Beaverkill Valley

The Beaverkill drains the Catskills to the west, flowing into the East Branch of the Delaware. It rises near the westernmost High Peaks of the Catskills: Doubletop, Graham and Balsam Lake Mountains. From here it descends gradually, for the most part, through a long upland valley. Along side the river,  flat meadows and fields alternate with steep banks. Occasionally, the river passes through a hemlock ravine. Long forested slopes rise on both sides of the narrow valley, with the mountains and hills above decreasing gradually in height to the west. Many mountain streams rush down to join the Beaverkill. A road closely follows the river for most of its length.

Below the town of Roscoe, along Route 17, the river forms a steep sided gorge. This impressive feature gradually deepens to about 1200 feet in relief at the junction with the the East Branch of the Delaware River.

The Beaverkill is moderately steep, rocky and fast-moving. Occasionally it flows directly on bedrock, but more often on a bed of Catskill cobbles and pebbles. It is extremely well-known for trout fishing, and seems to be the place where fly fishing was invented.

Vegetation transitions from northern hardwoods to mixed oak forest with white pines as the river gradually decreases in elevation. Hemlocks are present periodically throughout.

The beauty of the upper Beaverkill valley is emblematic of the Catskills. It's a little mountainous but also very gentle. Luxurious vacation homes, private hunting and fishing clubs and a Zen Buddhist center are the kinds of human development you'll see. Unfortunately there are No Tresspassing signs forbidding river access in many places.

View west from Balsam Lake Mountain, with the long slopes of Graham Mountain in the foreground. Some of the upper reaches of the Beaverkill's watershed are in the right half of the photo.