The Gunks Climbing

Due to the abundance of horizontal cracks and the limited number of vertical cracks, most Gunks routes have "PG" protection: adequate but not great, although many gear ratings were applied before small cams were invented.

Fixed pro is sometimes available, but many of the pins are "old and rusted and shouldn't be trusted".

A "Standard Rack" for the Gunks:

Single rack to a blue camalot.  Doubles in smaller and finger sizes.  Rack of nuts.  Brass is often helpful.

The amount of gear that you carry will depend on the climb, your experience, ability, and familiarity with the route and with the Gunks. If you're new to the Gunks, err on the side of taking a little more gear rather than a little less.

Many popular routes have bolted rap stations, but sometimes trees are used for rap anchors. Bring some webbing along in case you need to beef up a sling anchor on a tree.

Two-way radios can be useful for communicating past the big roofs often encountered on Gunks climbs. High Exposure, Disneyland, and especially The Ceiling are routes where radios can be much more effective than shouting.

Visit Rock & Snow, the local climbing shop, at 44 Main St. in New Paltz, for all your gear and beta needs.

Published by Wolverine in early 2020, a new full-color guidebook is available: Gunks Climbing, by Andy Salo, Christian Fracchia, and Eric Ratkowski. This book covers the Trapps to the Slime Wall and the Near Trapps to the end of the Workout Wall. It features route descriptions and photographs produced in sync with the Gunks App, as well as extensive historical articles and orientation maps.

The most comprehensive print guide books to the Gunks are the The Climber's Guide to the Shawangunks: The Trapps and The Climber's Guide to the Shawangunks: The Near Trapps and Millbrook; from Dick Williams.

For mobile devices, get the Gunks App - both iPhone and Android versions are available. Guides to the Trapps, Nears, Peterskill, Trapps Bouldering and Peterskill Bouldering are each offered. This app offers GPS navigation and high-res cliff images.

A Rock Climber's Guide to the Peter's Kill Climbing Area by Mike Rawdon and Marty Molitorist is available at Rock and Snow.  A mobile version is available through the Gunks App.

Other guides include The Gunks Select, a best-of selection covering the Trapps, Nears and Skytop by Dick Williams, Vulgarian Press, 1996 (out of print); The Gunks Guide, Third Edition, Todd Swain, Falcon Press, 1995.

New Paltz is a college town (the State University of New York has a campus here), with many excellent bars and restaurants. Many local chefs are graduates of the Culinary Institute in Hyde Park, so expect to eat well here!

Near the cliff:

Mountain Market at the junction of Rt. 299 and Rt. 44/55: stock up on Gatorade or bars on your way up to the cliff. The new owners kept a lot of the same sandwich items and added some of their own. The large parking lot and porch mean it's still a very popular meet-up spot for climbers in the morning.

Mountain Brauhaus, corner of Route 299 & Route 44-55: authentic German food and beer;  you can sit out on the porch overlooking the cliff.

In town:

The Bakery, 13A North Front St.: another great breakfast place, and to load up on carbs for the day.

Main Street Bistro, 59 Main St.: have a breakfast special that is $2 for a sizeable breakfast. For lunch, don't miss the soup & slab.

Mudd Puddle on Water Street has coffee roasted on the premises and a variety of plates.

Bacchus is the original climber's haunt, with 14 beers on tap and hundreds more in the bottle. The food is all excellent, and the menu varies widely between bar fare like nachos, to tuna tartare.

P&G's, 91 Main St.: excellent pub food and beer.

Main Course, 175 Main St.: eclectic gourmet fare and many ready-to-eat options.

Bangkok Cafe - also Thai, on Main Street.

Karma Road, on Main St. All-vegan cafe and deli. Opens earlier than most places (8am), so a useful place to grab coffee / smoothie / sandwich on the way to climbing in the morning. Good food, obviously vegetarian-friendly, and seating indoors and out (so you don't have to smell each other).

Crazy Bowlz on Main Street is an Asian Fusion/Tex Mex restaurant with good bowls.

Garvan's is a high-quality upscale restaurant in the Huguenot Village, so a bit away from the maddening crowds.

The Cheese Plate, Water Street Market, offers all natural, local ice cream, cheese plates, grilled cheese and cheese sandwiches, which can be packed for a trip to the mountains.

Ice Cream options:

Huguenot Creamery, 78 Main St. (next to Anatoli's),

Outside of New Paltz:

Rough Cut Brewing is over the ridge in Kerhonkson, and is well worth the 10 minutes it takes to get there.

In Rosendale: Garden House (tasty artisan pizza & middle eastern food).

In Highland: Gunks Haus (German, nice view).