The Green Mountains are a mountain range in the U.S. state of Vermont. The range extends approximately 250 miles (400 km).
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The best known mountains--for reasons such as high elevation, ease of public access by road or trail (especially the Long Trail and Appalachian Trail), or with ski resorts or towns nearby--in the range include[1]:
The Green Mountains are part of the Appalachian Mountains, a range that stretches from Quebec in the north to Alabama in the south.
The Green Mountains are part of the New England-Acadian forests ecoregion.[4]
Three peaks, Mount Mansfield, Camel's Hump, and Mount Abraham, support alpine vegetation. For the most part, however, the Green Mountains, especially the northern sections, support a dense boreal forest between roughly 3,000–3,500 feet (910–1,100 m) and treeline. This forest is particularly well established in the Green Mountains and throughout the winter months weathers harsh temperatures, snowfall and winds that would destroy other species. In other words, much of the "green" in Green Mountains is due to this boreal forest.
Mansfield, Killington, Pico, and Ellen have downhill ski resorts on their slopes. All of the major peaks are traversed by the Long Trail, a wilderness hiking trail that runs from the southern to northern borders of the state and joins the Appalachian Trail for roughly 1⁄3 of its length.
The Vermont Republic, also known less formally as the Green Mountain Republic, existed from 1777 to 1791, at which time Vermont became the 14th state.
Vermont not only takes its state nickname ("The Green Mountain State") from the mountains, it is named after them. The French Verts Monts is literally translated as Green Mountains. This name was suggested in 1777 by Dr. Thomas Young, an American revolutionary and Boston Tea Party participant. The University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, originally styled "the University of the Green Mountains," is referred to as UVM (after the Latin Universitas Viridis Montis).
The Green Mountains are a physiographic section of the larger New England province, which in turn is part of the larger Appalachian physiographic division.[5]
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