Information about the Gunks
So many people have asked me for Gunks beta – and I’ve seen many trips that could have ended up better if they had local information. I traveled to the Gunks from out of town for close to 30 years, and I’m now happy to call myself a local. So I have the perspective of seeing the Gunks as a visitor as well as a local. I’m also on the board of directors for the Gunks Climbers’ Coalition so I try to keep up to date with the latest developments that impact the Gunks climbing community. I am in love with the Gunks and have always felt at home here. When you visit, please tread lightly, leave no trace and be kind to your fellow climbers. There’s a great community here and lots of friendly climbers who are happy to help you out and provide any beta you need.
It makes sense for me to put all my knowledge of the Gunks and the area into my website so I can share it with Gunks visitors. People are often confused between the Mohonk Preserve, the Mohonk Mountain House and Minnewaska Lake State Park Preserve. They are all different entities with different rules and fees. I hope to clear this up in my About the Gunks section, as well as give readers an idea of where the Gunks are in relation to the Hudson Valley, and the geology of the cliff as well. The Getting to the Gunks section will provide options on how to get here, as well as directions to the parking lots of all the climbing crags, warnings about the parking and traffic situations here, and where to get a cell phone and wi-fi signals. In the Climbing at the Gunks section, I provide a high level description of each climbable area – how to get there, who owns it & their website, phone numbers, fees, guidebooks, where to pee and my favorite climbs. I don’t go into detail about the climbs themselves – that’s what guidebooks are for. But I may blog my experiences on specific routes from time to time, and feel free to contact me if you have questions about a specific route that I actually can remember anything about. There’s a huge selection of restaurants in the New Paltz area and beyond, and the Eating Here page summarizes some of my favorites, and then goes into depth for each neighborhood within 30 minutes of the Gunks. I only cover restaurants I’ve actually eaten at, and will keep the page updated as I eat out more. I have much work still to be done on the Sleeping Here page, and will be covering local motels, the hostel and campgrounds. We all have rain days and rest days, and the mid-Hudson Valley area has so much to offer in the outdoors, shopping, wineries, history and cultural events. The What Else to Do Here page will provide some highlights of non-climbing activities to do near the Gunks. I foresee this section will be updated often, as I experience more and more in the area.
Dinner at the Mountain Brauhaus
Now that I live here, I’ll need your help to keep the accommodations section up-to-date. I hope to never again have to sleep at some of the area’s expensive and dumpy motels. Please comment on my pages and share your experiences and reviews with me. I’m also looking for restaurant comments to add to my reviews. I can’t afford to eat out every night, so it would be good to hear your opinion in case I just happened to order the worst dish or caught the cook on an off-night. Find cool stuff to do around here besides climbing? Send me your tips.
Hope to see you at the Gunks!
