Town of Shawangunk

The Town of Shawangunk occupies the southwestern corner of Ulster County along the lower eastern side of the Shawangunk Ridge within the county. The town stretches east to west from the Wallkill Valley to the foothills and cliffs of the ridge.

The Wallkill River flows north through the eastern side of the town and serves as one of its main geographic features. East of the river are lower rolling hills, farmland, and scattered residential areas. To the west, the Shawangunk Kill flows northeast toward its confluence with the Wallkill River in Gardiner. Between the Wallkill River and Shawangunk Kill lies the Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge, one of the region’s largest open grassland habitats.

West of the Shawangunk Kill, the terrain rises steadily toward the ridge. The western edge of the town reaches the Ulster County ridge communities of Cragsmoor and Ellenville in neighboring Wawarsing. To the north, the town borders Gardiner, while Plattekill lies to the northeast. Orange County neighbors to the south and southeast include Crawford, Montgomery, and Newburgh, while the Sullivan County town of Mamakating borders the ridge farther south.

The Shawangunk Kill also forms part of a geographic meeting point between Ulster, Orange, and Sullivan counties near the southern end of the town. Along the ridge, the Town of Shawangunk contains portions of Minnewaska State Park Preserve, including high-elevation forests, streams, and cliff areas connected to the larger Shawangunk mountain system.

Several streams descend from the ridge into the valley, helping shape wetlands, drainage corridors, and agricultural lowlands across the town. The Verkeerder Kill originates along the ridge near Verkeerderkill Falls before flowing eastward toward the valley. Other waterways, including the Dwaarkill, continue the broader drainage network linking the mountains to the Wallkill Valley and eventually the Hudson River watershed.