Monument Mountain (Berkshire County, Massachusetts)
Encyclopedia
Monument Mountain is a 2.5 miles (4 km) long quartzite
ridgeline located in Great Barrington
and Stockbridge, Massachusetts
in the Berkshires
geology. Beside the high point, 1739 feet (530 m), the mountain has several other distinct peaks, most notably the open, knife-edge Squaw Peak, 1642 feet (500.5 m) located on the southeast side of the mountain within the 503 acres (203.6 ha) Monument Mountain reservation
managed by The Trustees of Reservations
. The mountain receives over 20,000 visitors per year.
Devil's Pulpit, part of Squaw Peak, is a free-standing pillar of stone. Flag Rock, located on the southwest side of the mountain, is an open ledge overlooking the village of Housatonic
. The only official trails on the mountain ascend Squaw Peak from a parking lot on Massachusetts Route 7 north of Great Barrington center. An unnamed waterfall is located to the northeast of Squaw Peak along the Hickey Trail.
Views from Squaw Peak include the Housatonic River Valley, The Berkshires
, the Taconic Mountains
, and the Catskill Mountains
of New York
.
The west side of Monument Mountain drains into the Housatonic River
thence into Long Island Sound
. The east side of Monument Mountain drains into Konkapot Brook thence into the Housatonic River.
Quartzite
Quartzite is a hard metamorphic rock which was originally sandstone. Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tectonic compression within orogenic belts. Pure quartzite is usually white to gray, though quartzites often occur in various shades of pink...
ridgeline located in Great Barrington
Great Barrington, Massachusetts
Great Barrington is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,104 at the 2010 census. Both a summer resort and home to Ski Butternut, Great Barrington includes the villages of Van...
and Stockbridge, Massachusetts
Stockbridge, Massachusetts
Stockbridge is a town in Berkshire County in Western Massachusetts. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,947 at the 2010 census...
in the Berkshires
The Berkshires
The Berkshires , is a highland geologic region located in the western parts of Massachusetts and Connecticut.Also referred to as the Berkshire Hills, Berkshire Mountains, and Berkshire Plateau, the region enjoys a vibrant tourism industry based on music, arts, and recreation.-Definition:The term...
geology. Beside the high point, 1739 feet (530 m), the mountain has several other distinct peaks, most notably the open, knife-edge Squaw Peak, 1642 feet (500.5 m) located on the southeast side of the mountain within the 503 acres (203.6 ha) Monument Mountain reservation
Monument Mountain (reservation)
Monument Mountain is the name of a popular open space reservation located in Great Barrington, Massachusetts on the southeast side of Monument Mountain...
managed by The Trustees of Reservations
The Trustees of Reservations
The Trustees of Reservations is a non-profit land conservation and historic preservation organization dedicated to preserving natural and historical places in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is the oldest regional land trust in the world and has 100,000 dues-paying members...
. The mountain receives over 20,000 visitors per year.
Devil's Pulpit, part of Squaw Peak, is a free-standing pillar of stone. Flag Rock, located on the southwest side of the mountain, is an open ledge overlooking the village of Housatonic
Housatonic, Massachusetts
Housatonic is a village and census-designated place in the town of Great Barrington in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,335 at the 2000 census....
. The only official trails on the mountain ascend Squaw Peak from a parking lot on Massachusetts Route 7 north of Great Barrington center. An unnamed waterfall is located to the northeast of Squaw Peak along the Hickey Trail.
Views from Squaw Peak include the Housatonic River Valley, The Berkshires
The Berkshires
The Berkshires , is a highland geologic region located in the western parts of Massachusetts and Connecticut.Also referred to as the Berkshire Hills, Berkshire Mountains, and Berkshire Plateau, the region enjoys a vibrant tourism industry based on music, arts, and recreation.-Definition:The term...
, the Taconic Mountains
Taconic Mountains
The Taconic Mountains or Taconic Range are a physiographic section of the larger New England province and part of the Appalachian Mountains, running along the eastern border of New York State and adjacent New England from northwest Connecticut to western Massachusetts, north to central western...
, and the Catskill Mountains
Catskill Mountains
The Catskill Mountains, an area in New York State northwest of New York City and southwest of Albany, are a mature dissected plateau, an uplifted region that was subsequently eroded into sharp relief. They are an eastward continuation, and the highest representation, of the Allegheny Plateau...
of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
The west side of Monument Mountain drains into the Housatonic River
Housatonic River
The Housatonic River is a river, approximately long, in western Massachusetts and western Connecticut in the United States. It flows south to southeast, and drains about of southwestern New England into Long Island Sound...
thence into Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound is an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean, located in the United States between Connecticut to the north and Long Island, New York to the south. The mouth of the Connecticut River at Old Saybrook, Connecticut, empties into the sound. On its western end the sound is bounded by the Bronx...
. The east side of Monument Mountain drains into Konkapot Brook thence into the Housatonic River.