Sam’s point climbing history

So have been spending more time in the gunks after a long hiatus from climbing and wanted to see if anyone had more of the story on the climbing history in some of the areas that are closed to climbing now. Growing up walking distance from Sam’s point as a kid I can remember the old less regulated days and I recall seeing roped up climbers once or twice in Sam’s point and other areas nearby I won’t mention. Have also heard stories of RR doing lines and linkups in some of these places. Would love any stories or background anyone has.

Unless things change, I think this information belongs more in the unsaid--or, better, unwritten realm.

Not violating any restrictions, though, I can report that in the early '60s, as a teenager in suburban NY, wishing to learn how to climb, I had heard that there was climbing in the Shawangunk Mountains a bit further upstate. I consulted my trusty road map to locate said mountains, then borrowing my parent's car and using my recently acquired drivers license, I ended up at Sam's Point and did some exploring there and in the ( quite impressive) nearby Ice Caves. While I found the area to be beautiful and fascinating, I was disappointed not to see any climbers. I didn't have a clue of what existed just a few miles to the northeast. Once I made that 'discovery' a couple of years later, I have never been back to Sam's Point--my loss.

Haha sounds like a formative adventure Alan, thanks for the story.

Was Sam’s point explicitly open or closed to climbing in those days before the new management sometime in the 90s? Wasn’t it purchased originally to preserve the area for climbing? Based on my experience there over the decades I get the sense in those earlier days not much was enforced in general but I was too young to be certain what exactly was going on in the grey area. 

Totally agree we need not use names or precise locations here, more interested in the general rumors/stories from the ‘old days’ vs actual beta. I suspect anyone familiar with the area already knows what we’re talking about and that it’s crawling with MGMT now anyway so not exactly possible to poach even if you wanted to. (Please follow park regs) 

As someone who worked in the southern portion of the plateau in the ‘80s, I can assure you that there is a long climbing history that predates me as Alan alluded to.  It is mostly undocumented because it was not necessarily legal.

go explore  and enjoy as others have done! 

Resident gear just above the carriage road at Sam's.

While I wasn't paying much attention to things like access and management issues during the '60s, I am pretty sure that the Sam's Point area was privately owned during that period, I believe by the Minnewaska Hotel, which was a 'sibling' of the Monhonk Mountain House ( each owned by separate branches of the Smiley family). My, very vague, memory is that Minnewaska was less tolerant of climbing on their property than Mohonk. However, since it was a very big tract of land with numerous cliffs scattered within it, there was little enforcement, so some folks would occasionally trek out there to climb. Once the Minnewaska land was transferred to the Palisades Interstate Park, which historically has had a strict no climbing policy on their properties, enforcement became more of an issue ( though some surreptitious climbing continued).

In the early creation of the area as a state park it was easy to load your gear into your pack, ( taking care that nothing was showing ) and ride your bike from the entrance parking out towards Gertrude's nose, stash the bikes, drop into the gap behind Millbrook and explore. 

beensandbagged wrote:

In the early creation of the area as a state park it was easy to load your gear into your pack, ( taking care that nothing was showing ) and ride your bike from the entrance parking out towards Gertrude's nose, stash the bikes, drop into the gap behind Millbrook and explore. 

That’s what I did and I was the ranger! Unless it was a day with no cops or bosses, then we just drove…

some climbers also figured out to bring Rosie, the lady at the gate, donuts and coffee for free admission.  Telling her that they were bringing me the lunch I forgot also worked.  Although, one day she asked me to share since I had 5 lunches! 

beensandbagged wrote:

In the early creation of the area as a state park it was easy to load your gear into your pack, ( taking care that nothing was showing ) and ride your bike from the entrance parking out towards Gertrude's nose, stash the bikes, drop into the gap behind Millbrook and explore. 

How far in the past are we talking? I was riding bikes up there too in the days of the caveman billboard picture thing in the parking lot-didn’t feel like many rules or anyone watching. There was a time when an old local or two had a key to drive up. He used to go around in a station wagon up there. This was prob the late 90s.

oldfattradguuy kk wrote:

That’s what I did and I was the ranger! Unless it was a day with no cops or bosses, then we just drove…

some climbers also figured out to bring Rosie, the lady at the gate, donuts and coffee for free admission.  Telling her that they were bringing me the lunch I forgot also worked.  Although, one day she asked me to share since I had 5 lunches! 

Is this since it’s been managed by the new ownership? Out of curiosity say you came upon a curious climber in that job what is the protocol or general attitude?

Ha! It was in the 80s after the state took over!