Peak Mountain facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Peak Mountain |
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Old Newgate Prison and Salmon Brook Valley from Peak Mountain
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | c. 730 feet (223 m) |
| Parent peak | 41° 58' 13"N, 72° 44' 24"W |
| Geography | |
| Location | East Granby, Connecticut |
| Parent range | Metacomet Ridge |
| Geology | |
| Age of rock | 200 Ma |
| Mountain type | Fault-block; igneous |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | Metacomet Trail |
Peak Mountain, also known as Copper Mountain, stands about 730 feet (220 m) tall. It is a special type of mountain made of volcanic rock called traprock. You can find it in East Granby, Connecticut, about 6 miles (10 km) south of the Massachusetts border. It's also about 6 miles (10 km) west of the Connecticut River.
This mountain is part of a long, narrow chain of hills called the Metacomet Ridge. This ridge stretches all the way from Long Island Sound in Connecticut, through the Connecticut River Valley in Massachusetts, up to the Vermont border. Peak Mountain is famous for its amazing views from cliffs that are 200 feet (61 m) high. From here, you can see the old Old Newgate Prison, Congamond Lake, and the Salmon Brook Valley.
Peak Mountain is also special because it has different tiny climates, called microclimates. These small areas support unusual plants and animals. It's also a popular spot for raptors (birds like eagles and hawks) when they migrate each season. A hiking path called the 51-mile (82 km) Metacomet Trail goes right over the mountain.
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Where is Peak Mountain?
Peak Mountain is about 3 miles (4.8 km) long and 1 mile (1.6 km) wide. It rises sharply, about 400 feet (120 m), above the Salmon Brook Valley to its west and the Connecticut River Valley to its east. The name Peak Mountain usually refers to the whole ridge. Sometimes, Copper Mountain means the whole ridge too, or just a specific spot on the south side that's 672 feet (205 m) high.
To the north, the Metacomet Ridge continues from Peak Mountain and becomes West Suffield Mountain. To the south, it turns into Hatchet Hill. Water from the west side of Peak Mountain flows into Salmon Brook, then into the Farmington River, and finally into the Connecticut River and Long Island Sound. Water from the east side goes directly into the Connecticut River.
Peak Mountain is also right in the path of planes landing at Bradley International Airport. In 1995, a plane from American Airlines Flight 1572 touched some trees near the top of the mountain while trying to land.
How Peak Mountain Formed
Peak Mountain, like many parts of the Metacomet Ridge, is made of a hard, dark rock called basalt, also known as traprock. This mountain began to form around 200 million years ago, at the end of the Triassic Period. This was when the huge continent that included North America started to split apart from Africa and Eurasia.
As the land pulled apart, hot, melted rock called lava pushed up from deep inside the Earth. This lava spread out and cooled, forming thick layers of rock. Later, big cracks in the Earth's crust, called faults, and earthquakes caused these rock layers to tilt. This tilting created the steep cliffs and the long, narrow shape of Peak Mountain that we see today.
Plants and Animals
The mountain has different types of environments, called microclimates. For example, the upper slopes are hot and dry, while the ravines are cool and moist. The ledges are rich in minerals from the basalt rock. This mix of conditions creates homes for many different plants and animals that are not common in other parts of Connecticut.
Peak Mountain is also a very important place for raptors. These are birds like bald eagles, American kestrels, golden eagles, and peregrine falcons. They use Peak Mountain as a path when they migrate, flying south for the winter or north for the summer. Websites like Hawkcount.org have recorded over 20 different kinds of raptors passing through this area.
Fun Things to Do and Protecting the Mountain
You can explore Peak Mountain by hiking on the Metacomet Trail. This trail is looked after by the Connecticut Forest and Park Association. It stretches from the Hanging Hills in Meriden, Connecticut, all the way to the Massachusetts border. The mountain is a great place for hiking, bird watching, snowshoeing, and other outdoor activities. From the top, you can see other cool places like the Barn Door Hills and Manitook Mountain.
Peak Mountain offers a great view of Old Newgate Prison. This historic site used to be a prison and a copper mine even before the American Revolutionary War. It became a tourist attraction in 1860. Old Newgate was named after the famous Newgate Prison in London. It was America's very first copper mine and the first state prison in the United States!
The natural areas and ridgeline of Peak Mountain are important to protect. They are sometimes threatened by new buildings or by quarrying (digging up rock). In 2000, the National Park Service studied Peak Mountain to see if it could be part of a new long-distance hiking path. This new path is now called the New England National Scenic Trail. It would connect the Metacomet-Monadnock Trail in Massachusetts with the Mattabesett Trail and Metacomet Trail in Connecticut.
The East Granby Land Trust has done a lot of work to help protect Peak Mountain and its beautiful views.
