From the February American Alpine Club E-News:

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The AAC is working with the Mohonk Preserve and the state of New York with the hope of creating a badly needed climbers' campground just below the Shawangunk cliffs. Under the proposal, the state would help develop a campground with at least 20 sites on 45 acres of land, and the AAC would run the facility along with the Mohonk Preserve. If all goes well, the new Gunks campground could open by early 2008.

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The AAC point man for this effort is Jim McCarthy, who was back East working on the deal a few weeks ago.

http://www.americanalpineclub.org/bod/February_2006/Mohonk_agreement.asp

Thanks Kent and RG. I'm still not sure if this refers to the same property already in use for camping (muti-use) or another area along 299. Anyone know? Kudos to AAC to jump in and get 'er done. Internet and phone connections? Not sure why that is needed except maybe for the administrators, although I wouldn't think many visiting climbers would mind WiFi access.

Chip, it's a 45 acre piece, southwest of the NYDEC Multiple (ab)Use Area, on the same side of the road. You can view it on the Ulster County Parcel Viewer.

The parcel viewer takes a little getting use to. When you get to the above page, click on the disclaimer and agree to it's terms. Once in, click on "Municipality-wide", then, on the map, click on the Town of Gardiner . Then choose "Parcel ID" under search options on the left, and search on section 85.3, block 2, lot 4.110. The search will highlight the proposed campground lot on the parcel viewer in yellow. To blow up the image go to the left hand menu and choose "zoom in". Then click on the highlighted lot as many times as needed to reach the size you want.

There are four lots of 5-6 acres each between the NYDEC MUA and the proposed AAC/MP/PIPC Campground.

Interesting that the AAC will be responsible for the bulk of the expenses and that either party can suspend the deal at any time leaving 180 days for rebuttal.

$20/ night

Internet and phone connections? Not sure why that is needed

Hard to manage an on-line site reservation system without access to the internet.

I have some thoughts and comments on the new campground. I hope those with more detailed information or first hand knowledge can add insight.

1) As I read it, this new campground will require all the same permits from the Town of Gardiner that the formerly proposed CGs did. What makes anyone think they will be more liekly to grant all the required permits this time ? I see where nothing has changed here. It's still a pay for camping area run by a "conservation-like" organization.

2) How will this help the camping situation ? It seems this is merely a replacement for Camp Slime. In that case are we not just swapping 20 free sites w/o facilities for 20 pay sites with facilities ? And if the DEC closes the MUA, we're way down on the available camping sites.
20 sites is not even a drop in the bucket for the amount of camping required at the Gunks on a busy weekend.

The above having been said, I think it is great someone is once again taking the initiative to establish a viable CG at the Gunks. I just see this as the Camp Slime replacement, nothing else.

Please, someone tell me I have it all wrong !

T

Is it really going to be $20/night?!?! Even though I now have a job/salary, that is still ludicrous to me. I can't imagine a student or dirtbag coughing that up.

As I read it, this new campground will require all the same permits from the Town of Gardiner that the formerly proposed CGs did. What makes anyone think they will be more liekly to grant all the required permits this time ? I see where nothing has changed here.

I was wondering about that too. Wasn't one of the issues with the AMC proposal the sight-line for the road? If it's the same piece of property - which it appears to me to be - then won't they run into the same problems? The agreement states:

WHERAS after considering the relationship of the project to its core strategic priorities AMC has decided that it does not intend to pursue the project and wishes to convey the land to the appropriate entity to enable a campground project to be carried forward;

Edited to add... by some extremely odd coincidence I was reading the Winter 2005 American Alpine News at lunch time (my wife made me clean out a bunch of old magazines so I'm trying to catch up on my reading). The Letter from the President included the following bullet point:

* We also would like to expand our hut system and add climber-focused campgrounds, perhaps one in Yosemite.

Oh well, Yosemite's loss is the Gunks' gain, I guess.