The Near Trapps cliff is the second most popular rock climbing
cliff at the Gunks ranging in height from 40 to 200 feet and
providing around 200 routes. There is a beautiful view of the
cliffs from the scenic overlook after the hairpin turn on Rt. 44/55
going west from New Paltz.
Park in the West Trapps Parking Lot off of Rt. 44/55 after the
Trapps Bridge overpass going westbound. You will have to pay a day
use fee at the entrance to the parking lot (see below for more
information about the Mohonk Preserve). From the car to the cache
could take anywhere from 45-60 minutes. On busy weekends,
especially in the autumn, finding parking can be difficult. Best
bet is to arrive before 9am or late in the afternoon. An easy trail
takes you from the end of the parking lot to the Trapps Bridge to
cross over the highway. Continue on the carriage road over the
bridge and very soon you will turn left on the blue blazed trail
that travels across the top of the cliffs. That trail starts at
approximately N41 44.229 W74 11.725. If you like to look for
benchmarks, there is one in the rock around N41 44.141 W74
11.720.
NOTE: Due to access issues, these are new directions to get to
the cache as of 4/30/2009, which require backtracking!.
To get to the cache, take the blue trail over the top of the
cliffs until you see a descent trail off to the left blazed with
orange survey tape and small flags. This trail is NOT marked on
trail maps. This trail starts at approximately N41 43.770 W74
12.171. Because of private property issues on a small section of
the trail under the cliff, you cannot take the trail underneath the
cliffs from Rt. 44/55 to get to the cache. You will need to travel
over the top of the cliffs and come down a steep trail at the south
end of the cliff band and backtrack on a trail at the base of the
cliffs. The trail is rudimentary, steep and tricky, but does not
require any climbing. It may be tricky for children unless they are
experienced hikers on rough trails. Walking sticks may help with
your balance. Please do not leave the trail, as it causes erosion.
At the base of the cliffs, head back northbound on the climbers'
trail under the cliffs, and be careful not to step on anyone's
climbing gear, especially ropes.
The cache is a round lock-n-lock container hidden on the side of
the trail. Easy to spot but because of the signal bounce the cliff
may cause, it was rated a 2 for difficulty. Be careful that you
don't drop anything, the hillside below the trail is very steep and
anything dropped could roll and keep going down, down, down, beyond
your reach. There aren't many popular rock climbs in this section
of the cliff, so hopefully you won't have any muggle climbers
hanging around, but still, watch out for frequent climbers passing
on the trail. Please rehide the cache carefully so it's not obvious
to anyone walking on the trail.
Before the access issues, the approach to the cache was on an
unmarked trail from Rt. 44/55 that followed along the base of the
cliffs. Because a small 150 foot section of trail that travels over
private property has now been posted, going over the top of the
cliff and backtracking is required to get to the cache. Makes you
appreciate when private landowners are willing to allow hikers and
climbers to use their private property.
The Mohonk Preserve is a private land conservation organization
established to protect the Shawangunk Ridge, it is not public land
funded by the government. Therefore, there is a day use fee to use
the preserve which funds its maintenance and programs. For the
current day pass fees, check the Mohonk Preserve website. The
Mohonk Preserve does allow geocaching on its land, as long as it is
along established trails and carriage roads. Note that dogs must be
leashed at all times.
Note: all markings are approximate.
Blue arrow: start of the blue blazed trail over the top of the
cliffs.
Orange arrow: orange tape flagged descent trail (not on
maps).
Red X: general location of the cache on the trail under the
cliffs.
