Mount Wachusett
| Mount Wachusett | |
|---|---|
Mount Wachusett in winter
|
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 2,006 ft (611 m) |
| Prominence | Approx. 1,000 feet (305 m) |
| Coordinates | 42°29′20″N 71°53′15″W / 42.48889°N 71.88750°W |
| Naming | |
| Translation | "Near the mountain", "Mountain place" (Natick Indian) |
| Geography | |
| Location |
Princeton / Westminster, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Geology | |
| Age of rock | 250 million years |
| Mountain type | Metamorphic rock; monadnock |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | Auto road, ski lift, or Pine Hill trail. |
Mount Wachusett is mountain in Massachusetts. It straddles towns of Princeton and Westminster, in Worcester County. It is the highest point in Massachusetts east of the Connecticut River. The mountain is named after a Native American term meaning "near the mountain" or "mountain place". The mountain is a popular hiking and skiing destination (see 'Wachusett Mountain Ski Area"). An automobile road, open spring to fall, ascends to the summit. Views from the top of Mount Wachusett include Mount Monadnock to the north, Mount Greylock to the west, southern Vermont to the northwest, and Boston to the east. The mountain is traversed by the 92 mi (148 km) Midstate Trail. It is also home to the Wachusett Mountain State Reservation.
A band of old growth forest along rock ledges 500 feet (150 m) below the summit supports trees from 150 to 370 years old. Covering 220 acres (89 ha), it is the largest known old growth forest east of the Connecticut River in Massachusetts.
Wachusett Mountain is a glaciated monadnock: a single mountain on a relatively flat landscape. Glacial activity that shaped the mountain can be seen at Balance Rock on the northeast side of the mountain: two large boulders were stacked one on top of each other by moving glaciers thousands of years ago.
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Wikipedia