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Go back in time to the last ice age, which ended about 25,000 years ago.
At its height, an enormous ice sheet covered almost the whole state of New York. In some places, it was nearly two miles thick. As the climate warmed, the melted ice exposed a huge landscape of sedimentary rock, mountains, highlands, and lowlands.
▲ Look at the topographic map of New York State shown here. You can see that the lowlands form a gigantic T lying on its side. This helps to divide the state into several geographic regions. Each is more interesting than the next.
This is New York by the numbers: The total area of the state is about 54,555 square miles. It is smaller than Iowa and bigger than North Carolina. About 20,201,000 people live in New York. That includes about 8,804,000 squeezed into the 300 square miles called New York City. This is the largest city by population in the United States.
▲ Adirondack Mountains
Do you want to experience a part of planet Earth that’s largely untouched by human development? If so, you’ll want to spend time in the Adirondack Mountains. Only a limited number of small communities interrupt the peaks and foothills of this region. One of them, Lake Placid, was home to the 1980 Winter Olympics. Mt. Marcy is more than 5,300 feet high. This is the highest peak in the state and among the 46 high peaks of the Adirondacks. If you climb all 46, you may be invited to join the Adirondack 46ers. This is a volunteer organization whose members help maintain the mountain’s trails.
◀ Catskill Mountains
If you like to fish, you would enjoy the fast-moving streams and rivers in the Catskills. The older, rounded peaks of these mountains give way to valleys that wind and wind. The original name, Kaaterskill, may have come from the Dutch. It means “wildcat creek.” Perhaps because of the bobcats seen in the area. The original name still identifies Kaaterskill Falls (left). These are among the highest waterfalls in the state.
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▲ Niagara Frontier
You may not have visited Niagara Falls. But you – or someone you know – may have heard of it. The falls are part of the Niagara River. The river connects Lake Erie and Lake Ontario and forms the border between Canada and western New York State. The falls are the place where the Niagara River drops by up to 188 feet – all at once. (One hundred eighty-eight feet is almost the height of a 20-story building.) In summer, more than 45 million gallons of water spill over the falls every minute. That’s enough to fill about a million bathtubs every 60 seconds! Niagara Falls is part of Niagara Falls State Park. This is New York’s oldest state park. Both the United States and Canada use the waters of the Niagara River to generate hydroelectric power. The falls provide power for 3.8 million homes.
Tug Hill Plateau
East of Lake Ontario and west of the Adirondacks is one of the most remote sections of the Northeast. Lake-effect snow can produce up to three inches of snow per hour in this region. The heavy snowfall is created by winds blowing across Lake Ontario and picking up warmth and moisture. Yearly snowfalls of more than 16 feet are common. The story goes that Tug Hill got its name from oxen tugging wagons up a long road to get to the top of the plateau in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. ▶
◀ Appalachian Highlands
If you find yourself in southeast New York, you may well be surrounded by the Appalachian Mountains. These rounded landforms and their associated valleys and plateaus extend all the way south from eastern Canada to central Alabama. The Appalachians are among the oldest mountains on Earth – about 480 million years old, to be more exact. They separate the Atlantic Coastal Plain from the lowlands of New York’s interior. Time and erosion have taken a toll on the Appalachians. Scientists believe they once reached the heights of the Rocky Mountains! A hiking trail runs the 2,000-mile length of the system. The trail passes mostly through wilderness.
▲ Atlantic Coastal Plain
Do you like the beach? If so, you may find a favorite spot along the Atlantic Coastal Plain. It was created, in part, by millions of years of sediment from the erosion of the neighboring Appalachian Highlands. (Sediment is rock and other material that has been broken down and moved by erosion.) The coastal plain stretches from New York City and Long Island all the way to Florida. In contrast to much of New York State, the Atlantic coastline is flat. The northern section is mainly gravel, rocks, and beaches. Jones Beach on Long Island (above) is one of those beaches. The beach is more than six miles of white sand. It is one of the most popular beaches around.
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▲ Hudson River and Valley
The phrase “go with the flow” has a special meaning when it comes to the Hudson River. The river is named for the explorer Henry Hudson. Its long journey from Mt. Marcy in the Adirondacks to the Atlantic Ocean is anything but ordinary. The Hudson is actually a tidal estuary. This means it changes directions according to the ocean tides. During high tide, saltwater from the ocean flows inland. This causes the lower part of the river to flow from south to north. At low tide, the saltwater returns to the ocean and the river returns to its flow from north to south. During winter, when ice forms on the river, you can actually witness this change in direction. East and west of the Hudson River is a valley of rolling hills, orchards, and farms. Moving south, the landscape changes to an urban skyline. This is New York City.
