New York State Route 23

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NY Route 23

Length:

150.06^[1] mi (251.26 km)

West end:

NY 26 in Cincinnatus

Major
junctions:

I-88/NY 28 in Oneonta

US 9W in Catskill

US 9 in Greenport

East end:

MA 23 in Copake

Counties:

Cortland, Chenango, Otsego, Delaware, Schoharie, Greene, Columbia

New York State Routes
< NY 22B		NY 23A >

New York State Route 23 runs from Central New York through the Catskills to the Massachusetts state line in the Berkshires. It crosses the Hudson River via the Rip Van Winkle Bridge.

Along the way it passes through some very scenic areas of the state.

1 Route description
2 Communities along the route
3 Major intersections
4 History
5 Miscellanea
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Route description

Route 23 has three distinct sections: its western third in Central New York and the Leatherstocking region, the middle in the Catskills, and east of the Hudson.

[edit] Central New York

The highway begins at a junction with NY 26 in eastern Cortland County, at Lower Cincinnatus. It crosses into Chenango County very soon afterwards, and then trends northwards to the Pharsalia State Wildlife Management Area, after which it starts heading southwards again to the county seat, Norwich, where it intersects with NY 12. Another major north-south route, NY 8, awaits at South New Berlin. It is followed by the Unadilla River, which puts 23 into Otsego County.

Several miles into the new county, 23 encounters Morris, its first town, where it briefly joins NY 51 along the main street. Beyond Morris, the route continues easterly with a generally southern trend through rolling farmland, until turning south again at West Laurens. A brief easterly turn again at West Oneonta merges it with NY 205.

The two highways enter the western end of the city of Oneonta, where they are met by NY 7 coming in from the southwest. 205 continues south with that portion of 7 while 23 and 7 go east to serve as the city's main street. The two roads diverge again at the city's east end, near the National Soccer Hall of Fame. 23 has an interchange with Interstate 88, here also carrying NY 28, and then leaves the Oneonta area by going past several large strip malls and big-box retailers to the Delaware County line.

[edit] Catskills

23 follows the Charlotte Creek valley, at first, as the land gets noticeably woodsier and the houses fewer in this, the least densely populated county in New York outside of the Adirondacks. After Davenport, the road begins to climb onto the Catskill Plateau. By the time it intersects NY 10 at Stamford, and crosses a small brook that is all that exists of the West Branch of the Delaware River this close to its source, it has already reached 1,820 feet (555 m) above sea level.

It maintains this elevation during a brief detour into Schoharie County, where the scenic mountains to the south rise to heights over 3,000 feet (914 m) — still leaving them among the lesser Catskill peaks. Elevation drops slightly at the next stop, Grand Gorge, just above the small pond along junctioning NY 30 that gives rise to the Delaware's East Branch.

A few miles outside of Grand Gorge, at a bend south of Schoharie Reservoir, 23 enters Greene County. A bridge over the Schoharie Creek heralds the next town, Prattsville. Zedoch Pratt, the tanner and politician who lent his name to the town, left a series of rock carvings depicting his life at Pratt Rocks just outside of town.

Shortly after the village, NY 23A continues along the Schoharie while 23 climbs again along Batavia Kill. Shortly past the scenic Red Falls along the kill, all crossings of the creek come to mark the Blue Line that delineates the Catskill Park. 23 remains to the north of the creek even as it passes the Ski Windham ski area and NY 296 comes in from the south. However, it crosses it several times and is within the park as it reaches its highest point, 1,940 feet (591 m) at the pass next to Windham High Peak where the Long Path crosses the road (and ended for a very long time). This location, very near the northernmost point in the Catskill Park, has long been considered its northern gateway.

Here 23 begins a long descent down the Catskill Escarpment, losing much of the elevation it has gained since Oneonta and providing sweeping, panoramic views of the Capital District and points north, east and west. Five State Lookout is a popular place to stop and gape. On good days the Adirondack foothills and Green Mountains in Vermont are visible.

Having reached the floor of the Hudson Valley, 23 assumes a southeast-trending route through Cairo, where it picks up NY 145 and briefly duplexes with NY 32, the major north-south state route on the west side of the river. It has an indirect intersection with the New York State Thruway (Interstate 87), and then US 9W and NY 385 as it passes north of Catskill, the county seat, to cross the Hudson at the Rip Van Winkle Bridge.

[edit] East of the Hudson

Once across the bridge and into Columbia County, 23 encounters NY 9G near Olana State Historic Site. The two highways are briefly joined until 9G continues north with NY 23B to follow 23's old course through Hudson.

23 perseveres to the southeast, meeting US 9 after a few miles. The two highways multiplex into the complex intersection at Bell Pond, where 9 continues south, NY 82 continues along 23's course, while 23 and new route NY 9H pick up 9's in a northerly direction that takes them to Claverack. Here 23B finishes its loop from the west, 9H continues north and 23 resumes an east-west alignment. Shortly after this junction, NY 217 splits off to the north.

The road continues across countryside more open and less rugged, but still very picturesque, than the Catskills. At Martindale it intersects the Taconic State Parkway, then following a creek valley down into Hillsdale, where the NY 22 junction heralds the proximity of the state's eastern border. Almost three miles (5 km) to the east, at the bi-state Catamount Ski Area, NY 23 becomes MA 23.

[edit] Communities along the route

[edit] Major intersections

County	Location	Mile	Road(s)	Notes
Cortland	0.0	NY 26
Chenango	Norwich	24.2	NY 12
Chenango	New Berlin	32.7	NY 8
Otsego	Morris	40.4	NY 51
	Morris	40.9	NY 51
	Oneonta	51.7	NY 205
		52.4	NY 205
		52.4	NY 7 Oneida St.
	Oneonta	54.7	NY 7 Main St.
		55.2	I-88	Exit 15 (I-88/NY 28).
		55.2	NY 28
	Oneonta	55.4	NY 28
Delaware	Stamford	80.1	NY 10
Schoharie
Delaware	Roxbury	88.5	NY 30
Greene	Prattsville	94.7	NY 23A	Western terminus of NY 23A.
	Windham	105.7	NY 296	Northern terminus of NY 296
	Cairo	119.5	NY 145	Eastern terminus of duplex.
		119.9	NY 32	Western terminus of duplex.
		121.0	NY 32	Eastbound terminus of duplex.
	Catskill		I-87/Thruway	Exit 21 (I-87/Thruway).
	Catskill	128.8	US 9W
	Catskill	129.3	NY 385
Columbia	Greenport	131.0	NY 9G	Western terminus of duplex.
		131.3	NY 9G	Eastern terminus of duplex.
		131.3	NY 23B	Western terminus of NY 23B.
		133.6	US 9	Northern terminus of duplex.
	Livingston	136.3	US 9	Southern terminus of duplex.
		136.3	NY 82	Northern terminus of NY 82.
		136.3	NY 9H	Southern terminus of duplex.
	Claverack	140.2	NY 9H	Northern terminus of duplex.
	Livingston	140.2	NY 23B	Eastern terminus of NY 23B.
	Livingston	141.1	NY 217	Western terminus of NY 217.
	Claverack	145.8	Taconic
	Hillsdale	153.0	NY 22
	Copake	156.1	MA 23

Legend
Crossing, no access	Concurrency termini	Decommissioned	Unconstructed	Closed

[edit] History

23 originally went right through Hudson, until 23B was commissioned along its old route to allow through traffic to bypass the village.

[edit] Miscellanea

From the 1960's through the 1980's, map makers have used reference markers (the little green signs found every 0.1 mile (161 m) along state highways) from NY 23 to explain how they work. Such focus on this one road has provided speculation that it also doubled as an attempt to bring tourists to the Catskills^{[citation needed]}.