Ulster County

Ulster County is a county located in the state of New York, US. It sits in the state’s Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley. In the 2010, the population was 182,493.

Ulster County is in the southeast part of New York State, south of Albany, immediately west of the Hudson River. Much of the county is within the Catskill Mountains and the Shawangunk Ridge. Ulster County has Minnewaska State Park, Mohonk Preserve, Sundown State Park, VerNooykill State Forest, Witches Hole State Forest, and Shawangunk Ridge State Forest and Sam’s Point Preserve, which includes rare dwarf pine trees and VerKeerderkill falls.

The highest point is Slide Mountain, at approximately 4,180 feet (1,270 m) above sea level. The lowest point is sea level along the Hudson River.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,161 square miles (3,010 km2), of which, 1,126 square miles (2,920 km2) of it is land and 34 square miles (88 km2) (2.9%) of it is water.
The New York State Thruway Interstate 87 runs north–south through the county, carrying traffic to and from New York City and its surroundings.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulster_County,_NY

The Shawgunks

The Shawangunk Ridge, also known as the Shawangunk Mountains or The Gunks, is a ridge of bedrock in Ulster County, Sullivan County and Orange County in the state of New York, extending from the northernmost point of New Jersey to the Catskill Mountains.