Kittatinny Mountains

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Delaware River Valley and Kittatinny Mountain Region

The Kittatinny Mountains are a long ridge across northwestern New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania. The name comes from a Lenape Native American word meaning "endless hill" or "great mountain".^[1] The highest peak in the range is High Point at 1,803 feet (550 meters), which is also the highest point in the state of New Jersey. The second highest mountain is Sunrise Mountain, located within Stokes State Forest. The Delaware River flanks the ridge for much of its distance, finally cutting across the ridge at the Delaware Water Gap just south of Mount Tammany.

The Kittatinnies are part of the Ridge and Valley province of the Appalachian Mountains. In Pennsylvania, the ridge forming the Kittatinnies becomes known as Blue Mountain and runs southwest for 150 miles, nearly to Maryland. In Franklin County, PA, however, a parallel ridge to Blue Mountain is named "Kittatinny Mountain"; the Pennsylvania Turnpike tunnels through both ridges, with the western tunnel named "Kittatinny Mountain" and the eastern one, "Blue Mountain." To the north in New York, the ridge is known as the Shawangunk Mountains. These mountains mark the northern and western edge of the Great Appalachian Valley.

Map of the "Sedimentary Appalachians" Province in the New York Bight region including the Valley and Ridge Province and the Allegheny Plateau and the Catskill Mountains