Rattlesnake Mountain (Connecticut)
| Rattlesnake Mountain | |
|---|---|
View from Rattlesnake Mountain
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 750 ft (230 m) |
| Parent peak | 41° 41' 59"N, 72° 49' 58"W |
| Coordinates | 41°41′59″N 72°49′58″W / 41.69972°N 72.83278°WCoordinates: 41°41′59″N 72°49′58″W / 41.69972°N 72.83278°W |
| Geography | |
| Location | Farmington, Connecticut |
| Parent range | Metacomet Ridge |
| Geology | |
| Age of rock | 200 Ma |
| Mountain type | Fault-block; igneous |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | Metacomet Trail |
Rattlesnake Mountain is a traprock mountain, 750 feet (230 m) above sea level, located 9 miles (14 km) southwest of Hartford, Connecticut in the town of Farmington. 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. Rattlesnake Mountain, a popular outdoor recreation resource of the metropolitan Hartford area, is known for its cliff-top scenic vistas, unique microclimate ecosystems, and rare plant communities. Will Warren's Den, a boulder cave located on the mountain, is a local historic site. Rattlesnake Mountain is traversed by the 51-mile (82 km) Metacomet Trail.
Roughly 1 mile (1.6 km) in diameter, Rattlesnake Mountain rises steeply 500 feet (150 m) above the Farmington River valley to the west. The mountain consists of an upper summit cone that descends into a series of tiered ridges which become contiguous with the Metacomet Ridge on Pinnacle Rock to the south and Farmington Mountain to the north.
A small traprock quarry, 0.4 miles (600 m) wide, occupies the northeast side of the mountain, and a suburban development the southwest side. Two broadcasting towers (WTIC-TV and WVIT) stand on the summit.
The east side of Rattlesnake Mountain drains into Trout Brook, then to the Park River, thence into the Connecticut River and Long Island Sound; the west side into the Pequabuck River, then to the Farmington River, thence to the Connecticut River. The south side of the mountain supports the headwaters of the Quinnipiac River, which flows directly into Long Island Sound.
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Wikipedia