Suggestions for Caches near Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz

[+Gumby,Pokey,and Kids]

A friend and I are getting away for a much needed mom's retreat to the Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz. She has never geocached (geocaught??), and I'm looking for some good (or great) caches near Mohonk that I could take her to. She doesn't have hiking boots, so please keep that in mind. Any neat suggestions in that area would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance!

[+WaylessWood]

Hi,

 

You could start by going to the GeoCaching home page and running a search on the New Paltz zip code. That should give you something to start with. I don't believe the Mountain House or the Preserve allow caches on their property, so you will probably have better luck in New Paltz or perhaps Minnewaska. Either way, you will need to review the listings for caches suitable to your friend's needs.

 

If you have a premium membership, you can create a pocket query that can be tailored to fit your requirements.

 

Enjoy your stay at Mohonk.

[+HaLiJuSaPa]

I don't think that caches are allowed on Mohonk itself either, but I encourage you to do the hike on the Mohonk grounds. There are some very neat sections that essentially are setup to let you "rock climb" without equipment and is surprisingly super-safe (I'm assuming it's still there, I did this a couple of times with friends about 15 years ago!). We actually did it with sneakers so though it will seem otherwise, you will not need hiking boots for this is you try it. Enjoy!

 

As for caches, what WaylessWood said is basically what I would've said. Good luck!

Edited March 30, 2008 by HaLiJuSaPa

[+Team Rampant Lion]

First, the rock scramble behind Mohonk Mountain House is AWESOME! I have done several times with the kids and they love it.

 

As far as geocaching, there are none on the property. Probably wouldn't be allowed even if they said ok as you have to pay to go on property if you are not a guest. You have to drive down off the mountain to begin to find any geocaches.

 

But there is a state park west of the area that has a few geocaches in it and some awesome hike areas. I'll try to dig up the name as I went mountain biking there and loved it.

[+HaLiJuSaPa]

First, the rock scramble behind Mohonk Mountain House is AWESOME!

 

As is the view at the end if I remember it right......thanks for the validation of my memory!

[+briansnat]

I was at Mohonk for my honeymoon. Beautiful place. I think they closed some of the more interesting and difficult trails though. No caches on the grounds or preserve that I know of. Perhaps there are some in Minnewaska State Park.

[+Team Rampant Lion]

I was at Mohonk for my honeymoon. Beautiful place. I think they closed some of the more interesting and difficult trails though. No caches on the grounds or preserve that I know of. Perhaps there are some in Minnewaska State Park.

 

Yes that's the park I went mountain biking in - basically a ride along a cliff. There are only a handful of caches in there (3 or 4) use The Mouse Hole (GCGDRD) as orientation. There are also a number of urban caches in New Paltz down below Mohonk House. The New Paltz Stop & Shop (GCZOY6) will orient you to those. There are a number in between these two points.

[+briansnat]

New Paltz is a very historic town. Great place to spend an afternoon. I recall one building that supposedly still had the bullet holes from an Indian attack.

[+Gumby,Pokey,and Kids]

I was at Mohonk for my honeymoon. Beautiful place. I think they closed some of the more interesting and difficult trails though. No caches on the grounds or preserve that I know of. Perhaps there are some in Minnewaska State Park.

Thanks to all who responded to this. I am so excited now to go to this little get-away; there are pictures on the Mountain House website that show the rock scramble, which I was planning on checking out. Now, I will DEFINITELY check that hike out! And we thought we would just be hanging by the hot tub after our spa treatments...HA!

Thanks Team Rampant Lion for the cache suggestions. I would love to fit in some caches, and it already seems like there will be plenty to do in New Paltz. I CANNOT WAIT! Thank God the seven years of Gumby's golf trips with his brothers finally translated into this 3-day adventure!

[4wheelin_fool]

I just noticed this thread, I hope it's not too late..

 

This cache: Ledge of Doom is in the most interesting and scenic spot that I have seen.

There is an incredible amount of large boulders with narrow passageways, small caves, and very scenic views from the top. I don't recommmend attempting the cache without climbing gear however, but the hike all around the area is definitely worth it. It is on an "island" of rock accessible by a narrow walkway (with a 70 foot drop) Only the last few feet is where climbing gear is really needed.

You should be able to find Fred without any problem, and is nearby. Also In the Jaws of the Serpent which is a moderate hike with great views. There is a fee of $9 for hiking and $15 for climbing in the self pay kiosk, but if you like places like that and follow the trail from The Ledge of Doom to the "lost city" I think it is worth it.

Edited April 10, 2008 by 4wheelin_fool

[+ReZappers]

Minnewaska State Park is a preserve and I believe NY State Parks have guidelines about placing caches and you'll have to register it. The Mohonk Mountain House resort hotel & grounds are private property - so I would guess not unless they grant you explicit permission. The Mohonk Preserve is a private preserve (not state/gov't owned), however, I don't think they have a policy on placing caches (and a few already exist there). I asked a couple of ranger friends and they weren't aware of any rules against them, but I didn't ask anyone who may have known if there was an official policy. I should probably ask since I would like to place some caches there, as I climb there regularly. I'm friends with the exec director and head ranger, so they should know the answer. I'll report back if I hear anything.

 

p.s. any frequent Gunks climbers out there?

[+ReZappers]

I got a reply from the head ranger at the Mohonk Preserve (not the hotel). He says:

The Preserve allows geocaching on our lands without any special permit. We do require all geocachers to follow existing policies for land use. Specifically, this means that any caches must be placed adjacent to an existing, authorized trail or carriage road since Preserve land use policy does not allow off trail travel.

Minnewaska State Park is a preserve and I believe NY State Parks have guidelines about placing caches and you'll have to register it. The Mohonk Mountain House resort hotel & grounds are private property - so I would guess not unless they grant you explicit permission. The Mohonk Preserve is a private preserve (not state/gov't owned), however, I don't think they have a policy on placing caches (and a few already exist there). I asked a couple of ranger friends and they weren't aware of any rules against them, but I didn't ask anyone who may have known if there was an official policy. I should probably ask since I would like to place some caches there, as I climb there regularly. I'm friends with the exec director and head ranger, so they should know the answer. I'll report back if I hear anything.

 

p.s. any frequent Gunks climbers out there?

[+Strike Anywhere]

Lots of great caches up there under the rock walls... wish there was more but then again, climbing is what its all about there... Heading back there on the 28th of October... I CANT WAIT!!! I want to try High E and finish Gelsa and just enjoy the Fall and the beauty of being up above it all.

[+ReZappers]

I hope to hide many more caches in the near future since I'm moving close to the Gunks full time and have many locations I've been thinking of placing more caches, including some on climbs. Been trying to make the descriptions either about environmental education or climbing history, to go along with the mission and history of the Mohonk Preserve and the Gunks... takes time to do the research, but based on the nice comments from cachers, it's definitely worth it to me.

 

ReZappers

 

Lots of great caches up there under the rock walls... wish there was more but then again, climbing is what its all about there... Heading back there on the 28th of October... I CANT WAIT!!! I want to try High E and finish Gelsa and just enjoy the Fall and the beauty of being up above it all.

[+Packanack]

Over the weekend last past, a group of us did a ride on the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail--bicycle--there are a number of caches there, there is also a grouping of virtuals in the area, we did the Covered Bridge cache on route 213 as our salute to virtuals, there is another virtual in town on Huegenot Street.

 

Weathernowcast--NJ's own was doing his 3000th milestone cache up on the cliffs with a group of intrepid cachers--probably not best for mil. But check out that profile and log. Congrats, Brian.BTW, check out macatak's great photos

 

So there is something for everyone up in that area. Even if you aren't caching the views, and the ambiance is superb.

[+BlackBuck]

This one is a lot of fun Bonticou crag