Ragged Mountain, est. , is a traprock mountain ridge located west of New Britain, Connecticut, in the towns of

Southington Southington is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, it had a population of 43,501. Southington contains the villages of Marion, Milldale, and Plantsville. Geography Southington is situ ...

and

Berlin, Connecticut Berlin ( ) is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 20,175 at the 2020 census. It was incorporated in 1785. The geographic center of Connecticut is located in the town. Berlin is residential and industrial, ...

. 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. The mountain, a popular hiking and rock climbing attraction located between metropolitan

Hartford Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since t ...

and Meriden, is known for expansive vistas, vertical cliff faces, mountain ridge reservoirs, 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. Ragged Mountain is traversed by the Metacomet Trail.

Geography

Occupying an area roughly , Ragged Mountain 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 to the west. The mountain consists of a series of high bluffs and several lower tiers of ledges. The Metacomet Ridge continues north from Ragged Mountain as Bradley Mountain and south as Short Mountain and the Hanging Hills. Four bodies of water are located on the mountain: ''Shuttle Meadow Reservoir'' to the north between Ragged Mountain and Bradley Mountain; ''Wassel Reservoir'' nestled between the bluffs in the center of Ragged Mountain; a smaller holding pond associated with Wassel Reservoir (South Wassel Reservoir, a.k.a. Hart Pond); and the two ''Hart's Ponds,'' on the southeast slope of the mountain. The mountain also contains boulder caves and a waterfall. Wassel Reservoir is named for RMSN David Wassel, a submariner in the U.S. Navy who was lost in the accidental sinking of the USS ''Thresher'' off the coast of Massachusetts. The west side of Ragged Mountain drains into the

, thence to Long Island Sound; the east side of the mountain drains into the Mattabasett River, then to the Connecticut River, thence to Long Island Sound. However, some reservoirs on the mountain shuttle water through treatment facilities with alternate drainages.

Geology and ecology

Ragged Mountain, like much of the

, 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 Ragged 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. Ragged 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.

Recreation and conservation

Ragged Mountain is open to rock climbing,

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,

bouldering Bouldering is a form of free climbing that is performed on small rock formations or artificial rock walls without the use of ropes or harnesses. While bouldering can be done without any equipment, most climbers use climbing shoes to help se ...

, and other passive pursuits. Cliff diving and swimming in Wassel Reservoir is strictly prohibited. The mountain offers expansive views of the surrounding landscape from open summits and high cliff faces. A number of hiking trails and rock climbing routes traverse the mountain including the Metacomet Trail, (maintained by the Connecticut Forest and Park Association), which extends from the Hanging Hills of Meriden, Connecticut, to the Massachusetts border. The mountain is considered to be Connecticut's most popular rock climbing destination. Cliff routes were pioneered in the 1930s, with

Fritz Wiessner Fritz Wiessner (February 26, 1900 – July 3, 1988) was a German American pioneer of free climbing. Born in Dresden, Germany, he immigrated to New York City in 1929 and became a U.S. citizen in 1935. In 1939, he made one of the earliest att ...

prominent among rock climbers. Both the Connecticut Forest and Park Association (hiking) and the Ragged Mountain Foundation (rock climbing) have noted that issues with parking and access to certain cliff faces have historically resulted in conflicts with land owners and abutting property owners. As of 2007, Ragged Mountain had one trailhead, located on West Lane, located off Connecticut Route 71A in Berlin, south of downtown New Britain. Wassel Reservoir has two dams, one on the NE and one on the S. It engulfs the small ridge called Shuttle Meadow Mtn, formerly traversed by the Blue Trail, on three sides. At the northern end the reservoir is fronted by a series of sheer cliffs on both sides where it fills a deep rift valley. On the Ragged Mt. side the diving cliffs begin with a tall face set back ten feet from the water and high, called the "Running Man" on account of the running jump necessary to clear the trees and boulders at the base. Below it, going north, is a succession of steadily declining sheer cliffs much closer to the water, running from down to 40 at the end, with a single isolated chimney at the terminus that stands a few feet lower. Paths lead around wooded slopes to the next wall, a jutting ridge of knife-cut basalt that extends out into deep water, an even 35–40 feet high save at the southern end where it descends to . The dam carved back some of this wall in its creation. The wall extends beyond the reservoir by half a mile. On the other side the bluffs are much lower, from ten to twenty feet going south along Shuttle Meadow Mtn. Opposite "Running Man" the cliffs turn sharply inland, making a bay, along the north side of which they rise upward in a great staircase of perhaps six or seven steps, each step five feet. Then the cliff turns south again in a sheer face fifty feet high. Swimming in this reservoir is of course illegal and the Water Department Patrol Unit under (Al Mackiewicz) with assistance from the local police do patrol there, so it is not encouraged. Much of Ragged Mountain has been conserved as nature preserve, rock climbing preserve, and as public watershed lands. Shuttle Meadow and Wassel Reservoirs are managed by the New Britain Water Department; the Metacomet Trail passes along their shores. Hart's Pond is also managed By New Britain Water Dept.and a short walking trail, the ''Amelia Green Trail'', passes along its shore. The Ragged Mountain Foundation, a non-profit rock climbing association, manages fifty-six acres of land on the mountain and has been active in overall conservation efforts and public access efforts. The Berlin Land TrustBerlin Land Trust
is also active in the conservation of Ragged Mountain and its

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. ...

. In 1990, climber and ecologist Harry White wrote The Traprock Wilderness Recovery Strategy (TWRS), a plan to protect Ragged Mountain as well as the traprock range from West Peak in Meriden to Bradley Mountain in Plainville. The plan received the Governor's Green Circle Award from the Connecticut Council on Environmental Quality in 1991. Several attempts to implement the TWRS and conserve Ragged Mountain and the neighboring traprock peaks were repulsed by local pro-development political forces in Southington and New Britain, in particular. In 2000, Ragged 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

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 ...

and Metacomet Trail trails in Connecticut.

References

* Farnsworth, Elizabeth J.
Metacomet-Mattabesett Trail Natural Resource Assessment.
2004. PDF wefile cited November 1, 2007. * ''Connecticut Walk Book: A Trail Guide to the Connecticut Outdoors.'' 17th Edition. The Connecticut Forest and Park Association. Rockfall, Connecticut. Undated. *

Raymo, Chet Chet Raymo (born September 17, 1936 in Chattanooga, Tennessee) is a noted writer, educator and naturalist. He is Professor Emeritus of Physics at Stonehill College, in Easton, Massachusetts. His weekly newspaper column ''Science Musings'' appear ...

and Raymo, Maureen E. ''Written in Stone: A Geologic History of the Northeastern United States''. Globe Pequot, Chester, Connecticut, 1989.
U.S. Congress ''New England National Scenic Trail Designation Act.''
* White, Harry
The Traprock Wilderness Recovery Strategy
Yale Forestry School. Southington, Connecticut. Cited Dec. 19, 2007, revised Aug. 4, 2017.
Ragged Mountain Foundation
* Robinson, Rut

New York Times, March 22, 1992. * Fritz Wiessner : 1900 - 1988 hrsg. vom Sächsischen Bergsteigerbund e.V., Sektion im Deutschen Alpenverein. (Idee, Konzept und Bearb.:Gottfried Andreas). - Dresden : Sächsischer Bergsteigerbund, 2000

External links

Connecticut Forest and Park Association

NPS brochure for National Scenic Trail proposal.

(scroll down for map).
Ragged Mountain Foundation

Town of Berlin hiking trail map

Map of walking trails at Hart's Ponds

The Traprock Wilderness Recovery Strategy
{{Mountains of Connecticut Climbing areas of the United States Mountains of Connecticut Tourist attractions in Hartford County, Connecticut Metacomet Ridge, Connecticut Berlin, Connecticut Southington, Connecticut Landforms of Hartford County, Connecticut

Geography

Geology and ecology

Recreation and conservation

See also

References

External links