Standing high above the valleys on either side, theShawangunk [pronounced SHON gum] Mountain range is a continuation of the ridgethat is known as Blue Mountainin Pennsylvania and KittatinnyMountain in NewJersey. It reachesfrom the New York-New Jersey line northeast to Rosendale. Referred to affectionately by hikers andclimbers as the "Gunks," the region offers a hiking experience of great varietyand beauty. Veteran hikers will find thechallenge of rough trails and rock scrambles, while less ambitious hikers mayenjoy spectacular views from gentle carriage roads. The dramatic landscape is fashioned of milesof white cliffs and ledges, clear mountaintop lakes, deep oak forests, andsparse ridge top barrens of bonsai-shaped pitch pines.

The Shawangunks are an especially fine place to study theeffects of Ice Age glaciers. Theextremely hard quartzose rock has tended to preserve most of the glacialgrooves, striations, and chattermarks that were carved by the boulder-ladenglacial ice over 10,000 years ago. Theglacial markings on rocks in the Shawangunks tend to be more frequent andclearer than those found on bed-rock surfaces in the HudsonHighlands and the Catskills.

The northernShawangunks, from Ellenville north to Rosendale, comprise a 25,000-acre naturalarea that contains the majority of the Shawangunk trails. The area is divided into four majorownerships, each with its own trails, access points, and fees. At the northern end is the Mohonk Preserve,which nearly surrounds the second area, the Mohonk Mountain House lands. The Minnewaska State Park Preserve occupiesthe wide mid-section of the ridge, and is the largest single ownership. To the south of Minnewaska is the Sam's PointDwarf Pine Preserve.

Hiking in the southern Shawangunks, from Ellenville south tothe New Jersey border, is largelyconfined to the Shawangunk Ridge Trail. 

Parks and preserves in this region include:

• Minnewaska State Park Preserve
• Mohonk Mountain House
• Mohonk Preserve
• Huckleberry Ridge State Forest
• Sam's Point Preserve [Sam's Point Dwarf Pine Ridge Preserve]
• Wallkill Valley Rail Trail