I'm going Utica, NY and looking to get into some climbing nearby. I'm about a 5.12/V5 climber, but will be climbing with my buddy (who hasn't climbed in 15 years) and his son (15 years old and who's first time it will be).

I'm looking for some top rope climbing, so we all can enjoy the day and am looking for some info on the Gunks...

Was hoping to pick up a guidebook for the Gunks on Wednesday and hoping EMS Albany has it!!

You can stop at Rock and Snow in New Paltz for info and a guide book. Hit up Mountainproject .com for route info right now. Why top rope when you lead some easier climb like Gelsa and give your friends the multipitch experience. Have personally climbed with my girls ages 11 and 14 at the time ( a dozen years ago), and did multiptch in threes even though they were very inexperienced at the time. Much depends on you and how much you are willing to be responsible for your friends. Remember, if he no climb you pull him up.

Thanks for the wealth of information and tips guys. I'm heading to EMS tomorrow to pick up Dick's guide and will probably be trying out the Gunks.

Unfortunately, I'm not trained in lead climbing so none of that this time, but am scheduled to get some instruction on that when I get back to Dallas.

Thanks again everyone, another reason to love this site!!

Unfortunately, I'm not trained in lead climbing so none of that this time....

You might want to check out Little Falls in that case. It's a whole lot closer (Herkimer) and has plenty of TR/bouldering fun.
http://www.rockclimbing.com/...entral/Little_Falls/

I'd recommend Peterskill as well (though it isn't up the road from the Gunks, it is part of the Gunks)...

Awesome info guys! Looks like I have some decisions to make.

For the Peterskill guidebook, is there only one?

Taking into consideration the varying skill level, climbing time v, driving time and the want for a nice scenic place to climb what are the recommendation between the following:
Beer Walls
Peterskill
Little Falls Moss Island

No--it isn't part of the Gunks.

Curt

Since we can't climb at Skytop, and there's a separate fee for climbing at PK, we usually don't refer to those areas as part of the Gunks.

Wrong for Skytop, sorta correct for PK.
PK is geographically in the Gunks, but when referring to climbing at the Gunks, PK is considered a separate area.

Skytop is most definitely part of the Gunks, but with highly restricted access.

Awesome info guys! Looks like I have some decisions to make.

For the Peterskill guidebook, is there only one?

Taking into consideration the varying skill level, climbing time v, driving time and the want for a nice scenic place to climb what are the recommendation between the following:
Beer Walls
Peterskill
Little Falls Moss Island

Might take some time for you old fogeys to get used to the idea, but since it's for all intents and purposes off limits, it's no longer what people refer to when they say they're going climbing at the Gunks.

"Going climbing at the Gunks" always referred to whatever was open

I don't think there is any difficulty with TR'ing at Beer Walls; for moderate to hard routes it is better than Peterskill in my opinion.

There are lots of other possibilities too. From Adirondack Rock (p 629), a book you should get: (Boldface added by me re potential toproping "difficulties.")

"The areas listed here have easy access to the top for setting topropes, an accessible cliff base, and few obstructions for dropping ropes. Plan on building your own anchors with long cord and/or protection. Review the regulations in the relevant section regarding group size, and be sure to share the cliff with others (page 28).

Just out of curiosity, what is it about the Beer Walls that has you fixated? That is one crag (with nice climbs) in the Adricondacks. There are a ton of other places in the 'dacks to climb, several of which provide better opportunities for TRing.

It's quite simple really. If you want top rope climbs that are easy to set up and varied in difficulty, go to Little Falls. They are not tall cliffs, but there is a lot of climbing to be had. If the crowds are bad at Moss Island, head to the Dihedrals just down the road.

I don't think there is any difficulty with TR'ing at Beer Walls; for moderate to hard routes it is better than Peterskill in my opinion.

There are lots of other possibilities too. From Adirondack Rock (p 629), a book you should get: (Boldface added by me re potential toproping "difficulties.")

"The areas listed here have easy access to the top for setting topropes, an accessible cliff base, and few obstructions for dropping ropes. Plan on building your own anchors with long cord and/or protection. Review the regulations in the relevant section regarding group size, and be sure to share the cliff with others (page 28)."

Baker Mountain, Northern Mountains, 611
Beer Walls, Chapel Pond Pass, 235
Bluff Island, Northern Mountains, 610
Brain, The, Lake George, 440
Chapel Pond Viewpoint, Chapel Pond Pass, 206
County Line Mountain, Northern Mountains, 607
Crane Mountain, Right of Ladder, Indian Lake, 483
Creature Wall, Chapel Pond Pass, 195
Eagle Falls Crag, Old Forge, 580
Grass Pond Mountain, Cranberry Lake, 589
Jewels and Gem Wall, Chapel Pond Pass, 163
King Philips Spring Wall, Lake Champlain, 132
Lake Pleasant Quarry, Southern Mountains, 568
Ledge Mountain (Nobleboro), Old Forge, 569
Middle Settlement Lake, Old Forge, 573
Newbuck, Lake George, 433
Noonmark Mountain, High Peaks, 394
Notch Mountain Slab, Roast 'n Boast Slab, Wilmington Notch, 321
Outlet Wall, Chapel Pond Pass, 211
Owls Head Mountain, Keene, 288
Panther Mountain, Southern Mountains, 565
Pitchoff Chimney Cliff, Practice Wall, Keene, 298
South Bay Roadcut, Cranberry Lake, 588
South Colton, Northern Mountains, 595
Spruce Hill Crag, Keene, 272
Stewarts Ledge, Lake George, 437
Tanager Face, Chapel Pond Pass, 190
Wright Peak Cliff, High Peaks, 426

Here's the Beer Walls page on the Adirondack Rock site.

As for the Byzantine wrangling over what the Gunks means, it seems worth recalling that the Shawangunks were present and named before climbers arrived, and the name refers to the entire ridge and all the features therein. Perhaps climbers want to concoct some ever-changing definition referring to whatever portion of the Shawangunk Ridge currently has legal climbing (I think that at the moment there are about fifteen such cliffs), but my view would be that the domain name is already taken.

Those who think that legal climbing should define the Gunks will have to remove a narrow strip of the Near Trapps, which is no longer in the Gunks since the land owner closed it to climbing.

As for the Byzantine wrangling over what the Gunks means, it seems worth recalling that the Shawangunks were present and named before climbers arrived, and the name refers to the entire ridge and all the features therein. Perhaps climbers want to concoct some ever-changing definition referring to whatever portion of the Shawangunk Ridge currently has legal climbing (I think that at the moment there are about fifteen such cliffs), but my view would be that the domain name is already taken.

Those who think that legal climbing should define the Gunks will have to remove a narrow strip of the Near Trapps, which is no longer in the Gunks since the land owner closed it to climbing.

I'm sure you know more about it than I, but by what definition is Perterskill not part of the Gunks? What do you feel constitutes the Gunks?

I wanted to thank everyone for their help and input. I ended up purchasing the Dick Williams Grey book for next time.

Unfortunately it rained in the New Paltz area on Saturday (the only day I had a chance to go) so we ended up going to moss Island. There were some great routes there (especially the Dihederals). This was my first time outdoor top roping and was a great success. I got my first experience of true crack climbing and sent my first outdoor 5.11!!

We also met a guy there who climbs the Gunks on a regular basis so I have a guide when I come back up in October!

Nice job making the best of the situation. I once had a day free in Albany, and had a good time exploring the Moss Island scene. The bouldering at the Island was fun, and I thought the climbing at the Dihedrals, while very limited, was actually quite excellent. The train going by the dihedrals, and all the dirt and grime associated with it, though, were not so pleasant.

GO