Where to camp at the Gunks?

So, I'm heading there for the first time and I just wanted to ask where the best place to camp would be.

Any help would be awesome, thanks.

There are two free camping areas that I know of at the Gunks.

(1) Camp Slime (affectionate climber name, not all that descriptive): Camp Slime is right between the Trapps and the Near Trapps. As you are driving up the escarpment, you will go past the hairpin (in every guidebook) and then past a scenic lookout/parking lot on your left. Almost immediately thereafter, there will be a small road on your left leading up to a small lot (2 cars). This is right before the iron bridge over the road. This is Camp Slime. Find a site, unload your stuff, and then go move your car back to one of the official Mohonk Preserve parking areas (West Parking Lot is the most convenient - just keep going on the road for a short distance and you will see a big lot on your right). DO NOT leave your car at the small lot right near the campsites.

(2) the DOC (stands for NY Dept. of Conservation, I believe): As you head west from New Paltz along 299 there is a campsite a little before the road dead-ends at 44/55. There are two dirt lots on either side of the road, with a sign on the south side. Park and walk in to the sites. Please camp ONLY at designated sites (little camping signs); if you don't see any convenient ones, walk around a little - there are usually vacant sites a few minutes' walk from the car.

The Gunks this time of year will be great! Have a blast!

Coz Teplitz wrote: (2) the DOC (stands for NY Dept. of Conservation, I believe): As you head west from New Paltz along 299 there is a campsite a little before the road dead-ends at 44/55. There are two dirt lots on either side of the road, with a sign on the south side. Park and walk in to the sites. Please camp ONLY at designated sites (little camping signs); if you don't see any convenient ones, walk around a little - there are usually vacant sites a few minutes' walk from the car. The Gunks this time of year will be great! Have a blast!

That's DEC, not DOC. State calls it a "multiuse area", but locals know it as the "multiple abuse area".

Here's the blurb from Gunks.com:
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The Multiple Use Area is less than a 5 minute drive from the Mohonk Preserve parking lots. The camping is free (no day pass required), but is for the most part un-regulated. You do however need a permit for stay of more than 3 days.

[click here for Multiple Use Area Rules] (check gunks.com for the link)

Due to it's un-regulated nature, it has aptly earned it's nick-name as the "multiple abuse area. Overcrowded on weekends, there's no water, showers, or even a porta-potty. As it is not on the Preserve property, it is also open to all kinds of uses besides camping. In years past, it has hosted late night "raves" for the local high school crowd, prompting complaints from climbers and others who seek peace and quiet prior to 3am. Most disconcerting is the small but steady stream of thefts reported every year. The area is practically abandoned during the day as climbers head to the cliff en masse. If you stay here, protect your valuables (i.e. bring them with you to the cliff).
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That being said, it has been a little better the last year or so.

There is also a pay campground with reasonable showers and bathrooms. $10 per person per night.

Go to gunks.com and check out the info for Creekview Campground. It has improved with a recent ownership change, so don't listen too much to anyone who says it sucks, but has not stayed there this year.

It's in Rosendale, about a 15-20 minute drive from the cliff (if you know the back way) and you can avoid any town traffic by staying here.
Trust us, you do not want to try and get through New Paltz on graduation weekend (mid-May), during the Ulster County Fair (August), or on Columbus Day weekend (or almost any good weekend in October.)

thanks for the info, i really appreciate it

Another option is the Gristmill. This is a full ammenity (coin operated showers, bathroom, sinks) campground that is located about 8 minutes from the Trapps. Directions are a little tricky, so I would recommend asking either EMS or Rock and Snow for them. I use this place all the time so as to avoid crowds, drunk college students, and noisy gumbies. Enjoy!

Chris Duca wrote:Another option is the Gristmill. This is a full ammenity (coin operated showers, bathroom, sinks) campground that is located about 8 minutes from the Trapps. Directions are a little tricky, so I would recommend asking either EMS or Rock and Snow for them. I use this place all the time so as to avoid crowds, drunk college students, and noisy gumbies. Enjoy!

The Gristmill is currently not an option, that's why I did not mention it. Ralph has had to discontinue camping because his distillery business is keeping him (and the parking area) busy.

Not sure when you were last there, but the showers and restroom have been closed for awhile now. Even when (if ?) Ralph allows camping again, there will likely only be a port-o-potty (septic system could not handle the volume).

I didn't know that you could stay in the MUA longer than 3 daze if you had a permit. That's interesting. Any idea how one goes about that permit, other than waiting for the rangers to stroll through?

I haven't been to the MUA in a while but when I used to, it seemed their default setting was some sort of emulation of the ranger from Yogi Bear cartoon. Grumpy, tired of years of people getting away with assorted Yogi/BooBoo hijinx, and generally sure you had broken SOME rule....

Once, as I was packing my van up, and had a stove set on the ground in the parking lot(behind my van with the hatch up, and other assorted gear in piles waiting to be organized), the ranger pulls in, gets out of the car, and goes directly to some poor guys just arriving and parked next to me. He starts harassing them about the stove without even asking if it belongs to them.... Bad day at the office, I guess.