The approximate Lenape pronunciation was "Sha-WAN-gunk," [citation needed] probably meaning "in the smoky air."

It is uncertain if this was the Indians' actual proper name for their nearby village and "New Fort," destroyed by the Dutch on September 5, 1663, during the Second Esopus War, or if the name was merely a phrase invented by the Indians in connection with the Bruyn land purchase, possibly describing some temporary feature of the landscape.

[citation needed] Use of the name to designate the creek on which Bruyn settled (Shawangunk Kill), and the mountain range, came somewhat later.

Present-day citizens of Shawangunk often refer to themselves as living in particular hamlets such as Wallkill or Walker Valley rather than the town as a whole;[citation needed] this is due to the fact[according to whom?]

that many residents of the western part of the town are in the school district of Pine Bush (nearby across the county line) and have Pine Bush mailing addresses, also doing much of their shopping in that Orange County hamlet.

The northeastward-flowing Wallkill River passes through the eastern half of town and lends its name to the hamlet, which lies along its east bank.

The western part of the town, including Walker Valley, climbs the lower slopes of the eponymous mountains.

The Shawangunk Kill, a major tributary of the Wallkill, divides the town approximately in half.

[11] At the request of Watchtower, Muller Martini has designed a very "tour-friendly" layout of the machinery for efficient "visitor management".