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Mountains in southeastern New York, U.S.
Photo: Gamweb, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The Catskills of New York are a popular vacation destination for New Yorkers, but they also have much to offer the traveler from out of state. Largely rural and wild, the Catskills are adjacent to the Poconos region of Pennsylvania.
The least densely populated county in New York outside of the Adirondacks, Delaware County offers endless bucolic landscapes in the range's western foothills
The Catskills became "America's First Wilderness" here on the Escarpment, rising up dramatically from the Hudson Valley
The transition to the Catskills begins here, in the northwestern exurbs of the New York metropolitan area, where farms and woodlands nestle with small cities and commuter rail stations.
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.
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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On the range's second-highest peak in the eponymous Greene County community, is the best-known and most popular. It programs events year-round, and operates its chairlift in the summer for those who'd like to get a high-level view without the hike.
By train
There is no passenger rail service directly to the Catskills.
By bus
Adirondack Trailways offers two routes across the region from its west-of-Hudson line. One follows Route 28 west to Pine Hill, Belleayre Mountain and beyond from Kingston.
By car
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.e., New York City and its suburbs).
By bus
By car
Several ways to enter the Catskills, as alternatives to the main routes include:
By foot
As with most large mountainous regions, there have been efforts to link hiking trails into a long-distance network.
By rail
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…
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Albany · International · ALB
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New York's first state capital is right where the Catskills meet the Hudson, making it an ideal starting point for explorations of the region.
Home of the United States Military Academy at West Point.
Home to many historic landmarks and some breathtaking views of the Hudson and the surrounding area.
A ski town at the north end of the mountains with the New England charm of its namesakes in that region.
The festival wasn't held anywhere near here, but this town nevertheless lives up to the hippie reputation evoked by its name.
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