The best of the 'Gunks

It proudly bears the title of busiest rock climbing destination in the United States. It is home to one of the last great mountain-house hotels in North America. The region is known for possessing a rather singular look and feel, a weird and wonderful mix of scrub pines, chilly ice caves, atmospheric bogs, miles of huckleberry and wild blueberry bushes and dramatic silver-white cliffs that offer endless views. At its feet lie some of the country's oldest apple orchards, punctuated by some of the state's most unique and appealing small towns.

We are speaking, here, of course -- just in case you were still out in the cold -- about New York's outstanding Shawangunk Mountains. Mostly called the 'Gunks. And sometimes (by old-timers) the Shongums. Whatever you call them, this little ridge that could, topping out at a mere 2,289 feet, has always been more than just a run-up to the Catskills, located just one narrow valley away. These days, the area, which has charmed visitors for centuries for many and varied reasons, is shaping up to be one of the Northeast's essential destinations, period.

Jim Smith Photography

When the leaves turn, the historic Mohonk Mountain House resort looks even better than usual.

You've got one -- maybe two -- more weekends before the leaves disappear completely; now's a really good time to go. Here's what you do when you get there.

THE OTHER MAGIC KINGDOM The classic Mohonk Mountain House, one of the country's finest historic hotels, is approaching 150 years in operation on a very firm footing. In a perfect world, everyone would stay here when they visit the 'Gunks -- an ongoing effort to bring the resort into the 21st century without sacrificing that Victorian vibe is making it awfully hard to resist. Of course, staying over is not always possible. Still, nobody should miss at least a few hours on the beautiful and brilliantly-planned property -- a rather vast, 2,220-acre spread, capped off by an iconic observation tower. (Think a more wild and dramatic Central Park, but high atop a mountain and with a fraction of the tourists.) The least expensive route to go: Pay a day-use fee ($12) over at the adjacent Mohonk Preserve; passholders can then hike on Mountain House grounds as they please (details at mohonkpreserve.org ). To access the resort property directly, there's a steeper fee -- $20 on weekdays; $25 weekends. Depending on how busy they are, you may have to park near the gatehouse and hike; there's also a shuttle that goes the 2.3 miles up to the hotel. In all cases, day-use visitors are asked to stay out of the hotel. To get the complete experience, it's worth booking a meal in the hotel's main dining room, where the food is quite good of late -- a recent buffet lunch featured the likes of roasted duck, bangers and mash, beautiful local veggies and berry buckle for dessert (among other things). Rates start at $34.25 per adult and $20.50 for children 4-12; they tick up from there (mohonk.com ).