Ragged Mountain (Connecticut)

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Ragged Mountain

South Wasset Reservoir from Ragged Mountain summit.
Elevation est. 761 feet (232 m)
Location Southington and Berlin, Connecticut
Range Metacomet Ridge
Coordinates 41°37′03″N 72°49′22″W / 41.6175, -72.82278Coordinates: 41°37′03″N 72°49′22″W / 41.6175, -72.82278
Type Fault-block; igneous
Age of rock 200 million yrs.
Easiest route Red Dot Trail

Ragged Mountain, est. 761 feet (232 m), is a traprock mountain ridge located 3 mi (5 km) west of New Britain, Connecticut in the town of Southington and Berlin, Connecticut. It is part of the narrow, linear Metacomet Ridge that extends from Long Island Sound near New Haven, Connecticut, north through the Connecticut River Valley of Massachusetts to the Vermont border. The mountain, a popular hiking and rock climbing attraction located between metropolitan Hartford and Meriden, is known for expansive vistas, vertical cliff faces, mountain ridge reservoirs, unique microclimate ecosystems, and rare plant communities. Ragged Mountain is traversed by the 51 mi (82 km) Metacomet Trail.

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[edit] Geography

Occupying an area roughly 2.5 mi (4 km) by 1.75 mi (3 km), Ragged Mountain rises steeply 500 feet (152 m) above the Quinnipiac River valley to the west. The mountain consists of a series of high bluffs and several lower tiers of ledges. The Metacomet Ridge continues north from Ragged Mountain as Bradley Mountain and south as Short Mountain and the Hanging Hills. Four bodies of water are located on the mountain: Shuttle Meadow Reservoir to the north between Ragged Mountain and Bradley Mountain; Wasset Reservoir nestled between the bluffs in the center of Ragged Mountain; a smaller holding pond associated with Wasset Reservoir (South Wasset Reservoir); and the two Hart's Ponds, on the southeast slope of the mountain. The mountain also contains boulder caves and a waterfall.

The west side of Ragged Mountain drains into the Quinnipiac River, thence to Long Island Sound; the east side of the mountain drains into the Mattabesett River, then to the Connecticut River, thence to Long Island Sound. However, some reservoirs on the mountain shuttle water through treatment facilities with alternate drainages.

[edit] Geology and ecology

Ragged Mountain, like much of the Metacomet Ridge, is composed of basalt, also called traprock, a volcanic rock. The mountain formed near the end of the Triassic Period with the rifting apart of the North American continent from Africa and Eurasia. Lava welled up from the rift and solidified into sheets of strata hundreds of feet thick. Subsequent faulting and earthquake activity tilted the strata, creating the cliffs and ridgeline of Ragged Mountain. Hot, dry upper slopes, cool, moist ravines, and mineral-rich ledges of basalt talus produce a combination of microclimate ecosystems on the mountain that support plant and animal species uncommon in greater Connecticut. Ragged Mountain is also an important raptor migration path. (See Metacomet Ridge for more information on the geology and ecosystem of Ragged Mountain).

[edit] Recreation and conservation

Ragged Mountain is open to rock climbing, hiking, snowshoeing, bouldering, and other passive pursuits. The mountain offers expansive views of the surrounding landscape from open summits and high cliff faces. A number of hiking trails and rock climbing routes traverse the mountain including the 51 mi (82 km) Metacomet Trail, (maintained by the Connecticut Forest and Park Association), which extends from the Hanging Hills of Meriden, Connecticut to the Massachusetts border. The mountain is considered to be Connecticut's most popular rock climbing destination. Cliff routes were pioneered in the 1930s, with Fritz Wiessner prominent among rock climbers.

Both the Connecticut Forest and Park Association (hiking) and the Ragged Mountain Foundation (rock climbing) have noted that issues with parking and access to certain cliff faces have historically resulted in conflicts with land owners and abutting property owners; in response, they have encouraged visitors to check website updates to verify trail access, parking, and rock face closures (see external links). As of 2007, Ragged Mountain had one trailhead, located on West Lane, located off Connecticut Route 7A in Berlin, 2.75 mi (4 km) south of downtown New Britain.

Much of Ragged mountain has been conserved as nature preserve, rock climbing preserve, and as public watershed lands. Shuttle Meadow and Wasset Reservoirs are managed by the New Britain water department; the Metacomet Trail passes along their shores. Hart's Pond is managed by the town of Berlin; a short walking trail, the Amelia Green Trail, passes along its shore. The Ragged Mountain Foundation[1], a non-profit rock climbing association, in partnership with The Nature Conservancy, manages fifty-six acres of land on the mountain and has been active in overall conservation efforts and public access efforts. The Berlin Land Trust is also active in the conservation of Ragged Mountain and its viewshed.

The ecosystem of Ragged Mountain is most threatened by development. In 2000, Ragged Mountain was included in a study by the National Park Service for the designation of a new National Scenic Trail now tentatively called the New England National Scenic Trail, which would include the Metacomet-Monadnock Trail in Massachusetts and the Mattabesett Trail and Metacomet Trail trails in Connecticut.

[edit] See also

↓ South North ↑
Short Mountain
Short Mountain
 Bradley Mountain
(no image)

[edit] References

[edit] External links