Mount Wachusett
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This article is about a mountain of central Massachusetts. For other uses, see Wachusett.
| Mount Wachusett | |
|---|---|
 Mount Wachusett in winter |
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| Elevation | 611 m / 2,006 ft |
| Location | Princeton / Westminster, Massachusetts, USA |
| Prominence | Approx. 305 m / 1,000 ft |
| Coordinates | |
| Type | Metamorphic rock; monadnock |
| Age of rock | 250 million years |
| Easiest route | Auto road, ski lift, or Pine Tree Hill trail. |
| Translation | "Near the mountain", "Mountain place" (Natick Indian) |
Mount Wachusett is located in the towns of Princeton and Westminster in Worcester County, Massachusetts. It is the highest point in Massachusetts east of the Connecticut River. The mountain is named after a Native American term meaning "near the mountain" or "mountain place". The mountain is a popular hiking and skiing destination (see Wachusett Mountain Ski Area). An automobile road, open spring to fall, ascends the summit. Views from the top of Mount Wachusett include Mount Monadnock to the north and (on clear days) Boston to the east. The mountain is traversed by the 92 mi (148 km) Midstate Trail.
The mountain is the location of the largest known Old Growth Forest east of the Connecticut River in Massachusetts, with trees dating over 350 years old.
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[edit] Geography
Mount Wachusett is a glaciated monadnock: a single mountain on a relatively flat landscape. Glacial activity that shaped the mountain can be seen at Balance Rock on the northeast side of the mountain: two large boulders were stacked one on top of each other by moving glaciers thousands of years ago.
Mount Wachusett is bordered to the south my Little Wachusett Mountain and Brown Hill, to the north by Church Rock, to the east by Pine Hill, and to the northeast by the Crow Hills. The nearest mountain of comparable size is Mount Watatic, 1,832 feet (558 m), 12 mi (19 km) to the north on the New Hampshire border in Ashburnham, Massachusetts.
The west side of Mount Wachusett drains into the east branch of the Ware River, thence into the Chicopee River, the Connecticut River, and Long Island Sound. The south side drains into the Quinapoxet River, the Nashua River, thence the Merrimack River and the Atlantic Ocean. The east side drains into the Stillwater River, thence the Nashua River. The north side drains into the Nasua River through a series of small reservoirs.
[edit] Ski Area
Wachusett Mountain is home to a 22-trail ski area serviced by 2 high speed quads, 2 fixed-grip triples and 3 magic carpet lifts. It features approximately 1,000 feet of vertical, a 50,000 square foot base lodge, 100% snowmaking and night skiing on 18 trails. The mountain also maintains a terrain park and a 300-foot half-pipe. Due to its location, it is a popular skiing destination for residents of nearby Worcester and Boston. The ski area is located within the boundaries of the Wachusett Mountain State Reservation on a 450-acre lease parcel on the northern slopes of the mountain.
[edit] See also
The name Wachusett has been adopted for the names of institutions, businesses, structures, geographic features, and other miscellaneous uses, for instance, Wachusett Reservoir, Wachusett Brewing Company, and the USS Wachusett. It is also the title of Henry David Thoreau's A Walk to Wachusett, which describes the transcendentalist author's experiences on the summit.
