Catskill Mountains

Catskill Mountains dissected plateau of the Appalachian Mt. system, SE N.Y., W of the Hudson River. This glaciated region, wooded and rolling, with deep gorges and many waterfalls, is drained by the headstreams of the Delaware River and by Esopus, Schoharie, Rondout, and Catskill creeks. Most of the summits are c.3,000 ft (910 m) above sea level; Slide Mt. (4,180 ft/1,274 m) is the highest. Bluestone, a form of sandstone, is quarried in the Catskills. Close to New York City, the area is popular with summer and winter vacationers; the famed "Borscht Belt," a string of Jewish family resorts, is now in decline, but outdoor centers are multiplying. The area is also notable for its concentration of Buddhist centers. Ashokan Reservoir is a source of the New York metropolitan area's water supply. Catskill Park embraces much of the Catskills, including the region of the Rip Van Winkle legend.

Bibliography: See A. Evers, The Catskills (1984).

Catskill Mountains Plateau of the Appalachian system on the w bank of the Hudson River, se New York, USA. The highest peak is Slide Mountain, 1282m (4204ft). Site of the Rip Van Winkle legend, its numerous forests, streams and lakes attracted the painters of the Hudson River School. Today, the Catskills are a popular resort area.

Rip van Winkle the hero of a story in Washington Irving' Sketch Book (1819–20), a good-for-nothing who fell asleep in the Catskill Mountains and awoke after twenty years to find the world completely changed.