Mountain Project Logo

AAC and Gunks Camping

MojoMonkey · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2009 · Points: 66
waltereo wrote:Hi, What is the status of the new campground ? Is it open ? Thanks
You couldn't be bothered to read the info already in this thread?
Kevin Heckeler · · Las Vegas, NV · Joined Jul 2010 · Points: 1,616
waltereo wrote:Hi, What is the status of the new campground ? Is it open ? Thanks
Yes, it's opened. Have a nice stay!
curvenut · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jul 2007 · Points: 0
MojoMonkey wrote: You couldn't be bothered to read the info already in this thread?
Sorry, I should have said , "Is there an official opening date" instead of "is it open"
My spirit wasn't clear in my mind .

And yes I read the thread, and I didn't see any official opening date , that 's why I asked.

Sorry for the confusion.
rocknice2 · · Montreal, QC · Joined Nov 2006 · Points: 3,847

Yeah a bit confusing. In the AAC page it says "Expected opening date: Summer 2014" but looks like it's open now. Or at least partially open.

Kevin were they charging a fee and what is actually finished?

Happiegrrrl · · Gunks · Joined Dec 2005 · Points: 60
waltereo wrote: And yes I read the thread, and I didn't see any official opening date , that 's why I asked.
Upthread,I wrote:
Spoke with someone at the preserve yesterday, who said it looks like September open. This will depend on our weather. Winter slowed the schedule,as it was a harsher one that expected, and where - oh where! - is spring?

Drove by yesterday and....still a major upheaval. The manager house has windows in, but I didn't stop to look at other areas, and I can't drive and look at the same time. Next time I head that way, I will try to bring a camera and stop/shoot some pics from the road.


You can also call the Preserve directly as time comes closer.
Kevin Heckeler · · Las Vegas, NV · Joined Jul 2010 · Points: 1,616
rocknice2 wrote:Kevin were they charging a fee and what is actually finished?
Free to the first 1 million campers/visitors. The mud pits are like water beds. Very comfy!

Enjoy your stay!
SethG · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Aug 2009 · Points: 291

Lest anyone be confused: I think this is Kevin's idea of humor. I don't think he is serious about the campground being open.

rocknice2 · · Montreal, QC · Joined Nov 2006 · Points: 3,847

So I gather its open just like World Trade 1 is.

Kevin Heckeler · · Las Vegas, NV · Joined Jul 2010 · Points: 1,616
rocknice2 wrote:So I gather its open just like World Trade 1 is.
[Disclaimer: jumping fence and outrunning armed rednecks not advised]
WoodwardnBernstein · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Nov 2012 · Points: 0

I hear some of the neighbors, just a few hundred feet away, have set up a loud PA system for a counter offensive for when the partying starts. Let the festivities begin!! :-)

Happiegrrrl · · Gunks · Joined Dec 2005 · Points: 60

With luck and a little effort, there won't be any loud partying.

Quiet Time is set for 10pm, just like most camping areas in the US. There will be an on-site manage who will remind those who are being loud to respect their neighbors by respecting the quiet time.

The campsites don't have fire pits, which is often an ingredient that helps distract people from realizing others nearby are sleeping. The communal firepit and gathering area, and the way it is either self-managed or guided when needed by the CG manager will be the key in noise factor.

Most people are quieted down well before 10pm, and most people want to be considerate of their neighbors.

If someone living nearby has to blast loud music or other sounds to "remind" those at the campground they are being jerks, it will be a sign of management failure at the campground. I sincerely doubt such a neighbor would have any intention of being "trigger happy" at the slightest sound of talk after 10pm. There have been raucous obnoxious people at the MUA at times, and there's no way to deal with them other than to call police(I don't know if this has ever happened). No doubt a person who feels they might need to resort to that sort of behavior is concerned that the new CG is going to be an expanded version of those unpleasant MUA experiences.

From what I have heard at the few public meetings I have attended, the MP holds consideration of neighbors/reduction of noise pollution as a high priority. Only time will tell how things pan out, but I truly believe campers will work together in creating an environment that does not impinge on those living in the surrounding area.

The new CG plans look like they will be a really nice benefit for climbers who camp in the area. I think it will be a positive thing for the Gunks climbing and outdoor rec communities.

WoodwardnBernstein · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Nov 2012 · Points: 0

Climbers at the Gunks have a long history of loud, irreverant, and sometimes obnoxious behavior, beginning with the Vulgarians. It's the very nature of local climbing spirit in some ways.

What makes anyone think that won't continue at the new campground?

And if anyone thinks the preserve is being considerate of neighbors with this campground they are either not paying attention or they are drinking preserve Koolaid.

Happiegrrrl · · Gunks · Joined Dec 2005 · Points: 60

I'll respectfully disagree with your statements, as they pertain to the new CG.

Allen Sanderson · · On the road to perdition · Joined Jul 2007 · Points: 1,203
WoodwardnBernstein wrote:Climbers at the Gunks have a long history of loud, irreverant, and sometimes obnoxious behavior, beginning with the Vulgarians. It's the very nature of local climbing spirit in some ways. What makes anyone think that won't continue at the new campground? And if anyone thinks the preserve is being considerate of neighbors with this campground they are either not paying attention or they are drinking preserve Koolaid.
No kidding the first time I stayed at camp slime some merry music makers showed up at 11pm and went until 2am with their abhorrent singing. They stopped when I threw a few rocks to get their attention to let them know that they had already sung the same songs and it was not getting any better. The interesting part was they all got up and left by 8am and no one heard them leave.
Luc-514 · · Montreal, QC · Joined Nov 2006 · Points: 12,506

I've had the joy of having quarter stick blasts on a fourth of july at multi-abuse. Lots o sleep.

WoodwardnBernstein · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Nov 2012 · Points: 0

And you were only there one weekend. Can you imagine what it will be like to live next to the new campground? Sheesh. The ever so considerate Mohonk Preserve: drinking, parties, tripping, fireworks, quarter sticks of dynamite, peeing and pooping in the woods, drum circles, jamming, howling at the moon, etc.

Really, most of that sounds like a lot of fun, climbers just being young, irreverant, boisterous, loud, vulgar(ian) climbers. Maybe not so much fun though if in your backyard every weekend.

Kevin Heckeler · · Las Vegas, NV · Joined Jul 2010 · Points: 1,616
WoodwardnBernstein wrote:And you were only there one weekend. Can you imagine what it will be like to live next to the new campground? Sheesh. The ever so considerate Mohonk Preserve: drinking, parties, tripping, fireworks, quarter sticks of dynamite, peeing and pooping in the woods, drum circles, jamming, howling at the moon, etc. Really, most of that sounds like a lot of fun, climbers just being young, irreverant, boisterous, loud, vulgar(ian) climbers. Maybe not so much fun though if in your backyard every weekend.
Being an "older" climber (almost 39) I tend to avoid this stuff now. I agree that the climbing community, on a whole, is younger and there is a healthy % of partying that takes place. And now that I've cajoled... I will add that the brush being used to paint climbers is excessively wide.

Thankfully I live within 80 minutes of the parking lot. For the time, gas, and tolls it's worth going home at the end of the day to sleep in my own bed. I would *prefer* to stay local, camp, get an early start, pump some money into the local economy, cut down on my carbon footprint, etc - but for what it sounds like they're charging and the likely annoyances, I'll probably just go home.

People from further away or whose wallets dictate they can't spend $30+ each day for gas/tolls don't have that choice. This is going to be a large percent of the usergroup at the campground. Their economics and/or commuting challenges don't ensure they're trouble makers, loud, or otherwise unsavory (as Bernstein suggests here). Poor people (or people from NYC) aren't inherently evil despite what W thinks!

youtube.com/watch?v=QKgcM-z…

There's no reason to make this distinction any more than it is to assume everyone who camps and climbs at the Gunks is trouble. It's simply a polite and socially accepted form of classism.
beensandbagged · · smallest state · Joined Oct 2013 · Points: 0

There will be a good number of people who have escaped and traveled for a weekend of climbing and will not want it messed up by by being kept up all night. I am hoping that social pressure along with the campground host will curtail the loud and obnoxious.

Jake D. · · Northeast · Joined Nov 2006 · Points: 365
Kevin Heckeler wrote: .
The Mohonk is making it nearly impossible for unwealthy people from outside the local area to climb there anyway. having free camping was the only thing keeping the fees to a level that i could afford. Now that i'd have to pay for camping also makes the cost per day absurd.
lucander · · Stone Ridge, NY · Joined Apr 2009 · Points: 260

I'm with ya on the $ per day equation, but many of my best trips were $75-$150/day. Just about any weeklong trip will tally to that amount once airfare and rental car is factored in...and totally worth it.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Northeastern States
Post a Reply to "AAC and Gunks Camping"

Log In to Reply

Join the Community

Create your FREE account today!
Already have an account? Login to close this notice.

Get Started.