Slide Mountain (Ulster County, New York)
| Slide Mountain | |
|---|---|
Slide Mountain from Ashokan High Point
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | c. 4,180 feet (1,270 m) |
| Prominence | 3,300 ft (1,000 m) |
| Listing | |
| Coordinates | 41°59′55″N 74°23′11″W / 41.99861°N 74.38639°WCoordinates: 41°59′55″N 74°23′11″W / 41.99861°N 74.38639°W |
| Geography | |
| Location | Shandaken, New York, U.S. |
| Parent range | Catskills |
| Topo map | Peekamoose Mountain |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | unknown |
| Easiest route | trail |
Slide Mountain is the highest peak in the Catskills. It is located in the Town of Shandaken in Ulster County, in southern New York. While the 4,180-foot (1,270 m) contour line on topographic maps is generally accepted as its height, the exact elevation of the summit has never been officially determined by the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, and many informal surveys suggest the mountain may actually top 4,200 feet (1,280 m) above sea level.
While it was not identified as the range's highest peak until the late 19th century, it has played a prominent role in Catskill history. Renowned naturalist John Burroughs wrote memorably of his climbs up Slide, and it helped get the Catskills added to New York's Forest Preserve. Bicknell's thrush was first identified on its summit.
Like most other Catskill peaks, Slide's summit is gentle and rounded, taking the form of a narrow ridge that rises to a wider bump on its eastern end. From there the mountain slopes down steeply to the col with neighboring Cornell Mountain.
At the western end, a broad slope, part of the Catskill Divide, leads down to the gap between Slide and Hemlock Mountain to the west and Winnisook Lake, the source of Esopus Creek, to the mountain's northwest.
Two more pronounced ridges lead off the mountain, one to the southwest and the col with Wildcat Mountain, the other to the north and Giant Ledge.
Both upper branches of the Neversink River begin on the mountain's slopes.
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Wikipedia