CATSKILLS
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The two that best serve the region are located to the southeast and northeast. There is no passenger rail service directly to the Catskills. The Rhinecliff and Hudson stations on Amtrak's Empire Service line along the Hudson River correspond to the river crossings closest to the Catskills, and bus connections can be made. Amtrak also serves Poughkeepsie, which has the most bus connections, although if you're coming to that station from within the New York area you must use Metro-North [dead link] to get there instead.
Adirondack Trailways offers two routes across the region from its west-of-Hudson line. Both lines eventually reach Oneonta, where transfer is also available from Trailways' service along the Interstate 88 corridor. The New York State Thruway Interstate 87 , a divided toll road, is the primary route to the Catskill region for visitors coming from the south and southeast i.
Catskill Mountains
New York State Route This modern, limited access, divided, non-toll road does not enter the Catskills at any point, but it is worth listing this road as an important contributor to access by car into the Catskills. Some of the state routes through and within the region are also designated as bike routes. In addition, the state Department of Environmental Conservation is considering formally allowing mountain bikers to use some unpaved roads within the Forest Preserve areas, which would make some shortcuts possible.
In Delaware County, try exploring the roads surrounding the two main reservoirs, the Cannonsville and the Pepacton.
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These roads are actually owned and maintained by the City of New York, and travel through the pristine landscape responsible for supplying NYC with drinking water. As with most large mountainous regions, there have been efforts to link hiking trails into a long-distance network.
So far, there have been two that allow long-distance multi-day hikes in the Catskills:. Although it is primarily a tourist heritage line, the Catskill Mountain Railroad , serves some short-range transportation needs along the Route 28 corridor, most notably for tubers on the stretch of Esopus Creek below Phoenicia. It has recovered from severe damage inflicted by Hurricane Irene; there have been plans to connect its Kingston segment with that one using the old Ulster and Delaware tracks although those have faced strong local opposition from proponents of a rail trail.
Rivers like the Willowemoc and the Beaverkill are famous for their brown trout, particularly in the spring and fall when the weather is cool. Three streams in Sullivan and Delaware Counties — the Neversink, the West Branch of the Delaware and the East Branch — are tailwaters released from reservoir impoundments whose temperatures stay cool and fish-favorable all summer.
The Catskill Mountains, also known as the Catskills, are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains, located in southeastern New York. Take a trip to the Catksills and escape the daily grind. Discover fly fishing, farm to table dining, historic music venues and breathtaking scenic views.
The eastern Catskills have as their lifeblood the dollars brought into the region by skiers, hunters, anglers and other tourists. Therefore, in the villages of Hunter, Windham, Woodstock and Tannersville, there is an ample supply of excellent restaurants. A walk down Main Street in each of these villages will yield the opportunity to dine in a different location each night, and yield no disappointments.
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As it turns out, the western Catskills, while arguably even more picturesque than the east, have lower mountains — they are hills, really — and between those hills are valleys of rich soil and gentle rivers. And that means farming. People make their homes in the western Catskills.
Delaware County may have the lowest population of any county in New York south of the Adiraondacks, but these are real, hardworking people. At best, you may get a slight wave from them on a quiet county road. So let's take a ride west, into farm country, and take a village by village look at where you may want to stop in to eat:.
One last piece of advice: If you are deep enough in the woods and come across a running stream or a spring, consider using a hand-pumped water filter to drink the water. However, one should avoid drinking any unfiltered water from any source in the wild except possibly from springs that come directly from underground. If that's your thing, even while on vacation, Oneonta has a decent pub scene. But please, have a designated driver, as these mountain roads are dangerous even for the stone-cold sober.
Better yet, hit the various liquor stores on Southside in Oneonta near Hannaford's , or Main Street in Walton across from the bank , and take the booze back to your cabin. Animals that may have undeservedly fearsome reputation among the uninformed are black bear and coyotes. Many visitors from more populated areas are often taken aback at the prevalence of firearms carried openly. There are several species of small game that the DEC has designated as 'open season', so be aware that there may be some hunting going on at any given time of year.
Individuals who own homes or seasonal cabins in remote areas may engage in target practice on their own land, anyone can do so on public lands. If hearing shooting near a hiking trail makes you nervous, it is very reasonable to ask the individuals to stop shooting until you are well past. Do not take the following information as legal advice, but an overview of the laws and customs pertaining to this topic are worth knowing:. Proximity to the New York City metropolitan area is no guarantee that customs imported 'up the Thruway' will gain immediate acceptance in the Catskills.
Quite the contrary; the Catskills are home to generally conservative, hardworking people who have a distinct culture of their own. The levels of tolerance for other cultures and habits that a visitor will experience and enjoy in this region, however, may be much higher than in many of the suburbs much closer to the city.
The acceptance of cultural differences and similarities is always a two-way-street, and the more a visitor is aware and accepting, the more his or her hosts will be as well. The Catskills region is located in the 19th Congressional District of New York, which has sent a Republican representative to Washington for sixteen of the past twenty years as of , John Faso R-KInderhook is the representative. Despite its Republican leanings, the 19th is considered a battleground district, not a safe bet for either party. Barack Obama won the 19th Congressional District in the presidential elections of and Donald Trump won it in All county sheriffs of the Catskills region have co-signed a petition in opposition to the New York State SAFE Act, which prohibits the sale and possession with minor exceptions for registered firearms of so called 'assault weapons.
Except for Sullivan County, the Catskills region is populated primarily by individuals who self-identify as Protestant Christian. There is a very strong tradition of religious tolerance in the area, and the cultural influence of Catholics, Jews, Muslims and others far outweighs their relatively small numbers. Buddhist retreats can be found in many communities, usually in very rural settings, and can be identified by their numerous colorful banners.
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Muslim enclaves dot the landscape in western Delaware County, one in Sidney Center raises animals to provide fresh food for their restaurant in Franklin. Environmentally, the Catskills are unique, in that they supply the majority of the drinking water for one of the largest cities in human history. And they do so pretty much by just letting it rain. There has been a cultural, political and economic price for this, however, in that some of the most beloved communities in what is now known as 'the watershed' no longer exist, and have not for generations.
A visitor may still meet old-timers who fondly recall their homes in long-vanished villages, which were moved, everything — including the cemeteries — to higher ground to build the reservoirs. Visitors to the area may also hear, and be invited to engage in, arguments about the recent proposed upgrades to the energy infrastructure, including hydrofracking, power lines, electricity-producing windmills, and most recently, a natural gas pipeline. Local residents have been vehemently divided on these issues. Tourism is the dominant economic force in the eastern Catskills, while dairy-farming is the predominant force in the western Catskills.
Dairy-farming shapes culture; it is a 7-day-a-week undertaking, and cows walk very slowly. In many places in Delaware County, the farm buildings may be mere feet away from a two-lane highway, as on Route 28 east of Delhi. This may cause the locals to have a critical eye on the driving habits of all drivers passing by, including tourists.
Farmers on slow-moving tractors can be seen on all roads except divided highways, their fields are not always contiguous to the farm buildings. For someone looking to relocate, house prices upstate are generally much lower as are property taxes than in the suburbs of the NYC metropolitan region, or NYC itself. Retirees to the area are often accused of 'paying too darn much' for their dream house, thereby raising prices of real estate overall.
In , fifteen towns in Sullivan, Delaware, Broome, and Tioga counties were reported to be looking into seceding from the State of New York and joining the state of Pennsylvania No, they never actually did.
There are communities throughout New York State in which one can hear the resentment that accompanies a feeling of political impotence, that Albany politics is not responsive to How this affects a visitor is that as one leaves the wealthy Hudson Valley, and approaches the southern tier and central New York, residents in the area identify less as members of an extended metropolitan area, and more as 'simple rural folk' even possibly Appalachian in terms of culture. In the late fall, the Catskills turn orange, not from the leaves, but from the hats and vests worn by hunters.
It's a time — four weekends known as 'rifle season' — when even those vehemently opposed to hunting give up the fight or should, at least and turn the woods over to the men and women with guns.
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Like it or not, hunting and firearms are very much a part of the culture of upstate New York. In all seasons, there is also a strong tradition of firearms carried for self defense. One should not bother arguing — even if it is true — that short of a nasty slip and fall on jagged rocks, people are safer in the Catskill forests than pretty much any other place on earth. In , each of the county sheriffs of the Catskills region issued open letters to their handgun licensees, encouraging them to carry their handguns as a deterrent to crime, and possibly terrorism.
Americans will still respond to a 'call to arms. If you see a law-abiding civilian carrying a handgun in the Catskills, don't let it bother you.
We'd love to hear your feedback! Then the entire area experienced uplift, which caused the sedimentary rocks to begin to erode. Environmentally, the Catskills are unique, in that they supply the majority of the drinking water for one of the largest cities in human history. Do not take the following information as legal advice, but an overview of the laws and customs pertaining to this topic are worth knowing:. Sullivan County For many people, the home of Woodstock, the Beaverkill's fly-fishing and hundreds of bungalow colonies and summer camps is still synonymous with the Catskills. Beyond it, to the north, are the Adirondacks , the larger of upstate New York's two mountainous regions. The escarpment of the Catskill Mountains is near the former landward edge of this delta, as the sediments deposited in the northeastern areas along the escarpment were deposited above sea level by moving rivers, and the Acadian Mountains were located roughly where the Taconic Mountains are located today though significantly larger.
That person is just doing what they feel is the right thing to do as an American. At minimum, have dogs in a bright colored dog harness with a bright colored bandanna tied on. Be also advised that New York State law prohibits the public from purposely bothering or annoying harassing licensed hunters, a 'hunter' is anyone in possession of a firearm or bow, a hunting license, and who is not obviously poaching or trespassing.
They do not need to be actively engaged in hunting at the time to be protected by that law. Also protected from harassment are unarmed persons accompanying the hunter. Despite the collapse of the Borscht Belt, there still are world-class entertainment venues in the Catskills, as there are world class entertainers. Considered by its fans to be one of the most moving pieces of music ever written, it comes from New Paltz in the s. The Catskills are synonymous with Woodstock , not the village, and really not even the weekend of peace and love. More the fact that the Catskills were the epicenter of a youthful rebellion — the Haight Ashbury of the east, if you will — a rebellion that ended a divisive war and helped pass civil rights legislation to the benefit of us all.
It is that spirit, not just the incredible music, which one feels in every fiber of one's being, echoing through the countryside, nearly a half-century on. On the east, the Catskills are adjacent to the Hudson Valley , to the point that it's almost impossible not to visit that region while visiting the Catskills. The Albany metropolitan area, known in the state as the Capital District, is located in the valley's north, just to the Catskills' northeast.
Beyond it, to the north, are the Adirondacks , the larger of upstate New York's two mountainous regions. Southeast of the valley is the New York metropolitan area , home during the week and the off-season to many Catskills visitors. Due south is the state of New Jersey , split at its northern end between the suburban Gateway area on the east and the hilly, wooded Skylands on the west. In Pennsylvania, the smaller mountains across the Delaware River are the Poconos , also a popular resort destination for New York metropolitan area residents.
Upstate New York has several regions to the west. On the northwest, crossing Interstate 88 leads to Central New York. Regions [ edit ] Map of Catskills. Sullivan County For many people, the home of Woodstock, the Beaverkill's fly-fishing and hundreds of bungalow colonies and summer camps is still synonymous with the Catskills.
Ulster County Thousands of acres of wilderness in the western half of the county are home to some of the range's highest peaks, their streams feeding New York City's oldest reservoir in the region.
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This region travel guide to Catskills is a usable article. It gives a good overview of the region, its sights, and how to get in, as well as links to the main destinations, whose articles are similarly well developed. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.
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