Pico Peak is a

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...

in the

Green Mountains The Green Mountains are a mountain range in the U.S. state of Vermont. The range runs primarily south to north and extends approximately from the border with Massachusetts to the border with Quebec, Canada. The part of the same range that is i ...

in Rutland County,

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 the ...

, United States. Pico Peak is flanked to the south by Ramshead Peak. To the north, it faces

Deer Leap Mountain Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the ...

across

Sherburne Pass Sherburne Pass, is a mountain pass in the Green Mountains of Vermont, between Pico Peak to the south and Deer Leap Mountain to the north. The height of land of the pass is located in the town of Killington, while its western ascent begins in ...

. Seen from the pass, the summit of Pico Peak resembles a cone. Pico Peak is the northernmost mountain of the

Coolidge Range Coolidge may refer to: People * Coolidge (surname), including a list of people and characters with the name ** Calvin Coolidge (1872–1933), 30th president of the United States Places United States * Coolidge, Arizona * Coolidge, Georgia * Coo ...

, and the second highest mountain in that range after

Killington Peak Killington Peak is the second highest summit in the Green Mountains and in the U.S. state of Vermont. It is located east of Rutland in south-central Vermont. Killington Peak is a stop on the Long Trail, which here shares its route with the Appal ...

. In 1927 the State Legislature named the Coolidge Range after Vermont native

Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States from 1923 to 1929. Born in Vermont, Coolidge was a Republican lawyer from New England who climbed up the ladder of Ma ...

. The range runs between Pico Peak and the town of

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymout ...

, where Coolidge grew up. The peak's name may stem from the

Abenaki The Abenaki ( Abenaki: ''Wαpánahki'') are an Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands of Canada and the United States. They are an Algonquian-speaking people and part of the Wabanaki Confederacy. The Eastern Abenaki language was pre ...

for "the pass/opening" or indeed from the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: ** Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Ca ...

or Portuguese word for "peak", ''Pico''. "Pico Peak" appears on the 1869 Beers Atlas of Rutland County, Walling's 1860 Map of the State of Vermont and Chace's 1854 Map of Rutland County (albeit reversed with Killington Peak). The northeast side of Pico Peak drains into Kent Brook, thence into the Ottauquechee River, the Connecticut River, and into Long Island Sound in

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

. The southeast side of Pico drains into Roaring Brook, and thence into the Ottauquechee. The northwest side of Pico drains into Mendon Brook, thence into East Creek, Otter Creek, and

Lake Champlain , native_name_lang = , image = Champlainmap.svg , caption = Lake Champlain-River Richelieu watershed , image_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = , location = New York/Vermont in the United States; and Quebec in Canada , coords = , type = , ...

, which drains via the

Saint Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (french: Fleuve Saint-Laurent, ) is a large river in the middle latitudes of North America. Its headwaters begin flowing from Lake Ontario in a (roughly) northeasterly direction, into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, connecting ...

into the

Gulf of St. Lawrence The Gulf of St. Lawrence () is the outlet of the North American Great Lakes via the St. Lawrence River into the Atlantic Ocean. The gulf is a semi-enclosed sea, covering an area of about and containing about of water, at an average depth of . ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Government of Canada, Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

. The southwest side of Pico drains into Brewer's Brook, and thence into Mendon Brook. Pico Peak and of forest were presented to

Mortimer R. Proctor Mortimer Robinson Proctor (May 30, 1889 – April 28, 1968), known as Mortimer R. Proctor, was an American politician from Vermont. He served as the 62nd lieutenant governor of Vermont from 1941 to 1945, and as the 66th governor of Vermont fro ...

as a birthday present in 1910. He sold the mountain to Pico Ski Inc. in 1948.

Pico Mountain Pico Mountain Ski Area is a ski area located in Killington, Vermont, United States. Established in 1937, it was one of the first commercial ski resorts in the state. The base of the resort is located on the northwest side of Pico Peak on U. ...

ski area A ski area is the terrain and supporting infrastructure where skiing and other snow sports take place. Such sports include alpine and cross-country skiing, snow boarding, tubing, sledding, etc. Ski areas may stand alone or be part of a ski resort. ...

— part of Killington Ski Resort since December 1997 — is located on the northwest side of Pico Peak, with its base lodge on U.S. Route 4. Pico opened in 1937, and the first

T-bar lift A surface lift is a type of cable transport for snow sports in which skiers and snowboarders remain on the ground as they are pulled uphill. While they were once prevalent, they have been overtaken in popularity by higher-capacity and higher ...

in the United States was installed there in 1940.Vermonter.com
- accessed 25 May 2008 The

Appalachian Trail The Appalachian Trail (also called the A.T.), is a hiking trail in the Eastern United States, extending almost between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine, and passing through 14 states.Gailey, Chris (2006)"Appalachian ...

(AT), a

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 ...

from

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to t ...

Maine Maine () is a U.S. state, state in the New England and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and territories of Canad ...

, once passed east of the summit along the contour, until a 1999 re-routing. The

Long Trail The Long Trail is a hiking trail located in Vermont, running the length of the state. It is the oldest long-distance trail in the United States, constructed between 1910 and 1930 by the Green Mountain Club. The club remains the primary organiz ...

(LT), a hiking trail which runs along the ridge of the Green Mountains from

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

to Quebec, which coincides with the Appalachian Trail in this area, was re-routed at the same time. Both were moved west of the mountain. The old AT/LT along here is now a blue-blazed trail, named the Sherburne Pass Trail. It had previously only been known as the Long Trail. The summit is reached by the Pico Link Trail, a segment of the defunct Pico Loop Trail. The AT and LT formerly split north of Pico, on Deer Leap Mountain. Now they diverge at Long Trail Junction (the former Maine Junction), just north of U.S. Route 4.

References

External links

*
PeakBagger.com: Pico Peak

Pico Mountain ski area

{{Mountains of Vermont Mountains of Vermont New England Hundred Highest Mountains on the Appalachian Trail Mountains of Rutland County, Vermont

See also

References

External links