In Gardiner, New York, five pieces of land abutting the Mohonk Preserve are now closed. Accordingly, roughly 1700 feet of the Millbrook Ridge Trail has been rerouted off private land. Also, approximately 900 feet of cliff face in the Bayards and the Near Trapps is closed, including today’s closure of land south of the route Eenie Meenie in the middle of the Near Trapps.

For all those who have been, and continue to be, respectful of private property, on behalf of the owners of the above land, I thank you and apologize for this inconvenience.

For those who act as if they have a “fundamental right to climb”, support the Town of Gardiner’s punitive and coercive Ridge Zoning Law, and the Mohonk Preserve’s predatory land acquisition practices, these closures are a consequence of your flagrant disrespect for private property. The Gunks Climbers Coalition (GCC), the local Access Fund affiliate, deserves special mention. The GCC Chairman and Co-Chairman have both expressed support for the ridge zoning law, which unfairly takes so much from so few. In defending his support of the zoning law, when speaking of a specific property the GCC was trying to buy, the GCC Chair said “if the new zoning goes through, the property may become less valuable to the landowner and he may become much more willing to do the deal. This is one example of how these things are approached”. In addition, for years the GCC has steadfastly refused to establish any relationship with individual private landowners at three Gunks crags in Gardiner: the Near Trapps, the Bayards, and Millbrook. More than any other single party, today’s Near Trapps cliff closure is for the GCC.

Protecting Little Old Ladies on The Shawangunk Ridge from bullies and marauders…

The Caped Crusader

In Gardiner, New York, five pieces of land abutting the Mohonk Preserve are now closed. Accordingly, roughly 1700 feet of the Millbrook Ridge Trail has been rerouted off private land. Also, approximately 900 feet of cliff face in the Bayards and the Near Trapps is closed, including today’s closure of land south of the route Eenie Meenie in the middle of the Near Trapps.

For all those who have been, and continue to be, respectful of private property, on behalf of the owners of the above land, I thank you and apologize for this inconvenience.

For those who act as if they have a “fundamental right to climb”, support the Town of Gardiner’s punitive and coercive Ridge Zoning Law, and the Mohonk Preserve’s predatory land acquisition practices, these closures are a consequence of your flagrant disrespect for private property. The Gunks Climbers Coalition (GCC), the local Access Fund affiliate, deserves special mention. The GCC Chairman and Co-Chairman have both expressed support for the ridge zoning law, which unfairly takes so much from so few. In defending his support of the zoning law, when speaking of a specific property the GCC was trying to buy, the GCC Chair said “if the new zoning goes through, the property may become less valuable to the landowner and he may become much more willing to do the deal. This is one example of how these things are approached”. In addition, for years the GCC has steadfastly refused to establish any relationship with individual private landowners at three Gunks crags in Gardiner: the Near Trapps, the Bayards, and Millbrook. More than any other single party, today’s Near Trapps cliff closure is for the GCC.

Protecting Little Old Ladies on The Shawangunk Ridge from bullies and marauders…

The Caped Crusader

Debaser, neither the Preserve nor the GCC own the land which has been closed. The closure is for real.

It's a relatively short piece of cliff from Eenie Meenie extending down the cliff for about 150'. The best way to get to the end of the Nears now is to walk out the Millbrook Ridge Trail to the descent route at the end of the Nears. The rest of the climbing currently closed is in the Bayards where few venture anyway.

I checked with the preserve, who were not yet aware of it but were going to go out to see if it had been posted. They didn't sound surprised though.

The private land was already indicated with signs, so I am guessing that is what is closed. There is still available climbing on preserve land after that section though right? Since the trail along that section of cliff would then be closed, either climbers would need to hike along the top to rappel in after the private section or hike all the way to where the Nears breaks down if avoiding a rappel.

Just to clarify. You are a landowner at the Gunks, right? Were you one of the people who closed your land?

Burnsy,

I have to decamp cyberspace for a bit. See the gunks.com thread on the same topic for answers to your questions. And yes, the closed land which begins at Eenie Meenie extends to the top of the cliff.

CC

From where I stand right now, I'm thinking you're a bit of a cry baby who has to intentionally hurt others in order to get attention. Sorry dude, but until I see more evidence that you're doing something more than trying to win a zoning battle, I'm rooting for the other team.