Catskill Mountains

Catskill Mountains
Slide Mountain and the peaks around it as seen from Twin Mountain in the northern Catskills
Highest point
Peak	Slide Mountain (S of Shandaken)
Elevation	4,180 ft (1,270 m)
Coordinates	41°59′55″N 74°23′11″W / 41.99861°N 74.38639°W / 41.99861; -74.38639Coordinates: 41°59′55″N 74°23′11″W / 41.99861°N 74.38639°W / 41.99861; -74.38639
Dimensions
Length	111 mi (179 km) N/S
Width	102 mi (164 km) E/W
Area	15,259 km2 (5,892 sq mi)
Geography
Map of the main regions of the Northeast Appalachians, with the Catskills as "C".
Country	United States
State	New York
Region	Hudson Valley
Counties	List Delaware Greene Schoharie Sullivan Ulster
Communities	List Ellenville Fleischmanns Hunter Liberty Margaretville Monticello Palenville Phoenicia Shandaken Shokan Tannersville Wawarsing Windham
Borders on	List Poconos Shawangunk Ridge Hudson Valley Great Appalachian Valley Mohawk Valley
Geology
Age of rock	Devonian and Mississippian
Type of rock	Sedimentary

The Catskill Mountains, also known as the Catskills, are a large area in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of New York. They are located approximately 100 miles (160 km) north-northwest of New York City and 40 miles (60 km) southwest of Albany, starting just west of the Hudson River. The Catskills occupy much or all of five counties (Delaware, Greene, Schoharie, Sullivan, and Ulster), with some areas falling into the boundaries of southwestern Albany, eastern Broome, northwestern Orange, and southern Otsego counties. Foothills are also found in southeastern Chenango, southern Montgomery, northern Otsego, and western Schenectady counties. As a cultural and geographic region, the Catskills are generally defined as those areas close to or within the borders of the Catskill Park, a 700,000-acre (2,800 km²) forest preserve protected from many forms of development under New York state law.

Geologically, the Catskills are a mature dissected plateau, a once-flat region subsequently uplifted and eroded into sharp relief by watercourses. The Catskills form the northeastern end of, and highest-elevation portion of, the Allegheny Plateau (also known as the Appalachian Plateau). Although the Catskills are sometimes compared with the Adirondack Mountains further north, the two mountain ranges are not geologically related, as the Adirondacks are a continuation of the Canadian Shield. Similarly, the Shawangunk Ridge, which forms the southeastern edge of the Catskills, is part of the geologically distinct Ridge-and-Valley province, and is a continuation of the same ridge known as Kittatinny Mountain in New Jersey and Blue Mountain in Pennsylvania.