Pochuck Mountain

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Pochuck Mountain is a long ridge in the New York–New Jersey Highlands, part of the Appalachian Mountains. Most of its peaks are in Vernon Township, Sussex County, New Jersey. A small southwestern part is in Hardyston Township, and its northeastern tip reaches into Orange County, New York.

The ridge forms the eastern edge of the Great Appalachian Valley and divides the watersheds of the Wallkill River and Pochuck Creek. The two rivers meet at Pochuck Neck, at the end of the ridge. The name Pochuck comes from the Lenape language, meaning “out-of-the-way place.” The mountain has a prominence of about 695 feet, which makes it stand out from the surrounding terrain.

To the east lies the Vernon Valley; to the northwest is the Black Dirt Region. All of Pochuck Mountain drains into the Wallkill River, which flows northeast to Rondout Creek and then into the Hudson River.

Lakes on the mountain include Lake Glenwood, Lake Pochung, Lake Wallkill, Pleasant Valley Lake, Tall Timbers Lake, Lake Panorama, Louemma Lake, and the Scenic Lakes (two man-made lakes). These waters are used for fishing, swimming, boating, and ice skating.

The Appalachian Trail crosses the ridge in Wawayanda State Park, north of the summit.

Geology and geography: Pochuck Mountain is part of the Reading Prong, in the Crystalline Appalachians, made of ancient crystalline metamorphic rocks. This area is different from the nearby sedimentary Kittatinny Mountains. Some parts of the Reading Prong in New Jersey have uranium deposits and related radon concerns.

Wildlife on the mountain includes black bears, white-tailed deer, opossums, foxes, raccoons, squirrels, skunks, bobcats, fishers, porcupines, coyotes, bats, chipmunks, groundhogs, and mice.

History and current use: mining has long taken place on the ridge. In 1871, iron ore mining operated on the east side near Vernon. Today, Raia Industries mines gneiss on the southwestern face near Scenic Lakes, raising concerns about environmental damage and habitat loss for wildlife.