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is a town in Ulster County, New York, United States. United States. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 3,235. The name is from a native phrase for "land of rapid waters."
is located on the county's northern border. Shandaken is northwest of Kingston, New York. Shandaken is also the home of Timber Lake Camp, one of the more prominent summer camps in the Northeast region.
The town was first settled around the time of the American Revolution. Shandaken was established as a town in 1804 from part of the Town of Woodstock. In 1809, the town was increased by territory from the Town of Neversink (in Sullivan County). Later, some of Shandaken was used to help form the Towns of Denning, Hardenburgh, and Olive.
By the final years of the 19th Century, Shandaken had developed the tourist industry which is still the most important part of its economy.
An alternate translation of the native word "shandaken" is the "place of the hemlocks."