Catskill Mountains

Catskill Mountains, a group of mountains in the state of New York, U.S., west of the Hudson River, and south of the Mohawk. They belong to the Appalachian system, and are continuous northward with the Helderbergs, southward with the Shawangunks, south-westward with the Delaware Mountains, and westward with a high plateau which occupies much of the region of the southern half of Western New York, and a part of the northern counties of Pennsylvania. The Catskills proper cover about 5000 sq. m., chiefly in Greene County, N.Y. Some peaks reach nearly 4000 feet in height. The mountains generally have steep and often precipitous ascents, and their summits are broad and rocky. The deep valleys or 'cloves' of this region, with almost perpendicular walls, form a remarkable scenic feature. What is known as 'the Catskill red sandstone' is regarded by most geologists as the very latest formed of the Devonian strata of North America. The mountains are well wooded, and afford many summer-resorts for the people of the larger cities. See Searing's Land of Rip Van Winkle (1885).