Preakness Range
| Preakness Range | |
|---|---|
| Watchung Mountains | |
Goffle Hill can be seen across a valley from a ledge near the summit of High Mountain in Wayne, New Jersey.
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| Highest point | |
| Peak | High Mountain |
| Elevation | 879 ft (268 m) |
| Coordinates | 40°58′12.26″N 74°11′54.08″W / 40.9700722°N 74.1983556°WCoordinates: 40°58′12.26″N 74°11′54.08″W / 40.9700722°N 74.1983556°W |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 11 mi (18 km) northwest–south |
| Geography | |
| Country | United States of America |
| State | New Jersey |
| Geology | |
| Age of rock | Triassic/Jurassic |
| Type of rock | extrusive igneous and trap rock |
The Preakness Range is a range of the trap rock Watchung Mountains on the western edge of the Newark Basin in northern New Jersey. A large portion of this range is included in High Mountain Park Preserve, offering miles of hiking trails with vistas overlooking New Jersey and New York City. The peaks of the Preakness Range, the highest of the Watchung Mountains, shelter endangered ecosystems, including perched wetlands and rare trap rock glade communities.
The Preakness Range generally refers to the peaks of Preakness Mountain, the section of Second Watchung Mountain north of the Passaic River. Packanack Mountain, a section of Third Watchung Mountain west of Preakness Mountain, is sometimes included in the Preakness Range. Goffle Hill, historically known as Totoway Mountain, flanks the Preakness Range in the east and is usually not included in the range, but it is mentioned in association with it, being part of the northern extent of First Watchung Mountain.
Preakness Mountain begins in Totowa, New Jersey, forming a curve which bows to the north-northeast before sweeping back towards the northwest and terminating near the Ramapo fault in Oakland, New Jersey. The three highest peaks of the Watchungs line the north-central part of Preakness Mountain in Wayne, New Jersey. Mount Cecchino, the southernmost of the three and also the lowest, rises to 755 ft (230m). Immediately to the north, High Mountain reaches 879 ft (268m), becoming the highest peak of the Watchungs. Northwest of High Mountain, the second highest peak of the Watchungs, Beech Mountain, rises to 869 ft (265m).
The Preakness Range was originally inhabited by the Munsee (Minsi) Lenape. Today, this Native American heritage lives on in the range's name. Preakness appears to be a modernized form of per-ukunees, a Lenape term thought to mean young buck. For a time, Dutch settlers referred to the range as Harteberg, which appropriately translates to Deer Mountain.
As with the majority of the Watchungs, the Preakness Range saw use as a lookout during the American Revolutionary War. In October and November, 1780 General Arthur St Clair’s men were camped at the base of the mountain.
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Wikipedia