Beaver Kill

Beaver Kill
River
Beaver Kill below Lew Beach
Country	United States
State	New York
Region	Catskills
Counties	Ulster, Sullivan, Delaware
Towns	Hardenburgh, Rockland, Colchester, Hancock
Part of	East Branch Delaware River
Tributaries
- left	Willowemoc Creek
City	Roscoe
Landmark	Junction Pool
Source	S of col between Graham and Doubletop mountains
- elevation	2,760 ft (841 m)
- coordinates	42°1′47″N 74°32′32″W / 42.02972°N 74.54222°W / 42.02972; -74.54222
Mouth	East Branch Delaware River
- elevation	980 ft (299 m)
- coordinates	41°59′24″N 74°7′52″W / 41.99000°N 74.13111°W / 41.99000; -74.13111Coordinates: 41°59′24″N 74°7′52″W / 41.99000°N 74.13111°W / 41.99000; -74.13111
Length	44 mi (71 km), NE-SW
Basin	300 sq mi (777 km2)
Discharge
- average	771 cu ft/s (22 m3/s)
- max	62,400 cu ft/s (1,767 m3/s)
Beaver Kill within the Delaware headwaters drainage basin.

The Beaver Kill, sometimes written as the Beaverkill or Beaverkill River, is a tributary of the East Branch Delaware River, a main tributary of the Delaware River, approximately 44 miles (71 km) long, in the U.S. State of New York. The kill drains a 300-square-mile (780 km²) area of the Catskill Mountains and has long been celebrated as one of the most famous trout streams in the United States. Its preservation helped establish many of the basic conservation principles of rivers in the United States.

The river has been popular as a trout stream since the early 19th century, when it became one of the first resort destinations in the United States. The subsequent depletion of the brook trout population by the 1850s led to an early conservation movement to preserve the river, including the introduction of hatcheries for brown trout. Its popularity as a trout stream arises in part from the many cold springs and deep pools in the upper river that keep the water at an even cold temperature. The fly fishing industry is centered on Roscoe, home to several fly-shops and bed and breakfasts catering to fishermen from around the world. More local fly fishing history and information can be found at the Catskill Fly Fishing Center and Museum located in Livingston Manor.

The Beaver Kill rises in western Ulster County, beginning at an elevation of 2,760 feet (840 m) just south of the col between Graham and Doubletop mountains, two of the Catskill High Peaks in the Town of Hardenburgh. It descends gently from here, first on private land belonging to the descendants of Jay Gould, then into the Big Indian-Beaverkill Range Wilderness Area, part of the Forest Preserve in the Catskill Park. Shortly after entering state land, it receives its first tributary, an unnamed stream that flows down steeply from the southeast slopes of Doubletop.