TOPOGRAPHY 



The principal highlands of the state may he divided into two 

 general regions, namely, the Adirondack section in the northeast 

 and the Allegheny plateau lying in the southern part west of the 

 Hudson valley. The Catskill Mountains rise at the eastern end 

 of the Allegheny plateau. In southeastern New York is a minor 

 highland region cut through by the Hudson River, and including 

 the Highlands, -the Palisades, and the Taconic mountains. Another 

 minor highland known as Tug Hill lies just west of the Adiron- 

 dacks and 'includes a large part of Lewis County. 



Along the eastern border of the state is a long, narrow low- 

 land, the northern part of which is occupied by Lakes Champlain 

 and George, ^.nd the southern -part by the Hudson valley. Along 

 the St. Lawrence River and Lakes Ontario .and Erie is another 

 lowland region. This region is widest south of the eastern end 

 of Lake Ontario, narrowing to a width of only four or five miles 

 in the western end of the state. Connecting the Hudson-Cham- 

 plain valley with the lake plains is a third lowland, the Mohawk 

 valley. Long Island, which is a part of the Atlantic coastal plain, 

 includes a fourth lowland region. 



The highest elevation of the state is Mount Marcy, in Essex 

 County, which reaches a height of 5,344 feet. Mount Maclntyre 

 ranges next, with a height of 5,112 feet. In the northwestern 

 part of Essex County and confined to an area of five or six hun- 

 dred square miles, are a number of other peaks with -an elevation 

 of between four and five thousand feet. These -are 'the loftiest 

 mountains in eastern North America with the exception of the 

 Blue Ridge of North Carolina and the White Mountains of New 

 Hampshire. Throughout the Adirondack section there are many 

 deep valleys with steep slopes, and numerous beautiful lakes. The 

 second highest mountain district in this state is in the northern 

 half of Hamilton County, where many points reach altitudes above 

 3,500 feet, although none quite reach 4,000 feet. 



The north side of the Allegheny plateau ends in .a- steep slope, 

 or escarpment, which descends 4o the lake plains. In the center, 

 however, this plateau is penetrated by the valleys of the Finger 

 Lakes, which extend from the lowland region on the north. 



[17] 



