Grand Monadnock
| Mount Monadnock | |
|---|---|
| Grand Monadnock | |
The summit of Mount Monadnock
|
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 3,165 ft (965 m) |
| Prominence | 2,150 ft (660 m) |
| Listing | #33 New England Fifty Finest |
| Coordinates | 42°51′39″N 72°6′29″W / 42.86083°N 72.10806°WCoordinates: 42°51′39″N 72°6′29″W / 42.86083°N 72.10806°W |
| Geography | |
| Location | Jaffrey / Dublin, Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States |
| Geology | |
| Age of rock | 400 million years |
| Mountain type | Monadnock |
| Type of rock |
Littleton formation schist/ quartzite |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | 1725 by Captain Samuel Willard |
| Easiest route | White Arrow Trail, 2.3 mi (3.7 km) |
| Designated | 1987 |
Mount Monadnock, or Grand Monadnock, is a mountain in the New England state of New Hampshire, known for its presence in the writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. It is the most prominent mountain peak in southern New Hampshire and is the highest point in Cheshire County, New Hampshire. It has long been known as one of the most frequently climbed mountains in the world.
At 3,165 feet (965 m), Mount Monadnock is nearly 1,000 feet (305 m) higher than any other mountain peak within 30 miles (48 km) and rises 2,000 feet (610 m) above the surrounding landscape. Mount Monadnock, 62 miles (100 km) northwest of Boston and 38 miles (61 km) southwest of Concord, is located within the towns of Jaffrey and Dublin, New Hampshire.
The term "monadnock" has come to be used by American geologists to describe any isolated mountain formed from the exposure of a harder rock as a result of the erosion of a softer rock that once surrounded it (a landform termed "inselberg" ["island-peak"] elsewhere in the world).
Monadnock's bare, isolated, and rocky summit provides expansive views. A number of hiking trails ascend the mountain, including the 110-mile (180 km) Metacomet-Monadnock Trail and the 50-mile (80 km) Monadnock-Sunapee Greenway.
It remains clear largely because of fires set by early settlers. The first major fire, set in 1800 to clear the lower slopes for pasture, swept through the stands of virgin red spruce on the summit and flanks of the mountain. Between 1810 and 1820, local farmers, who believed that wolves were denning in the blowdowns, set fire to the mountain again. The conflagration raged for weeks, destroying the topsoil and denuding the mountain above 2,000 feet (610 m).
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