.

For route beta MP is fine. For easy beta on how to get to a particular section for a given climb, the books have much better descriptions, but someone here, or over at gunks.com can probably just give good beta on where to head up from the carriage road for a short list of climbs. Both the Williams and Swain books have really detailed beta on which climbers trail to use to reach all the climbs. Not sure if Rock and Snow rents guide books, you could call and ask. For warm ups or intros I would also suggest Three Pines or Betty. Betty is a nice 2 pitch route, and Three pines can be done as 3, but 4 has better communication. The 3rd pitch of Three pines being the best, with a really wicked exposure at one point and yet still 5.3 rating.

There's some good climbs on your list, Jackie and Ursula are good climbs in that range too. The Gunks is a great place to be a new leader, as there are a ton of easy trad routes that are still really fun and well worth climbing. One thing to keep in mind if your partner is new to climbing, is that some of even the easiest routes still have significant roofs and overhangs, and if your partner falls off they may find themselves hanging in space unable to get back onto the route. Make sure you both know how to ascend the rope and lower your follower, and when to use each.
Have fun!

Horsemen is a very recognizable route (big corner) not far down the carriage road (before the uberfall). definately one of my favorites anywhere at any grade. You can string it together as one pitch and walk down the uberfall. Its also usually occupied.

I'd recommend getting a book as there are so many routes at the gunks using mp for a select few might be hard. the book also makes it clear where the raps are relative to routes- also good for route finding. sometimes its hard to see/distinguish routes from the carriage road, but is probably easier now with the leaves off the trees. best best is to ask someone and use the book to figure out where you are/want to go.

you've got some good stuff on your list. im sure you've seen/been told the routes at the gunks are a little sandbagged, or as i like to think of it, "classically graded." However, i think route grading relative to each other is very fair/consistent, so use that as a guide.

as far as distances go, high E is prob 15-20 min walk from the uberfall and everything else on your list is less than that. the real time is lost just finding your route. have fun and dont forget your pink and red tricams!

Yair Horowitz wrote:...I'm a pretty new leader and am new to Gunks grades, so I plan on starting out with some 5.4s and probably won't be tackling anything over 5.6. Possible routes that I've been looking at are: Horseman, Easy Overhang, Sixish, Frog's Head, Shockley's Ceiling, Madame G's, Beginner's Delight, and High E.

If 5.6 is your lead-limit then Madame G and High E could be exciting. I personaly hate Horseman, but it's popular and close, so use it as a guide to what the grades will be like and adjust from there.

Thanks once again for the awesome beta, MP. I added Jackie to the list.

One last question (maybe!): Do any of the routes I listed above stay dry in mild rain? If it has rained on Sunday or Monday but Tuesday is clear, should I still expect wet rock?

The current list of options is:

Horseman
Jackie
Easy O
Frog’s Head
Sixish
Shockley’s Ceiling
Beginner’s Delight
Minty
Madame G’s
Northern Pillar
High E

(Obviously, I don't expect to hit anywhere near all of these in one day!)

Yair,

If you do Jackie...Once you pull the overhang head right to the chains, then straight up from there. It's actually the second pitch of Classic, and better than Jackie's true second pitch.
If you do Northern Pillar...For the first pitch go climber's right to the crack that leads up to a small tree. That's Finger Locks or Cedar Box, a better first pitch to get you on top of the Guide's Wall.

-sp wrote: If 5.6 is your lead-limit then Madame G and High E could be exciting. I personaly hate Horseman, but it's popular and close, so use it as a guide to what the grades will be like and adjust from there.

+1 AND Shockley's Ceiling should be really exciting.

If this is your first time at the Gunks, and you are a relatively new leader, I would be surprised if you can do more than two routes (assuming multi-pitch) on a short November day.

I remember my first few trips to the Gunks spending a fair amount of time finding routes. During the week, it will be nice that you won't have to wait for routes, but you also will have fewer people to ask where you are in order to get oriented. From the carriage road, much of the cliff looks the same, so without a good guide book, it will be hard to find a route. Everything is close, but getting oriented will take a bit of time.

Also, make sure you know the descents. Some of the climbs have walk offs which aren't completely obvious if you are there for the first time. Perhaps sticking to routes with raps near by might be easier.

The Williams book really makes finding the climbs and the descents much easier. Maybe you can find a copy in a library? (mp route descriptions are fine, but I like the "trail map" in the williams book since it lets you know where to leave the carriage road).

Personally, I would head straight for High E on a Tuesday. It will likely be free and it is pretty easy to identify. The first pitch is easy (5.4, so you have a warm up before the 5.6 move). You can then rap off to the right of the route. It is further down the road than the other climbs you listed, so you can then do some of the other climbs on the walk back depending on time.

Actually, the Near Trapps is arguably the best place to go to do a few routes in a short day. Things are close together, you are right at the base, not on the carriage road, and the walk back is fast and simple. The closure is not an issue, it is further down the crag and only a small fraction of Gunks climbers ever venture that far anyway.

You could go to the Nears with Disneyland, Layback, and Gelsa in your sights; the three of those would make for a full winter day.

The rock in the Gunks usually dries hours after rain ends if the sun comes out. The day after a rainy day should be fine, with the occasional seeps.

Speaking of sun, it leaves the cliff around 2pm, and everything will feel a lot colder once you are in the shade.