Seventeen of the thirty-five Catskill High Peaks are visible in this photo, taken from the Shawangunk Ridge above Ellenville. The Shawangunk Ridge (also known as the Shawangunk Mountains, or The Gunks; pronounced by some locals as "SHONG-gum" (/ˈʃɑŋgʌm/ is a ridge of mountains Ellenville is a village in Ulster County, New York, United States. The peaks of Ulster County are in the foreground, with Greene County's Devil's Path at the far right. Ulster County is a County located in the state of New York, USA. Greene County is a County located in the US state of New York. The Devil's Path is the name of a Mountain range and hiking trail in the Greene County portion of New York 's Catskill Mountains.

The Catskill High Peaks are all of the mountains in New York's Catskill Mountains above 3,500 ft (1,067 m) in elevation whose summits are separated either by one-half mile (805 m) or a vertical drop of at least 250 ft (76 m) between it and the next nearest separate summit. A mountain is a Landform that extends above the surrounding Terrain in a limited area with a peak New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous The Catskill Mountains (also known as simply the Catskills) a natural area in New York State northwest of New York City and southwest of Albany By usual standards, these mountains are rather low and rounded, and mostly covered by vegetation.

Unlike the Adirondack High Peaks, those in the Catskills are more evenly distributed around the eastern half of the range instead of being confined to one small area. The High Peaks is the name for the 46 highest Mountain peaks in the Adirondack Mountains of New York, USA, and the region around them All except Bearpen and Vly lie within the Catskill Park Blue Line. The Catskill Park is in the Catskill Mountains in New York in the United States. The Blue Line is the term used in New York state for the boundaries of the Adirondack and Catskill parks within which can be found the state's Forest

DEC sign listing High Peak regulations

The 3,500 foot (1067 m) elevation was chosen in the early 1950s when Dan Smiley, a descendant of the founders of Mohonk Mountain House and his fellow birders were trying to find the elusive Bicknell's Thrush, which prefers to nest and breed in the boreal forests that predominate above that elevation in the Catskills. The Mohonk Mountain House also known as Lake Mohonk Mountain House, is a historic American Resort hotel located on the Shawangunk Ridge in Ulster County Birdwatching or birding is the observation and study of Birds with the naked eye or through a visual enhancement device like Binoculars. The Bicknell's Thrush, Catharus bicknelli, is a medium-sized thrush. Taiga (ˈtaɪgə from Turkic or Mongolian) is a Biome characterized by Coniferous forests They drew up a list nearly identical to the one below and published it in a naturalists' journal.

A decade later hikers interested in peak bagging formed the Catskill Mountain 3500 Club, an organization similar to the better-known Adirondack 46ers, to promote the climbing of 34 of the 35 peaks listed below ("Southwest Hunter" was added to the list in 1992). Peak bagging (also hill bagging, mountain bagging, Munro bagging, or among enthusiasts just bagging) is an activity in which The Catskill Mountain 3500 Club, incorporated as the Catskill 3500 Club and often just referred to as the 3500 Club is a peakbagging organization for The Adirondack Forty-Sixers are an organization of Hikers who have climbed all forty-six of the traditionally recognized High Peaks of the Adirondack Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) The club implemented the peak-separation rule, modeled on the one already in use by the Appalachian Mountain Club. The Appalachian Mountain Club ( AMC) is one of the United States' oldest outdoor groups Prospective members are required to climb all (13 have no established route to the summit, requiring a bushwhack) and then do Slide, Blackhead, Balsam and Panther mountains again in wintertime.

Today New York State’s Department of Environmental Conservation enforces special rules for all the lands it manages in the Catskills above 3,500 feet (1,067 m), whether tiny plots such as on Rocky or vast ridgetops as on Plateau, Hunter and West Kill, due to the fragility of the ecosystems. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation ( NYSDEC or DEC) is responsible for the conservation improvement and protection of Natural resources In these areas, camping is permitted only in dire emergencies except during winter, when snow shields the earth somewhat, and open fires are banned. Definition Camping describes a range of activities Survivalist campers set off with little more than their boots whereas Recreational vehicle travelers arrive equipped Almost all were designated Bird Conservation Areas by Gov. George Pataki in 1999, due to Bicknell's and other vulnerable species that return there in springtime to nest and breed. George Elmer Pataki (born June 24, 1945) is an American politician who was the 53rd Governor of New York serving three consecutive Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar)

Surveys of the Catskills date to the 1940s at the newest, and exact elevations have never been officially determined for many of these peaks. Geophysical survey refers to the systematic collection of geophysical data for spatial studies In those cases, their elevations are indicated by the highest 20 foot (6 m) contour shown on the United States Geological Survey (USGS) quadrangles with a plus (+) sign. The United States Geological Survey ( USGS) is a scientific agency of the United States government. A topographic map is a type of Map characterized by large-scale detail and quantitative representation of relief, usually using Contour lines in modern

The high peaks:

[1] The name is currently unofficial. There is also a Panther Mountain in Franklin County New York near the southern end of Lower Saranac Lake. Rusk Mountain is a peak located in the town of Hunter, Greene County, New York, USA. Kaaterskill High Peak (officially just High Peak) is one of the Catskill Mountains, located in the Town of Hunter in Greene County, New It refers to the peak that rises between Hunter and West Kill on the USGS Lexington quad

[2] This refers not to "Bearpen Mountain" shown on the USGS Prattsville quad straddling the border between Delaware and Greene counties at 3,520 feet (1073 m), but rather the unnamed higher area approximately one-half mile (800 m) to the southeast in Greene County. Lexington is a Town in Greene County, New York, United States. Prattsville is a Town in Greene County, New York, United States. Delaware County is a County located in the US state of New York. Greene County is a County located in the US state of New York.

Potential High Peaks

Without the aforementioned "AND" ruling of the Catskill 3500 Club, the unnamed summit west of Thomas Cole (unofficially referred to as "Camel's Hump") sits within the 3,520-foot contour and is more than the required distance from that peak's summit. No one has yet considered it a High Peak, however.

The inexact nature of past USGS surveys of the region have led to speculation that two 3,480-foot (1,060 m) summits in the western Catskills might prove to be High Peaks if measurements were redone with more modern technology. GPS readings on some summits have consistently suggested higher elevations than those given on the maps.

Mill Brook Ridge, the named summit of the pair, would displace neighboring Balsam Lake as the westernmost Catskill High Peak were any of the land in its summit contour found to exceed 3,500 feet. However, much of that land is as flat as the map suggests and the peak may come close to that height but not over it.

The other is "East Schoolhouse Mountain," the unofficial name for the higher of the two peaks on the ridge between Balsam Lake and neighboring Graham. Digital Elevation Modeling (DEM) data in some mapping software suggests its summit may just exceed the limit.

There is also a tiny 3,500-foot contour indicated more than a half-mile east of West Kill's summit, right next to the drop into Diamond Notch, but exploration of that area has cast doubt on whether it actually exists.

External links

• Catskill 3500 Peak List
• Online Guide to the Catskill Mountains
• The Catskill Archive — history of the Catskill Mtns.
• Catskill 3500-foot Peaks at Peakbagger. com
• Catskill Mountainkeeper Protecting the Six Counties of the Catskills