View source for Catskill High Peaks

{{short description|Mountains in New York, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}

[[File:Catskill High Peaks panorama.jpg|400px|thumb|Seventeen of the thirty-five Catskill High Peaks are visible in this photo, taken from the [[Shawangunk Ridge]] above [[Ellenville, New York|Ellenville]]. The peaks of [[Ulster County, New York|Ulster County]] are in the foreground, with [[Greene County, New York|Greene County]]'s [[Devil's Path (Catskills)|Devil's Path]] at the far right.]]

The '''Catskill High Peaks''' are all of the [[mountain]]s in [[New York (state)|New York]]'s [[Catskill Mountains]] above {{convert|3,500|ft|m|0|abbr=on}} in elevation whose summits are separated either by {{convert|1/2|mi|km|1|spell=in}} ''or'' a vertical drop of at least {{convert|250|ft|m|1|abbr=on}} between it and the next nearest separate summit. By usual standards, these mountains are rather low and rounded, and mostly covered by vegetation. {{Citation needed|date=December 2019}}

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. All except Bearpen and Vly lie within the [[Catskill Park]] [[Blue Line (New York State)|Blue Line]].

==The 3500s==
[[File:NYSDEC 3500-foot sign.jpg|thumb|left|250px|DEC sign listing High Peak regulations]]
The {{convert|3,500|ft|m|0|adj=on}} elevation was chosen in the early 1950s when Dan Smiley, a descendant of the founders of [[Mohonk Mountain House]] and his fellow [[Birdwatching|birders]] were trying to find the elusive [[Bicknell's thrush]], which prefers to nest and breed in the [[boreal forest]]s that predominate above that elevation in the Catskills. 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 [[46er]]s, to promote the climbing of 34 of the 35&nbsp;peaks listed below ("Southwest Hunter" was added to the list in 1992). The club implemented the peak-separation rule, modeled on the one already in use by the [[Appalachian Mountain Club]]. Prospective members are required to climb all (13 have no established route to the summit, requiring a [[wikt:bushwhack|bushwack]]) and then do Slide, Blackhead, Balsam and Panther mountains again in wintertime.

Today the [[New York State Department of Environmental Conservation]] enforces special rules for all the lands it manages in the Catskills above {{convert|3,500|ft|m|0|abbr=on}}, whether tiny plots such as on Rocky or vast ridgetops as on Plateau, Hunter and West Kill, due to the fragility of the ecosystems. In these areas, [[camping]] is permitted only in dire emergencies except during winter, when snow shields the earth somewhat, and open fires are banned. Almost all were designated bird conservation areas by Governor [[George Pataki]] in 1999, due to Bicknell's and other vulnerable species that return there in springtime to nest and breed.

== The high peaks ==

[[Geophysical survey|Survey]]s of the Catskills date to the 1940s at the newest, and exact elevations have never been officially determined for many of these peaks. In those cases, their elevations are indicated by the highest {{convert|20|ft|m|3}} contour shown on the [[United States Geological Survey]] (USGS) [[topographic map|quadrangle]]s with a plus (+) sign.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:right"
!Peak Name          !!Alt. Feet ||Alt. Meters ||Rank
|-
|[[Slide Mountain (New York)|Slide Mountain]]+     ||4180 ||1275 ||1
|-
|[[Hunter Mountain (New York)|Hunter Mountain]]+    ||4040 ||1230 ||2
|-
|[[Black Dome (New York)|Black Dome]]+         ||3980 ||1210 ||3
|-
|[[Thomas Cole Mountain|Thomas Cole]]+        ||3940  ||1200 ||4
|-
|[[Blackhead Mountain|Blackhead]]+          ||3940 ||1200 ||5
|-
|[[West Kill Mountain|West Kill]]+          ||3880 ||1180 ||6
|-
|[[Graham Mountain (New York)|Graham Mountain]]    ||3868  ||1179 ||7
|-
|[[Doubletop Mountain (New York)|Doubletop Mountain]]+ ||3860 ||1180 ||8
|-
|[[Cornell Mountain]]+   ||3860  ||1180 ||9
|-
|[[Table Mountain (New York)|Table Mountain]]     ||3847  ||1173 ||10
|-
|[[Peekamoose Mountain]] ||3843  ||1171 ||11
|-
|[[Plateau Mountain (New York)|Plateau Mountain]]+  ||3840 ||1170 ||12
|-
|[[Sugarloaf Mountain (Greene County, New York)|Sugarloaf Mountain]]+ ||3800 ||1160 ||13
|-
|[[Wittenberg Mountain]]+ ||3780 ||1150 ||14
|-
|"[[Southwest Hunter Mountain|Southwest Hunter]]"+{{ref|unofficial|a}} ||3740 ||1140 ||15
|-
|[[Balsam Lake Mountain]]        ||3723   ||1135 ||16
|-
|[[Lone Mountain (New York)|Lone Mountain]]      ||3721   ||1134 ||17
|-
|[[Panther Mountain (New York)|Panther Mountain]]+   ||3720  ||1130 ||18
|-
|[[Big Indian Mountain (New York)|Big Indian Mountain]]+ ||3700 ||1130 ||19
|-
|[[Friday Mountain]]    ||3694   ||1126 ||20  
|-
|[[Rusk Mountain]]+      ||3680  ||1127 ||21
|-
|[[Kaaterskill High Peak]] ||3655 ||1114 ||22
|-
|[[Twin Mountain (Greene County, New York)|Twin Mountain]]+      ||3640 ||1109 ||23
|-
|[[Balsam Cap]]         ||3623   ||1104 ||24
|-
|[[Fir Mountain (New York)|Fir Mountain]]+       ||3620 ||1103 ||25
|-
|[[North Dome (New York)|North Dome]]         ||3610   ||1100 ||26
|-
|[[Eagle Mountain (Ulster County, New York)|Eagle Mountain]]+     ||3600  ||1100 ||27
|-
|[[Balsam Mountain (Ulster County, New York)|Balsam Mountain]]+   ||3600 ||1100 ||28
|-
|[[Bearpen Mountain]]{{ref|shared|b}}  ||3600  ||1100 ||29
|-
|[[Indian Head Mountain (New York)|Indian Head]]        ||3573   ||1089 ||30
|-
|[[Mount Sherrill|Sherrill Mountain]]+ ||3540  ||1080 ||31
|-
|[[Halcott Mountain]]   ||3537   ||1078 ||32
|-
|[[Vly Mountain]]       ||3529   ||1076 ||33
|-
|[[Windham High Peak]]  ||3524   ||1074 ||34
|-
|[[Rocky Mountain (Ulster County, New York)|Rocky Mountain]]     ||3508   ||1069 ||35
|}

:{{note|unofficial|a}} ''The name is currently unofficial. It refers to the peak that rises between Hunter and West Kill on the USGS [[Lexington, New York|Lexington]] quad''

:{{note|shared|b}} ''This refers not to "Bearpen Mountain" shown on the USGS [[Prattsville, New York|Prattsville]] quad straddling the border between [[Delaware County, New York|Delaware]] and [[Greene County, New York|Greene]] counties at {{convert|3,520|ft|m}}, but rather the unnamed higher area approximately one-half mile (800 m) to the southeast in Greene County.''

==Potential High Peaks==
{{uncited section|date=May 2025}}
{{original research|section|date=May 2025}}

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 {{convert|3520|ft|m|adj=on}} 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 {{convert|3,480|ft|m|adj=on}} 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&nbsp;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 {{convert|3500|ft|m|adj=on}} 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.

==See also==
*[[Catskill Mountains]]
*[[Munro]]

== External links ==
* [http://catskill-3500-club.org/peaks.php Catskill 3500 Peak List]
* {{cite peakbagger |lid=21425 |name=Catskill 3500-foot Peaks}}
* [https://mountain-hiking.com/catskills-peakbagging-guide/ Guide to Peakbagging the Catskill 3500’s]
{{Catskill High Peaks}}

[[Category:Catskill High Peaks| ]]
[[Category:Catskills]]
[[Category:Mountains of New York (state)|*]]
[[Category:Peak bagging in the United States]]