Things to do / Travel Guide
The Catskills and the Hudson Valley region, which is directly northwest of New York City (New York City), can be geographically split up into its two parts, the Hudson Valley and the Catskill Mountains. The Hudson Valley refers to the canyon and the hilly country above New York City on either side of the Hudson River; the Catskills refers to the mountains of that name to the west of the Hudson Valley.
To the south, the Hudson Valley includes the city of Tarrytown as well as Harriman State Park. The valley extends north on either side of the Hudson River, encompassing the city of Hudson on the east side of the river, and the city of Catskill on the west side. The Hudson Valley then continues on eastward to about New York's border with Connecticut, and westward up to the Shawangunk Mountains and the Catskill Mountains.
North and west of the Hudson Valley, the Catskills rise up rather abruptly. West, they start at what's called the Catskill Escarpment - where the valley dramatically becomes mountain. In fact, they're not so much a mountain range as what's technically called a dissected plateau. The Catskills area includes the city of Kingston, on the Hudson River, the Shawangunk Mountains, and the city of Monticello to the south. The Catskills stretch west to also include Canonsville Reservoir, Pepacton Reservoir, and Shoharie Reservoir. These reservoirs, by the way, are the source for New York City's drinking water, which is often voted the best for drinking in the country. Former mayor Ed Koch wrote the following -
“It doesn't really come from grapes
In fact it comes from rain
But when New Yorkers turn the tap
Out comes pure champagne”
Catskill Park is within, but does not define, the Catskill Mountains, which by common usage span a much larger ares – including almost to Albany in the north, and south almost to the Delaware River. Nevertheless, the mountains in Catskill Park are the best in terms of scenery and overall outdoor experience, with 98 peaks over 3000 feet high.
The Park itself is unusual in terms of United States wilderness areas, as it is a combination of private and public land. The public land, known as the Catskill Forest Preserve, is protected by a New York State constitutional amendment as a perpetual forested wilderness. The private land constitutes more than half of the Catskill Park and is home to around 50,000 people.
South of Catskill Park, near and along State Road 17 (known as “the Quickway”), the foothills contain the cities Monticello and Liberty. This is the area that has traditionally earned the epithets the Borscht Belt, the Jewish Riviera, and Solomon County. The old resorts such as Grossinger's, the Concord, Brickman's, and others were all located on this strip. But notice that this area, what people (mainly New Yorkers) have always called the Catskills, is really not the Catskills. Most of the attractions, and what makes this region so attractive, is far northward - mostly blocked in by the reservoirs and the official lines of Catskill Park.
The region also includes two major points of interest that are somewhat far away from everything else, on the other side of the mountains: the National Baseball Hall of Fame, in Cooperstown, and Howe Caverns. Both of these attractions are just off I-88, north of the Catskills.
First-time travelers to the region should take note that many people, New Yorkers in particular, speak of the Catskills as if the area is practically everything that is a reasonable drive from New York City, beyond the northern suburbs and west of the Hudson River. New Yorkers, even if they take their ski vacations in the 14,000 foot mountains of Colorado, still refer to the whole area as “the Mountains.” “Upstate” is also used in a sort of escapist way.
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