page_title: Kaaterskill High Peak
section_title: Hurricane Ledge
hierarchical_section_title: Kaaterskill High Peak / Points of interest / Hurricane Ledge
caption_attribution_description: English: View south from Hurricane Ledge on Kaaterskill High Peak in the Catskill Mountains of the U.S. state of New York. Visible at left is the Hudson River, with the peaks of the Devil's Path range in the center and right.
context_page_description: Kaaterskill High Peak is one of the Catskill Mountains, located in the Town of Hunter in Greene County, New York, United States. It was once believed to be the highest peak in the entire range, but its summit, at 3,655 feet in elevation, places it only 23rd among the Catskill High Peaks. It is, however, the fourth most prominent peak in the range. Due to its situation as the easternmost High Peak, its summit is just outside the watersheds of New York City's reservoirs in the region.
  Along with Round Top to the west, its distinctive ridgeline is a visual signature of the Catskills. Even today, it dominates the view of the range from the Hudson Valley. In the early 19th century, it was a frequent subject of works by Thomas Cole and other artists of the Hudson River school. Their works helped establish the Catskill Mountain House and other hotels around North-South Lake as the fashionable summer vacation spot for wealthy Americans of the era.
  Despite that popularity, the mountain was admired from afar more often than it was climbed. Although it boasts the earliest recorded ascent of any Catskill peak, today it seems somewhat neglected, lacking an official trail to its summit.
context_section_description: Since the summit offers no views, most hikers choose to take their reward at this wide, open area above a sheer cliff on the south side of the mountain about 0.1 mile (60 m) from the summit. Indian Head and Twin mountains in the Devil's Path can be seen to the immediate south (the latter's summit appearing lower than High Peak even though it is not), with Plateau bookending them to the west. On the east, the Catskills drop away dramatically into the clove and a long section of the Hudson is visible.
  The area is named either for the 1950 storm that supposedly cleared the view by blowing most of the trees down, or for the strong winds felt due to the absence of trees. It is the only area of the Catskills that feels as if it were above tree line.
caption: View from Hurricane Ledge
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