Chauncey Peak

Chauncey Peak
Cliffs of Chauncey Peak above Crescent Lake
Highest point
Elevation	688 ft (210 m)
Parent peak	41° 33' 31"N, 72° 45' 34"W
Coordinates	41°33′31″N 72°45′34″W / 41.55861°N 72.75944°W / 41.55861; -72.75944Coordinates: 41°33′31″N 72°45′34″W / 41.55861°N 72.75944°W / 41.55861; -72.75944
Geography
Location	Meriden, Connecticut
Parent range	Metacomet Ridge
Geology
Age of rock	200 Ma
Mountain type	Fault-block; igneous
Climbing
Easiest route	Mattabesett Trail

Chauncey Peak, 688 feet (210 m), is a traprock mountain located 2 miles (3 km) northeast of the center of Meriden, 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. Chauncey Peak is known for its scenic vistas, vertical cliff faces overlooking Crescent Lake, unique microclimate ecosystems, and rare plant communities. It rises steeply 400 feet (120 m) above the city of Meriden to the south with west-facing cliffs that plunge into Crescent Lake 300 feet (91 m) below. The mountain is traversed by the 50-mile (80 km) Mattabesett Trail.

Roughly 0.75 miles (1.2 km) in diameter, Chauncey Peak is located within the town of Meriden, Connecticut. Although Chauncey Peak is described by some sources as part of Lamentation Mountain, it rises more than 300 feet (91 m) above the common gap between the two, making it its own mountain by regional standards (see Four-thousand footers). Crescent Lake, (formerly called Bradley Hubbard Reservoir), lies nestled between Lamentation Mountain and Chauncey Peak. The lake provides emergency drinking water to the city of Meriden. Much of the east side of the mountain has been subject to quarrying; as of 2007, the quarry was .5 mi (.8 km) wide, roughly 3/4 the width of the entire mountain. Interstate 91 cuts through the gap between Higby Mountain and Chauncey Peak to the north.

The Metacomet Ridge continues north from Chauncey Peak to become Lamentation Mountain and south to become Higby Mountain. The western half of Chauncey Peak drains into the Quinnipiac River, then to Long Island Sound; the eastern half to the Mattabesett River, thence to the Connecticut River and Long Island Sound.