Mount Mansfield
| Mount Mansfield | |
|---|---|
Mount Mansfield, September 2004
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 4,393 ft (1,339 m) NAVD 88 |
| Prominence | 3,633 ft (1,107 m) |
| Listing |
U.S. state high point 26th New England Fifty Finest 3rd New England 4000-footers |
| Coordinates | 44°32′38″N 72°48′52″W / 44.543946911°N 72.814309717°WCoordinates: 44°32′38″N 72°48′52″W / 44.543946911°N 72.814309717°W |
| Geography | |
| Parent range | Green Mountains |
| Topo map | USGS Mount Mansfield |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | Hike |
| Designated | 1980 |
Mount Mansfield is the highest mountain in Vermont with a summit that peaks at 4,393 feet (1,339 m) above sea level. The summit located within the town of Underhill in Chittenden County; the ridgeline, including some secondary peaks, extends into the town of Stowe in Lamoille County, and the mountain's flanks also reach into the town of Cambridge.
When viewed from the east or west, this mountain has the appearance of a (quite elongated) human profile, with distinct forehead, nose, lips, chin, and Adam's apple. These features are most distinct when viewed from the east; unlike most human faces, the chin is the highest point.
Mount Mansfield is one of three spots in Vermont where true alpine tundra survives from the Ice Ages. A few acres exist on Camel's Hump and Mount Abraham nearby and to the south, but Mount Mansfield's summit still holds about 200 acres (81 ha).
Located in Mount Mansfield State Forest, the mountain is used for various recreational and commercial purposes. "The Nose" is home to transmitter towers for a number of regional radio and TV stations. There are many hiking trails, including the Long Trail, which traverses the main ridgeline. In addition, the east flank of the mountain is used by the Stowe Mountain Resort for winter skiing. A popular tourist activity is to take the toll road (about 4 miles (6.4 km), steep, mostly unpaved, with several hairpin turns) from the Stowe Base Lodge to "The Nose" and hike along the ridge to "The Chin."
The dominant bedrock of Mt. Mansfield is a mica-albite-quartz schist common to the Green Mountains. Layers of quartzite are found locally. The soils, mostly podzol, are stony with fine-earth fractions grading through textures of fine sandy loam, loam and silt loam; they are mapped mostly as Londonderry, Lyman, Peru and Tunbridge series with considerable areas of Rock Outcrop around the summit.
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Wikipedia