Editing Catskill Mountains (section)

==Geography==
The Catskill Mountains are approximately {{convert|100|mi|km}} north-northwest of [[New York City]] and {{convert|40|mi|km|sigfig=|abbr=}} southwest of [[Albany, New York|Albany]], starting west of the [[Hudson River]]. The Catskills occupy much of two [[County (United States)|counties]] ([[Greene County, New York|Greene]] and [[Ulster County, New York|Ulster]]), and extend slightly into [[Delaware County, New York|Delaware]], [[Sullivan County, New York|Sullivan]], and southwestern [[Schoharie County, New York|Schoharie]] counties.

At the range's eastern end, the [[mountain]]s begin dramatically with the [[Catskill Escarpment]] rising up suddenly from the [[Hudson Valley]]. The western boundary is far less certain, as the mountains gradually decline in height and grade into the rest of the [[Allegheny Plateau]], but maps from the 18th and 19th centuries consistently mark the border of the Catskill Mountains as the East Branch of the Delaware River, which is consistent with the actual topographic relief.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/search/index?filters%5Bgeographic_mtxt_s%5D%5B%5D=Catskill+Mountains+(N.Y.)&filters%5Btype%5D=cartographic&keywords=|title=Search results - NYPL Digital Collections|website=digitalcollections.nypl.org}}</ref> The [[Pocono Mountains]], to the immediate southwest in [[Pennsylvania]], are also a part of the Allegheny Plateau.

The Catskills contain [[Catskill High Peaks|more than 30 peaks]] above {{convert|3,500|ft|m}} and parts of six important rivers. The [[Catskill Mountain 3500 Club]] is an organization whose members have climbed all the peaks in the Catskills over {{convert|3,500|ft|m}}. The highest mountain, [[Slide Mountain (New York)|Slide Mountain]] in Ulster County, has an elevation of {{convert|4180|ft|m}}.
[[File:Tubers on Esopus Creek 2011.jpg|right|thumb|Free-floating [[Tubing (recreation)|tubers]] on [[Esopus Creek]]|alt=People in inner tubes wearing lifejackets in a whitewater stream just above a small drop over a rock.]]

Climatically, the Catskills lie within the [[Allegheny Highlands forests]] [[ecoregion]].

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| location = Slide Mountain, NY
| source = National Centers for Environmental Information<ref name="National Centers for Environmental Information">{{cite web |url=https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&stations=USC00307799&format=pdf&dataTypes=MLY-TMAX-NORMAL,MLY-TMIN-NORMAL,MLY-TAVG-NORMAL,MLY-PRCP-NORMAL,MLY-SNOW-NORMAL |title=Summary of Monthly Normals 1991-2020 |publisher=National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service |access-date={{#time:F j, Y}} }}</ref>
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