Mount Raimer, , is a prominent peak in the

Taconic Mountains The Taconic Mountains or Taconic Range () are a range 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 Vermont. ...

of western

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

and adjacent New York. The west side and summit are located in New York; the east slopes lie within Massachusetts. The summit ridge is part meadow and part wooded with

red spruce ''Picea rubens'', commonly known as red spruce, is a species of spruce native to eastern North America, ranging from eastern Quebec and Nova Scotia, west to the Adirondack Mountains and south through New England along the Appalachians to western ...

balsam fir ''Abies balsamea'' or balsam fir is a North American fir, native to most of eastern and central Canada (Newfoundland west to central Alberta) and the northeastern United States (Minnesota east to Maine, and south in the Appalachian Mountains to ...

, and northern hardwood tree species. It is notable for its views of the

Hoosic River The Hoosic River, also known as the Hoosac, the Hoosick (primarily in New York) and the Hoosuck (mostly archaic), is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed October 3, 2011 tri ...

valley and

Hudson River Valley The Hudson Valley (also known as the Hudson River Valley) comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in the U.S. state of New York. The region stretches from the Capital District including Albany and Troy south to Yo ...

. The

Taconic Crest Trail The Taconic Crest Trail is a hiking trail in the Taconic Mountains in the northeastern United States. The trail extends from U.S. Route 20 in Hancock, Massachusetts, less than east of the New York border, north along the ridgecrest of the Taco ...

traverses the mountain. Much of the upper slopes and summit are within protected conservation land. The mountain is the location of a defunct ski area.

Geography

Mount Raimer is located within

Williamstown, Massachusetts Williamstown is a town in the northern part of Berkshire County, in the northwest corner of Massachusetts, United States. It shares a border with Vermont to the north and New York to the west. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolit ...

and the New York towns of Petersburgh and

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

. The Taconic Mountains continue south from Mount Raimer as

Berlin Mountain Berlin Mountain is a prominent peak in the Taconic Mountains of western New England and is located adjacent to Massachusetts's border with New York State. It is the highest point in Rensselaer County. The summit and west side of the mountain are ...

and north as the White Rock ridgeline. It is flanked to the east by several hills that precede the Hoosic River Valley and the town of Williamstown. The west side of the mountain drains into the

Little Hoosic River Little is a synonym for small size and may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Little (album), ''Little'' (album), 1990 debut album of Vic Chesnutt *Little (film), ''Little'' (film), 2019 American comedy film *The Littles, a series of children's nov ...

, thence into the

, the

Hudson River The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...

. The east side drains into the Hoosic River. Petersburg Pass, located on

New York Route 2 New York State Route 2 (NY 2) is a state highway in the Capital District of New York in the United States. It extends for from an interchange with Interstate 87 (I-87) and NY 7 in the town of Colonie to the Massachusetts ...

Massachusetts Route 2 Route 2 is a major east–west state highway in Massachusetts. Along with Route 9 and U.S. Route 20 to the south, these highways are the main alternatives to the Massachusetts Turnpike/I-90 toll highway. Route 2 runs the entire ...

, cuts over the gap between Mount Raimer and the next summit to the north, Smith Hill, at an elevation of , just north of the summit of Mount Raimer.

Alpine skiing

Mount Raimer was home to lift served alpine skiing for nearly two decades. Originally known as Petersburg Pass Ski Area, the base lodge and parking lots were located adjacent to the height of land on

New York State Route 2 New York State Route 2 (NY 2) is a state highway in the Capital District of New York in the United States. It extends for from an interchange with Interstate 87 (I-87) and NY 7 in the town of Colonie to the Massachusetts st ...

. Started in 1962, the ski area featured a variety of trails served by a

Poma Poma, incorporated as Pomagalski S.A., and sometimes referred to as the Poma Group, is a French company which manufactures cable-driven lift systems, including fixed and detachable chairlifts, gondola lifts, funiculars, aerial tramways, peop ...

double

chairlift An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel wire rope loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs. Th ...

. A novice surface lift was added below the base area in 1964. Summit of Mount Raimer

Due to a variety of reasons, including the steep ascent up Route 2 and the lack of water for snowmaking, the ski area struggled through much of its existence. As a result, the ski area failed to operate for multiple seasons in the 1970s. In addition, Petersburg Pass Ski Area was renamed twice in order to try to rebrand its image. After a short time as Taconic Trails, the ski area was last known as Mount Raimer. An attempt was made to dramatically expand the ski area during its final years, as trails were cut on the western face of the mountain. This expansion was never completed and the ski area went out of business in 1980. Recently, since about 2010, there has been a renewed interest in the area for backcountry skiing on a couple of the defunct trails and glades. The double chairlift was later sold to

Ski Butternut Ski Butternut, also known as Butternut Basin, is a ski resort in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, located on Warner Mountain in The Berkshires. Channing and Jane Murdock took control of the area in 1963, naming the area Butternut Basin after the ...

References

* ''Massachusetts Trail Guide'' (2004). Boston:

Appalachian Mountain Club Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) is the oldest outdoor group in the United States. Created in 1876 to explore and preserve the White Mountains in New Hampshire, it has expanded throughout the northeastern U.S., with 12 chapters stretching from Ma ...

References

External links

Berkshire Natural Resource Council

Rensselaer Land Trust

Taconic Hiking Club

Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation

- New England Lost Ski Areas Project {{DEFAULTSORT:Raimer Mountains of Berkshire County, Massachusetts Mountains of Rensselaer County, New York Taconic Mountains Defunct ski areas and resorts in New York (state) Mountains of New York (state)