New York’s topography ranges from sea-level coasts to mountain summits above 5,000 feet. Much of the state can be understood as a series of uplands separated by river valleys and lake basins.
- **Highest point:** Mount Marcy in the Adirondacks, 5,344 ft (1,629 m). - **Lowest point:** Atlantic Ocean at sea level. - **Major mountain regions:** Adirondack Mountains in the north; Catskill Mountains in the southeast-central part of the state; Taconics along the eastern border. - **Plateaus and uplands:** Allegheny Plateau across the Southern Tier and western interior; Tug Hill Plateau east of Lake Ontario. - **Valleys:** Hudson Valley, Mohawk Valley, Genesee Valley, Champlain Valley, and Susquehanna headwaters region. - **Lakes and basins:** Finger Lakes region, Great Lakes lowlands near Erie and Ontario, and numerous Adirondack lakes. - **Coastal areas:** Long Island, Staten Island, and the shores of New York Harbor and Long Island Sound feature low-lying coastal plains, beaches, wetlands, barrier formations, and estuarine environments. - **Flood plains:** Significant flood-prone areas occur along the Hudson, Mohawk, Susquehanna, Genesee, and other rivers, especially in low-lying valleys and urbanized waterfronts.
The Adirondacks are geologically distinct from the Appalachians and form a rugged central massif with steep peaks and broad forested tracts. The Catskills, though often described as mountains, are deeply dissected plateau terrain. Long Island, by contrast, is largely a glacial deposit with moraines, outwash plains, and gently rolling ground. This diversity gives New York an unusually broad range of settlement patterns, ecosystems, and land uses for a single state.