Catawissa Mountain

Catawissa Mountain's southeastern edge is at the border between Luzerne County and Columbia County. From here, it runs northwest through Beaver Township and Roaring Creek Township to the community of Catawissa. A spur of the mountain can be said to cross the Susquehanna River and turn west into Montour County, where it ceases to be a mountain. The peak height of Catawissa Mountain is above sea level. However, numerous places on the mountain rise to over above sea level. Main Township and Locust Township are also located near the mountain. ==Geology==

Catawissa Mountain is relatively short and rounded, especially compared to nearby mountains such as Huntington Mountain, which are straight and narrow ridges. Catawissa Mountain has some rocky outcroppings. Catawissa Mountain is part of a chain of mountains running from beyond Dauphin to Carbondale. The mountain is located near both Nescopeck Mountain and Little Mountain. The meeting point of Catawissa Mountain and Nescopeck Mountain is on the edge of a canoe valley. ==Hydrology==

Several tributaries of the lower reaches of Catawissa Creek originate on Catawissa Mountain. Many of these tributaries are impaired from acid deposition from abandoned mine drainage. Roaring Creek is also close to the western side of the mountain. There are vernal pools on Catawissa Mountain in Beaver Township and Roaring Creek Township. ==History and etymology==

The word Catawissa may come from the Delaware or Shawanese words meaning "pure water." There was at least one Native American village in Catawissa, near Catawissa Mountain, and possibly several villages during different time periods. Historically, a road known as the Mine Gap Road climbed up Catawissa Mountain. J.H. Beers stated in his 1915 book Historical and Biographical Annals of Columbia and Montour Counties, Pennsylvania that the height of Catawissa Mountain was estimated to be . The same author described the mountain as "majestic" and "towering" in his book. ==Biology==

Catawissa Mountain is one of several places in Columbia County that has unbroken tracts of forest. It is part of a forested corridor between the Susquehanna River and Moosic Mountain. Amphibians use the vernal pools on Catawissa Mountain as breeding grounds, including American toads, wood frogs, and spotted salamanders. In Pennsylvania State Game Lands Number 58, the forests on Catawissa Mountain are hardwood/heath forests. Trees in these forests include red maple, chestnut oak, scarlet oak, mountain laurel, black huckleberry, and lowbush blueberry. Numerous plant species inhabit the mountain's vernal pools. These include cranberry, cinnamon fern, royal fern, tussock sedge, pitch pine, and numerous others. ==Recreation==

The Pennsylvania State Game Lands Number 58 are located on Catawissa Mountain. Portions of Catawissa Mountain lying in Pennsylvania State Game Lands Number 58 are heavily hunted for white-tailed deer. Large tracts of Catawissa Mountain are privately owned. Although some all-terrain vehicle use occurred in certain areas in the early 2000s, the Columbia County Natural Heritage Inventory of 2004 recommended prohibiting all-terrain vehicle trails near the mountain's vernal pools. ==See also==