Shawangunk Mountains

Subdivision of the Appalachian Mountains lying within New York State and New Jersey. They extend for 72 km/45 mi and reach a maximum height of 698 m/2,289 ft. The most well-known peak in the range is Sam's Point (688 m/2,255 ft), near Ellenville. The ‘Gunks’ are popular with rock climbers from nearby metropolitan areas; New York is only 80 km/50 mi to the southeast.

The Shawnagunk Mountains consist mainly of a single ridge running southwest from Roundout Creek, near Kingston, New York, to join the Kittatinny Mountain ridge near Port Jervis, on the New Jersey border. They are sometimes divided into the Northern and Southern Shawangunks, with the division at Sam's Point. Geologically, the Northern Shawangunks are a hard sedimentary conglomerate and sandstone band around 10 km/6 mi wide, while the Southern Shawangunks are only a mile across.