Higby Mountain or Mount Higby , is a traprock mountain ridge located east of Meriden, Connecticut. It is part of the narrow, linear

Metacomet Ridge The Metacomet Ridge, Metacomet Ridge Mountains, or Metacomet Range of southern New England is a narrow and steep fault-block mountain ridge known for its extensive cliff faces, scenic vistas, microclimate ecosystems, and rare or endangered plants. ...

that extends from Long Island Sound near

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134 ...

, north through the

Connecticut River Valley The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges at Long Island ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

to the

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

border. Higby Mountain is known for its high cliff faces, unique

microclimate A microclimate (or micro-climate) is a local set of atmospheric conditions that differ from those in the surrounding areas, often with a slight difference but sometimes with a substantial one. The term may refer to areas as small as a few squ ...

ecosystems, and rare plant communities. It rises steeply above the

Quinnipiac River The Quinnipiac River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 long river in the New England region of the United States, located entirely in the state of Conne ...

valley and the city of Meriden to the west as a continuous long ledge. The mountain is traversed by the

Mattabesett Trail The Mattabesett Trail is a long, hook-shaped blue-blazed hiking trail in central Connecticut and a part of the New England National Scenic Trail. One half of the trail follows the high traprock ridges of the Metacomet Ridge, from Totoket Mount ...

.Farnsworth, Elizabeth J. (2004).
Metacomet-Mattabesett Trail Natural Resource Assessment.
" United States National Park Service. Retrieved November 20, 2007''Connecticut Walk Book East: The Trail Guide to the Blue Blazed Hiking Trails of Eastern Connecticut'' (2005) 19th edition. Rockfall, Connecticut: Connecticut Forest and Park Association.

Geography

Located within the towns of Middletown, Meriden, and Middlefield, Higby Mountain is long by wide at its widest point, although rugged topography makes the actual square mileage much larger. Higby Mountain is an important

aquifer An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing, permeable rock, rock fractures, or unconsolidated materials ( gravel, sand, or silt). Groundwater from aquifers can be extracted using a water well. Aquifers vary greatly in their characteris ...

; two reservoirs and one pond lie at the base of it: ''Higby Mountain Reservoir'' at its east foot; ''Adder Reservoir,'' on the upper eastern slope; and ''Black Pond'' between Besek Mountain and Higby Mountain. The mountain forms a conspicuous, sharp long cliffline visible throughout the upper Quinnipiac River Valley and metropolitan Meriden. ''Camel's Hump'', est. , also called ''The Pinnacle'' is a prominent southern high point on the ridge just above a shallow gap called ''Preston Notch''. (''The Pinnacle'' should not be confused with a similarly named peak on Talcott Mountain, or with Pinnacle Rock of

Farmington, Connecticut Farmington is a town in Hartford County in the Farmington Valley area of central Connecticut in the United States. The population was 26,712 at the 2020 census. It sits 10 miles west of Hartford at the hub of major I-84 interchanges, 20 miles ...

, both part of the Metacomet Ridge to the north of Higby Mountain).

Interstate 91 Interstate 91 (I-91) is an Interstate Highway in the New England region of the United States. It provides the primary north–south thoroughfare in the western part of the region. The Interstate generally follows the course of the Conne ...

cuts through the gap between Higby Mountain and

Chauncey Peak Chauncey Peak, , is a traprock mountain located 2 miles (3 km) northeast of the center of Meriden, Connecticut. It is part of the narrow, linear Metacomet Ridge that extends from Long Island Sound near New Haven, Connecticut, north through t ...

to the north.''DeLorme Topo 6.0'' (2006). Mapping software. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. The Metacomet Ridge continues northwest from Higby Mountain as Chauncey Peak and south as Besek Mountain. A line of smaller hills extends from the Higby Mountain ridgeline north into Middletown; most notable of these is ''Fall Hill'' from which tumbles the high ''Westfield Falls,'' visible from Interstate 91 just north of Higby Mountain. The north and east sides of Higby Mountain drain into Fall Brook, then Sawmill Brook, then the Mattabesett River, thence to the Connecticut River and Long Island Sound. The west and south side drain into Harbor Brook thence into the Quinnipiac River and Long Island Sound.

Geology and ecology

Higby Mountain, like much of the Metacomet Ridge, is composed of

basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the surface of a rocky planet or moon. More than 90 ...

, also called traprock, a

volcanic A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates a ...

rock. The mountain formed near the end of the

Triassic Period The Triassic ( ) is a geologic period and system which spans 50.6 million years from the end of the Permian Period 251.902 million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Jurassic Period 201.36 Mya. The Triassic is the first and shortest period ...

with the

rifting In geology, a rift is a linear zone where the lithosphere is being pulled apart and is an example of extensional tectonics. Typical rift features are a central linear downfaulted depression, called a graben, or more commonly a half-graben wi ...

apart of the North American continent from

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

and

Eurasia Eurasia (, ) is the largest continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. Primarily in the Northern and Eastern Hemispheres, it spans from the British Isles and the Iberian Peninsula in the west to the Japanese archipelago ...

Lava Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a fracture in the crust, on land or un ...

welled up from the rift and solidified into sheets of strata hundreds of feet thick. Subsequent

faulting In geology, a fault is a planar fracture or discontinuity in a volume of rock across which there has been significant displacement as a result of rock-mass movements. Large faults within Earth's crust result from the action of plate tectonic ...

and

earthquake An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, fr ...

activity tilted the strata, creating the cliffs and ridgeline of Higby Mountain. Hot, dry upper slopes, cool, moist ravines, and mineral-rich ledges of basalt talus produce a combination of

ecosystems on the mountain that support plant and animal species uncommon in greater Connecticut. Higby Mountain is also an important

raptor Raptor or RAPTOR may refer to: Animals The word "raptor" refers to several groups of bird-like dinosaurs which primarily capture and subdue/kill prey with their talons. * Raptor (bird) or bird of prey, a bird that primarily hunts and feeds on ...

migration path. (See

for more information on the geology and ecosystem of Higby Mountain).

Recreation and conservation

Activities enjoyed on the mountain include

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

, snowshoeing,

bird watching Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device like binoculars or a telescope, by ...

picnicking A picnic is a meal taken outdoors ( ''al fresco'') as part of an excursion, especially in scenic surroundings, such as a park, lakeside, or other place affording an interesting view, or else in conjunction with a public event such as preceding ...

, and other passive pursuits.

Swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

, boating, and

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

are prohibited in the reservoirs but fishing and boating are allowed on Black Pond. The Mattabesett Trail (maintained by the Connecticut Forest and Park Association), which stretches from the northern end of Lamentation Mountain, south to

Totoket Mountain Totoket Mountain, with a high point of (est.) above sea level, is a traprock massif with several distinct summits, located northeast of New Haven, Connecticut. It is part of the Metacomet Ridge that extends from the Long Island Sound near New ...

and north again to the Connecticut River, traverses the ridgeline of Higby Mountain. Higby Mountain has two trailheads. There is a roadside parking area at the south end of the mountain on the westbound side of

Connecticut Route 66 Route 66 is a Connecticut state highway running from Meriden to Windham, serving as an alternate east–west route to US 6 through east-central Connecticut. Route description Route 66 officially begins at I-91 in Meriden as the extension o ...

, east of

Connecticut Route 15 Route 15 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Connecticut that runs from a connection with New York's Hutchinson River Parkway in Greenwich, Connecticut, to its northern terminus intersecting with Interstate 84 (I-84) in East Ha ...

in Meriden. The second trailhead is located at the north end of the mountain at the junction of Miner Street and

, exit 20 in Middletown; parking is permitted along the road. Black Pond can be accessed via a small parking lot off East Main Street in Meriden, east of

The Nature Conservancy The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global environmental organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. it works via affiliates or branches in 79 countries and territories, as well as across every state in the US. Founded in 1951, The Nat ...

maintains a reservation on the south ridgeline of Higby Mountain. The town of Middletown owns part of the mountain, both as open space and as watershed. Black Pond, undeveloped and scenic, is part of the Black Pond Wildlife Management Area. Threats to the ecosystem and ridgeline of Higby Mountain include development and quarrying. In 2000, Higby Mountain was included in a study by the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propert ...

for the designation of a new

National Scenic Trail The National Trails System is a series of trails in the United States designated "to promote the preservation of, public access to, travel within, and enjoyment and appreciation of the open-air, outdoor areas and historic resources of the Nati ...

now tentatively called the

New England National Scenic Trail The New England National Scenic Trail (NET) is a National Scenic Trail in southern New England, which includes most of the three single trails Metacomet-Monadnock Trail, Mattabesett Trail and Metacomet Trail. After the Metacomet-Monadnock-Mattabe ...

, which would include the

Metacomet-Monadnock Trail The Metacomet-Monadnock Trail (M&M Trail) is a hiking trail that traverses the Metacomet Ridge of the Pioneer Valley region of Massachusetts and the central uplands of Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire. Although less than from Boston and ...

in Massachusetts and the

and Metacomet Trail trails in Connecticut."Monadnock, Metacomet, Mattabesett National Scenic Trail Study".

United States National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...

. Retrieved November 4, 2007. Th
Meriden Land Trust
and the

have been active in conserving the

viewshed A viewshed is the geographical area that is visible from a location. It includes all surrounding points that are in line-of-sight with that location and excludes points that are beyond the horizon or obstructed by terrain and other features (e.g. ...

of Higby Mountain.

References

External links

Connecticut Forest and Park Association

NPS brochure for National Scenic Trail proposal.

Meriden Land Trust
{{Mountains of Connecticut Middletown, Connecticut Metacomet Ridge, Connecticut Tourist attractions in Middlesex County, Connecticut Mountains of Connecticut Middlefield, Connecticut Landforms of Middlesex County, Connecticut Nature reserves in Connecticut Protected areas of Middlesex County, Connecticut Nature Conservancy preserves

Geography

Geology and ecology

Recreation and conservation

See also

References

External links