The geography of New York is diverse. The highest, most rugged mountains, the Adirondacks, are located in the northern part of the state between Lake Champlain in the east and Lake Ontario in the west. The St. Lawrence-Champlain lowlands can be found on the shores of Lake Ontario and running northeast along the St. Lawrence River and the Canadian border. South of the Adirondack uplands, the Hudson-Mowhawk lowland follows the rivers north and west. This area is from 10 to 30 miles wide. In the southeast is the Atlantic coastal plain, and to the west of the Hudson River are the Appalachian Highlands that extend west toward Lake Erie. This area includes the Catskill Mountains and the Finger Lakes. Further west is the Erie-Ontario lowlands as New York slopes toward these two Great Lakes.

The geographic center of New York State is located in Madison County, approximately 12 miles south of Oneida and 26 miles southwest of Utica.

There are four mountain ranges in New York State: Adirondack, Catskill, Shawangunk and Taconic.

The highest point in New York State is Mount Marcy, Essex County in the Adirondacks - 5,344 feet above sea level.

The Hudson River is 306 miles long, and drains an area of 13,370 square miles. Its average discharge is 21,500 cubic feet per second. The Hudson’s most distant source is in Essex County. Lake Tear of the Clouds in Essex County is the highest lake in the State - 4,320 feet above sea level - and is considered the source of the Hudson River.

There are 6,713 natural ponds, lakes and reservoirs of one acre or more, 76 with an area of one square mile or more. There are 1,745 square miles of inland water, including some 4,000 lakes, ponds and reservoirs. Oneida Lake is the largest lake completely within the State. Other prominent lakes are the Finger Lakes, Otsego Lake, Lake George, Lake Placid and Lake Champlain, which is 107 miles long. The State has 70,000 miles of rivers and streams, 127 miles of Atlantic Ocean coastline, 9,767 miles of shoreline which includes 8,778 miles of lake shoreline, 231 miles of shorefront on Long Island Sound, 548 miles of bayfront in Long Island area and 83 miles of shorefront of islands near Long Island.

The geography of New York is diverse. The highest, most rugged mountains, the Adirondack Mountains are located in the northern part of the state between Lake Champlain in the east and Lake Ontario in the west. The St. Lawrence-Champlain lowlands can be found on the shores of Lake Ontario and running northeast along the St. Lawrence River and the Canadian border. South of the Adirondack uplands, the Hudson-Mowhawk lowland follows the rivers north and west. This area is from 10 to 30 miles wide. In the southeast is the Atlantic coastal plain. and to the west of the Hudson River are the Appalachian Higlands which extend west toward Lake Erie. This area includes the Catskill Mountains and the Finger Lakes. Further west is the Erie-Ontario lowlands as New York slopes toward these two Great Lakes.