Guidebooks to the Gunks

Here are some of the pros and cons of the different Gunks guidebook alternatives.

Williams: 3 Volume Set

The definitive route descriptions. Extremely good photos of the routes. Expensive if you get all three. Lot's of unnecessary `R' ratings. Very stingy with stars and text.

Williams: Gunks Select

Probably the best bet at the moment. Most routes have been re-starred and re-rated. Better text that the 3 volume set. A few new routes. No Millbrook, though. You can climb most of the non-select routes from the photos.

Swain

Swain's book has a number of advantages First, he covers all routes on all crags in one book. He also gives much better guidance to route quality off of the beaten path (Williams, for example, has almost no starred routes anywhere in the middle of the Near Trapps even though there are many fine routes there). The protection ratings are a bit more realistic than Williams on obscure routes. He also has more to say about the climbs - Williams is quite terse about most routes. Unfortunately, the pictures are poor and many routes are not marked on the photos. A good book for the occasional Gunks climber.

Harlin: Guide to North America

Good luck trying to follow the topos in this one. You're better off to simply ask around for directions than to try to figure out these route descriptions.