Mohonk Preserve and the Shawangunk Ridge

The Shawangunk country lies within the homeland of the Munsee-speaking Lenape, who traveled and hunted these ridges and valleys long before European settlement and whose descendants continue their communities today. The name Shawangunk itself comes from the language of the region's first peoples.

In the 1860s the Smiley family, Quaker educators, bought land on the ridge and built the Mohonk Mountain House beside a glacial lake, a rambling Victorian resort that still stands. To open the mountain to their guests they laid out miles of carefully graded carriage roads, and their long stewardship eventually gave rise to the Mohonk Preserve, established to protect the wider ridge for the public.

The ridge is built of Shawangunk conglomerate, a hard, pale quartz rock laid down hundreds of millions of years ago and later tilted and uplifted. Erosion left it standing as a long escarpment of sheer white cliffs, streaked with iron-stained overhangs and split by ledges and crevices.

Those cliffs made the Gunks a birthplace of American rock climbing, with routes first pioneered in the mid-twentieth century and now numbering in the many hundreds. The horizontal cracks and big overhangs give the climbing a character all its own, drawing climbers from across the country and beyond to test themselves on the pale stone.

The ridge is a haven for wildlife, from black bears and bobcats in the forests to peregrine falcons that nest on the cliffs, sometimes closing sections of crag during nesting season. Hawks and vultures ride the updrafts along the escarpment, and the ridge is a noted flyway during autumn migration.

The thin, acidic soils on top of the quartz support unusual plant communities, including dwarf pitch pine barrens and blueberry heath that turn crimson in fall. Cool, sheltered lakes and streams add turtles, salamanders, and a rich birdlife, making the preserve a favorite of naturalists as well as climbers.

Spring greens the forest and brings the falcons back to the cliffs, a fine time for the carriage roads before the summer heat. Summer is warm and busy, popular with climbers and hikers alike, and the ridge-top breeze offers relief on hot days.

Autumn is the showstopper, when the hardwoods and the ridge-top heath blaze red and gold and the migrating hawks stream past the cliffs. Winter turns the ridge quiet and often icy, beautiful for a bracing hike, though exposed trails and scrambles demand care and the right gear.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is a place we chose through independent editorial review, never a paid placement.

Mohonk Preserve is a large nature preserve on the Shawangunk Ridge near New Paltz, protecting thousands of acres of cliffs, forests, fields, ponds, and streams. With over seventy miles of carriage roads and forty miles of trails, plus more than a thousand rock-climbing routes, it is a premier Hudson Valley destination for hiking, biking, horseback riding, and world-class climbing, all beneath the dramatic white cliffs of the 'Gunks.'

Two stand out. Bonticou Crag is the most iconic, a moderate loop that finishes with a thrilling hands-on rock scramble to a summit with 360-degree views, and Table Rocks is a quieter loop to a stunning cliff-edge viewpoint overlooking the Catskills. Both reward you with big Shawangunk scenery. The extensive carriage roads also offer gentler, nearly level walking and biking for those wanting an easier outing.

Yes. Access requires either an annual membership or a day-use fee, which supports the nonprofit that cares for the land. The preserve is open daily from sunrise to sunset, weather permitting, and the visitor center, free to enter, is a good place to start, get oriented, and pick up trail information. Note that parking is at the gatehouse and fills quickly on nice days.

Yes. The Shawangunks, or Gunks, are among the best climbing areas in the Northeast, with over a thousand routes and cliffside Hudson Valley views. Beginners are welcome, but climbers must go with an authorized guide service, which provides the equipment and instruction, so you do not need your own gear or experience to try it. It is a bucket-list climbing experience for many, guided safely from the ground up.

Spring through fall is prime, with autumn foliage especially spectacular and correspondingly busy. Arrive early on weekends, since the parking areas fill fast, particularly during peak fall color, while weekday mornings are quietest. Bring plenty of water and wear sturdy shoes for the rocky trails and scrambles. Note the preserve is separate from the nearby Mohonk Mountain House resort, with its own day-use access and parking.