Northern Catskills

Northern Catskills

Northern Catskills Mountains is considered to be one of the best places in the country when it comes to natural and scenic beauty. The place is full of mountains with high peaks, rivers, forests, resorts where you can do hiking, skiing, snowboarding and biking. There are about 35 high peaks in Catskills of which 15 are in the northern region. Some of these peaks and their information are given below in no particular order.

• Blackhead Mountain: It has an elevation of about 3,950 feet and is located in Greene County, New York. It is part of the Blackhead range and is the highest peak on the Escarpment Trail. Although there is no view from the summit, one can see some beautiful views to the west of summit while moving towards the Lockwood Gap.
• Black Dome Mountain: It too is located in the Greene County and has an elevation of 3,990 feet. While Blackhead Mountain was the easternmost peak in the Blackhead Range, Black Dome is a central peak in the Blackhead Range. It is surrounded by Thomas Cole Mountain in the west and Blackhead Mountain in the east.
• Windham High Peak: Known as the “great northern viewpoint”, Windham High Peak is the northernmost peak on the Escarpment Trail. On a day with clear sky it offers an amazing view of the Green mountains and Adirondacks. It has a height of about 3524 ft.
• Hunter Mountain: With a height of 4,040 feet, it is the second highest peak in Northern Catskills Mountains. Located in the towns of Hunter and Lexington, Hunter Mountain is very popular for skiing. In fact, it is also considered to be the snowmaking capital of the northern region. It also has a fire tower which is the highest in the state. Although this fire tower is primarily used for educating people about Forest Preserve, it also offers some spectacular views.
• Rusk Mountain: Located in the town of Hunter, it is the 20th-highest peak in the Catskill Mountains. With a height of 3680 feet, it is in the west of Hunter Mountain range and offers some good views from its summit.
• Indian Head Mountain: At 3,573 feet in elevation, it is situated in the Devil’s Path range. It is named as ‘Indian Head’ because its summit looks like head of an Indian resting on its back. Eastern part of the summit has a beautiful view of the Hudson valley.

Some other high peaks in Northern Catskills are Thomas Cole Mountain (3940 ft), West Kill Mountain (3880 ft), Plateau Mountain (3840 ft), Sugarloaf Mountain(3800 ft), SW Hunter Mountain (3740 ft), Kaaterskill High Peak (3655 ft), Twin Mountain (3650 ft), Bearpen Mountain (3600 ft) and Vly Mountain (3529 ft).