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Lookout · Shawangunk Mountains Scenic Byway

Compass Rock

OpenStreetMap
Looking north from Compass Rock. Terrain and imagery at true elevation.
Overview · Assembled from verified data

Compass Rock sits at 1,190 feet along the Shawangunk Mountains Scenic Byway, facing due north across terrain that drops 428 feet within 600 meters of the overlook. From this point, 855' peak is visible to the north at 0.8 miles, rising to 845 feet. Rochester Town Park lies north-northwest at 3.1 miles, at an elevation of 266 feet, while Pompey's Cave is visible north-northeast at 5.2 miles, at 254 feet. Kiryas Joel is the nearest listed town, 27.9 miles to the south, with Yorktown and Cortlandt further off to the southeast and south-southeast. Seasonal daylight at this location ranges from a June solstice sunrise of 05:23 and sunset of 20:36 to a December solstice sunrise of 07:21 and sunset of 16:30, with equinox sunrise and sunset times falling between these points. Hawkwatch precedes this stop on the byway, and Beacon Hill follows it.

Access
0.5 mi detour
Elevation
1,190 ft
View
North · 0°
Relief
428 ft drop
In view
3 named features
Photos · Real imagery only
The Trapps cliff of Shawangunk Ridge located at Mohonk Preserve near New Paltz, New York . Photograph taken from GT Ledge of High Exposure route.
Jarek Tuszyński · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
The Trapps cliff of Shawangunk Ridge located at Mohonk Preserve near New Paltz, New York . Photograph taken from GT Ledge of High Exposure route. On the left visible part of the second pitch of Modern Times route.
Jarek Tuszyński · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Face on the last pitch of High Exposure route in the Trapps cliff of Shawangunk Ridge located at Mohonk Preserve near New Paltz, New York . Climber on the left is belaying on GT Ledge.
Jarek Tuszyński · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Cumulus humilis clouds over Hudson Valley viewed from Trapps cliff of Shawangunk Ridge at Mohonk Preserve near New Paltz, New York .
Jarek Tuszyński · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Old angle pitons on Shockley's Ceiling route at the Trapps cliff of Shawangunk Ridge located at Mohonk Preserve near New Paltz, New York .
Jarek Tuszyński · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Climber rappelling at the Trapps cliff of Shawangunk Ridge located at Mohonk Preserve near New Paltz, New York .
Jarek Tuszyński · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
In view · Named features

What you’re looking at

Named terrain inside the view from this overlook, nearest first.

  • 855'845 ftnorth · 0.8 mi
  • Rochester Town Park266 ftnorth-northwest · 3.1 mi
  • Pompey’s Cave254 ftnorth-northeast · 5.2 mi
When to look · Sun at this latitude

Light

DateSunriseSunsetGolden hour
March equinox07:0119:0918:32
June solstice05:2320:3619:54
September equinox06:4518:5618:19
December solstice07:2116:3015:45

Local time (America/New_York). Computed for this exact position.

Getting there · Position and access

Where it is

  • Kiryas Joel27.9 mi south
  • Yorktown37.5 mi southeast
  • Cortlandt37.7 mi south-southeast
← Before it: HawkwatchAfter it: Beacon Hill →
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Common questions

How high is Compass Rock?

Compass Rock sits at about 1,190 feet (363 m).

What can you see from Compass Rock?

From Compass Rock: 855' (N, 0.8 mi); Rochester Town Park (NNW, 3.1 mi); Pompey’s Cave (NNE, 5.2 mi).

What is the nearest town to Compass Rock?

Kiryas Joel, 28 miles S of Compass Rock.

What is the next lookout after Compass Rock?

Beacon Hill is the next surfaced lookout along the same route after Compass Rock.

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Community · From people who stood here

Locals make it Verified.

Compass Rock — confirmed, rated, and photographed by people who actually pulled over. A local confirmation is what upgrades a lookout from Discovered to Verified. Zero hallucinations.

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Field notes

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