Nature
Shawangunk Ridge is a long bedrock ridge in southeastern New York, the continuation of Kittatinny Mountain and Blue Mountain and the western edge of the Great Appalachian Valley. Its name derives from Schawankunk, a Dutch rendering of a Munsee Lenape word later attached to the ridge through colonial records. Built of hard Shawangunk conglomerate over older rock, then shaped by continental collision, erosion, and the last Wisconsin glaciation, it developed steep cliffs, talus slopes, thin soils, wetlands, and lakes. Known for rare plants, ice caves, and clear acidic “sky lakes,” it shifted from mining, logging, and huckleberry harvesting to conservation and recreation, with major protected lands and renowned climbing areas.
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Ellenville, New York · United States
