You’re standing on a horizontal ledge about 60 feet up, looking at a roof that looks like it belongs on a Victorian house, not a cliffside. Your forearms are screaming. You’ve got a piece of gear tucked into a crack that looks solid, but the rock is so weirdly horizontal you aren't actually sure. That’s climbing in the Gunks. It’s not like the vertical granite of Yosemite or the pocketed limestone of Tensleep. It’s different. It’s sandbagged. And honestly, it’s some of the most frustratingly fun movement you’ll ever find on four wheels or two feet within two hours of New York City.
The Shawangunk Ridge—or just "The Gunks" to anyone who’s ever taped a finger there—sits just outside New Paltz, New York. It’s a geologic anomaly of white quartz conglomerate. It looks like someone took a giant tub of concrete, mixed in a billion white pebbles, and then slapped it into massive, overhanging tiers. If you’re used to following vertical cracks, forget it. Here, you climb the horizontals.
The Reality of the Grades
Let’s be real about the ratings. If you climb 5.10 at your local gym or even at a place like Rumney, a Gunks 5.6 is going to punch you in the mouth. I’m not kidding. Routes like High Exposure or Shockley’s Ceiling are world-famous for a reason. They aren't technically "hard" by modern sport climbing standards, but the physical exposure makes your brain want to exit your skull. You’ll be hanging off a massive bucket of a hold, looking down at 200 feet of nothingness, trying to figure out how to pull over a roof that feels like it’s trying to push you off the mountain.
The history here is heavy. The Vulgarians—a group of climbers in the 1960s known for climbing naked and generally causing chaos—set the tone for the place. It was always about bold lines and stout ethics. Because the rock is so horizontal, traditional gear (nuts and cams) sits differently. You’re often placing gear in horizontal breaks, which means your cams need to be oriented correctly so they don't load over an edge. It’s technical. It’s mental.
Why the Trapps is the Center of the Universe
Most people end up at the Trapps. It’s the longest, most accessible cliff in the ridge. You walk along the Undercliff Carriage Road—which is basically a flat gravel path—and look up. The cliff is right there. It’s almost too easy. You’ll see families pushing strollers and then, ten feet to their left, someone is screaming their lungs out on a 5.12 overhanging roof.
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It’s a weird social scene. On a Saturday in October, the Trapps feels like a vertical subway station. You’ve got people from Manhattan in $800 Arc'teryx jackets rubbing shoulders with crusty locals who haven't washed their chalk bags since 1994. But that’s the charm. Everyone is there for the same thing: that weird, horizontal quartzite.
Beyond the Trapps: Near Trapps and Millbrook
If you want to escape the crowds, you go to the Near Trapps. It’s just across the bridge, but for some reason, the extra ten-minute walk filters out half the population. The climbs there, like Gelsa or Yellow Ridge, feel a bit more wild. And then there’s Millbrook. Millbrook is where the real "Gunks Grit" lives. It’s a long hike in, the rock can be a bit more adventurous (read: loose-ish), and the approach involves descending a gully that feels like a slide into the abyss. It’s spectacular.
The Mohonk Preserve manages most of this land. It’s a private land trust, which means you have to pay to play. As of 2026, day passes aren't cheap, but the money actually goes into the carriage roads and the ranger services. It’s one of the best-managed climbing areas in the world. You won’t find trash. You won’t find eroded, disgusting trails. It’s pristine, even with the thousands of people who visit every week.
The Gear You Actually Need
Forget your tiny micro-wires for a second. While they have their place, the Gunks is the land of the Tri-cam. People love to hate on Tri-cams because they’re finicky to place with one hand, but in a horizontal Gunks slot? They are magic. A pink or red Tri-cam tucked into a pod is often the only thing that makes you feel safe when you’re three feet above your last piece and staring at a crux move.
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- Double Ropes: A lot of the rappels are long. Having two ropes makes your life easier, and it helps with rope drag. Because you’re traversing horizontally so much, a single rope will often zigzag like a snake, creating so much friction you’ll feel like you’re pulling a truck.
- A Solid Helmet: This isn't optional. The rock is generally very solid, but with that many people above you, something—a carabiner, a water bottle, a loose pebble—is eventually going to fall.
- The Right Shoes: You want something with a good edge but enough comfort for all-day wear. You aren't doing many "smears" here; you're standing on crisp, sharp edges of pebbles.
How to Not Get Rescued
The Mohonk Preserve Rangers are some of the best in the business, but you don't want to meet them professionally. Most accidents in the Gunks happen during rappels or because someone underestimated a "v-easy" chimney.
Check your knots. Then check them again. If you’re climbing a multi-pitch route like Cascading Crystal Waters, make sure you know where the descent anchors are before you leave the ground. The Gunks is notorious for "epic" descents where people get their ropes stuck in trees or cracks. It’s embarrassing. It’s preventable.
Dealing with the "Gunks Pump"
The pump here is different. It’s not just your fingers giving out; it’s your entire upper body. Because so many of the classic routes involve pulling over roofs, you’re doing a lot of "pull-up" style movements.
To survive a long day, you have to learn to rest on the horizontals. You’ll find these massive breaks where you can literally shove your entire arm into the crack and take all the weight off your hands. It’s called a "Gunks Rest." If you don't use them, you’ll be toast by 2:00 PM.
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The Best "Intro" Classics
If it’s your first time, don't be a hero. Start small.
- Horseman (5.5): It’s a classic for a reason. Fun moves, good gear, and it gets you used to the rock.
- High Exposure (5.6): The second pitch move is legendary. You reach around a blind corner, grab a massive hold, and swing your feet out over the valley. It feels like 5.10, but the holds are huge.
- Modern Times (5.8+): For those who want a bit more bite. It’s steep, technical, and requires some actual thought.
Seasonality and the New Paltz Vibe
Fall is the "prime" season. The foliage in the Hudson Valley is world-class, and the friction on the quartzite is at its peak when the air is crisp. But it’s also the busiest.
Spring is great but wet. The "weeping" of the cliffs can stay for days after a rainstorm because the plateau on top of the ridge holds water like a sponge. Summer is humid. You’ll be sweating through your chalk in minutes, and the "Gunks Gnats" will try to fly into your eyeballs while you're in the middle of a crux.
When you're done, you go to Bacchus in New Paltz. Or the Guild. You eat a burger, drink a local IPA, and talk about how that 5.7 felt way harder than it should have. That’s the ritual.
Actionable Steps for Your First Gunks Trip
- Buy the Grey Guide: The Dick Williams "Gunks Select" guide is the bible. Don't just rely on Mountain Project. The history and the specific descent instructions in the book will save your life.
- Hire a Guide if You're New to Trad: If you've only climbed in a gym, the Gunks is not the place to "teach yourself" how to lead trad. There are several great services like High Xpose or Alpine Endeavors that know every inch of that rock.
- Arrive Early: On weekends, the parking lots at the West Trapps trailhead are often full by 8:30 AM. If you aren't there early, you're adding a mile of walking to your day.
- Check the Weather via the Mohonk Station: The weather on the ridge is often 5-10 degrees cooler and windier than it is down in the town of New Paltz. Dress in layers.
- Practice Your Horizontal Gear Placements: Before you get high off the ground, find a low crack and practice seating your cams and Tri-cam units. Pull on them. See how they shift. Understanding the "swing" of a piece in a horizontal slot is the difference between a safe fall and a gear rip.
- Respect the Closures: The Gunks is home to nesting Peregrine Falcons. Certain sections of the cliff close every year to protect them. The rangers don't mess around with this—if a section is closed, stay out.
Climbing here is a rite of passage. It’s steep, it’s scary, and it’s some of the best rock on the East Coast. Just don't expect the grades to give you any gifts. You have to earn every inch of that white quartzite.