Tully Mountain
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Tully Mountain, , is a prominent, steep-sided
monadnock An inselberg or monadnock () is an isolated rock hill, knob, ridge, or small mountain that rises abruptly from a gently sloping or virtually level surrounding plain. In Southern Africa a similar formation of granite is known as a koppie, a ...
located in north central
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 ...
in the town of
Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower *Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum * ...
. It is part of the Tully Mountain Wilderness Management Area. An exposed east facing ledge on the summit provides views of the
Millers River The Millers River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 river in northern Massachusetts, originating in Ashburnham and joining the Connecticut River just ...
valley,
Mount Monadnock Mount Monadnock, or Grand Monadnock, is a mountain in the towns of Jaffrey and Dublin, New Hampshire. It is the most prominent mountain peak in southern New Hampshire and is the highest point in Cheshire County. It lies southwest of Concord a ...
,
Mount Wachusett Mount Wachusett is a mountain in Massachusetts. It straddles towns of Princeton and Westminster, in Worcester County. It is the highest point in Massachusetts east of the Connecticut River. The mountain is named after a Native American term me ...
, and the
Wapack Range The Wapack Range, sometimes referred to as the Pack Monadnock Range, is a range of mountains in south-central New Hampshire and adjacent Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. The range is considered very scenic and rugged with many ba ...
. The
Tully Trail The Tully Trail is a scenic loop trail located in the towns of Royalston, Orange, and Warwick, Massachusetts near the New Hampshire border. The route crosses several ledges with sweeping views of the surrounding rural countryside and passes thre ...
traverses the mountain. There exists a
Tully Mountain (Ireland) Letter Hill () is a large hill near the coast to the north-west of Letterfrack in County Galway, Ireland. It is high and been listed as a Special Area of Conservation. Geography The high hill is visually striking, as it stands in a prom ...
that, at 1168 feet above sea level, is almost identical in elevation to the Tully Mountain in
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 ...
. The mountain drains into the Tully River, then into the Millers River, then to the
Connecticut River 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 ...
and
Long Island Sound Long Island Sound is a marine sound and tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies predominantly between the U.S. state of Connecticut to the north and Long Island in New York to the south. From west to east, the sound stretches from the Eas ...
. The mountaintop is forested, except for a rocky outcropping (a monadnock) that faces due east, and a second granite "ledges" facing due west; the rocky prominence of Tully Mountain is visible from surrounding small towns and is a defining characteristic of this small mountain. The form of the mountain is known as "ramp and pluck", as taught by science teacher Robert Coyle, Athol Junior High School. The rocky eastern popular vantage point is the "practical" summit of the mountain, as the geological summit is wooded, unmarked, and without views. The vista, looking afar from the steep ledge, features Mount Monadnock (
Jaffrey, NH Jaffrey is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 5,320 at the 2020 census. The main village in town, where 3,058 people resided at the 2020 census, is defined as the Jaffrey census-designated place (CDP) a ...
, the peak of which is 16 miles NE); the bump of Gap Mountain, which can be seen just in front of
Mount Monadnock Mount Monadnock, or Grand Monadnock, is a mountain in the towns of Jaffrey and Dublin, New Hampshire. It is the most prominent mountain peak in southern New Hampshire and is the highest point in Cheshire County. It lies southwest of Concord a ...
; to the left of Mount Monadnock and distant is
Mount Sunapee Mount Sunapee (or Sunapee Mountain on federal maps) is a mountain ridge in the towns of Newbury and Goshen in western New Hampshire, United States. Its highest peak, at the north end of the mountain, is above sea level. The mountain has three ...
;
Mount Kearsarge (Merrimack County, New Hampshire) Mount Kearsarge is a mountain located in Wilmot, New Hampshire, and Warner, New Hampshire. Two state parks are located at the northern and southern bases of the mountain— Winslow State Park and Rollins State Park, respectively—and the entir ...
is visible (55 miles away); Mount Cardigan is the shadowed mountain distant to the left/north of Mount Kearsarge; the tallest mountain in the distant southeast is
Mount Wachusett Mount Wachusett is a mountain in Massachusetts. It straddles towns of Princeton and Westminster, in Worcester County. It is the highest point in Massachusetts east of the Connecticut River. The mountain is named after a Native American term me ...
, which is 22 miles away; also visible is the church steeple of
Royalston, MA Royalston is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,250 at the 2020 census. History Royalston is a small town in the North Quabbin area of northwestern-central Massachusetts. It was named after Isaac ...
at 3.7 miles away, and three bodies of water: Tully Lake (due east, with views of automobile traffic across the dam), Packard Pond (including its private beach), and the lily-padded Tully Pond (south east). Mount Washington and the Presidential Range is not visible from Tully Mountain due to distance and being obscured by elevations in between. With spyglass magnification of 15x-20x or more (high powered binoculars, spotting scope), the distant
Quabbin Reservoir The Quabbin Reservoir is the largest inland body of water in Massachusetts, and was built between 1930 and 1939. Along with the Wachusett Reservoir, it is the primary water supply for Boston, to the east, and 40 other cities and towns in Greate ...
Observation Tower (24 miles south) is visible on the horizon line when peering far right/southward (over the ascent from the cemetery). Visible in the near south-eastern view is the town of Athol, Massachusetts, with its uptown (spires include the Congregational church (4.4 miles away) and the Athol Historical Society); the uptown Main Street coming directly toward the viewer (automobile headlights), the stoplight at foot of Pleasant Street; further south is downtown (Starretts and Union Twist Drill smokestacks), the former Athol High/Junior High (now senior citizen housing) and various steeples of downtown churches, such as the Athol-Orange Baptist Church with the large brick casket factory behind. Peering northward from Tully Mountain, one can see people atop Mount Monadnock silhouetted at the skyline. Mount Kearsarge's antenna tower and smaller tower can be viewed on a clear day (55 miles away) north-east. The mountain actually has twin "peaks" topographically, having a smaller 856-ft elevation to its south, near Fryeville Road, Mayo Road, and Tully Pond, which is sometimes referred to as
Little Tully Mountain Little is a synonym for small size and may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Little'' (album), 1990 debut album of Vic Chesnutt * ''Little'' (film), 2019 American comedy film *The Littles, a series of children's novels by American author John P ...
. Little Tully Mountain is clearly visible from Tully Mountain, but is seldom climbed as it is forested. On the west side and near the top of Tully Mountain is an open granite area, larger than the more common eastward observation point, called Tully Ledges or "Thatcher Ledges" after a local that discovered the obscure vantage point in 1968. Clearly viewed on any satellite map, it is accessed from the cemetery trail only a hundred yards or so from the top of the trail and to the left/west. It is not a well-marked pathway and is seldom hiked. The Thatcher Ledges provides views to the west, including homes in North Orange, and some mountains and antenna in western Massachusetts. However, the views are not long and open due to the hills immediately in front of the observer, principally Temple Hill (over 1000 feet); Mount Greylock cannot be observed. The rocky ledges are a fine place for solitude, nature observation, picnicking, and birdwatching. The granite is sloped and often damp, easily turning a twisted ankle or errantly placed boot into a significant tumble down the rocky face. Extreme caution is mandatory, and hiking Thatcher Ledges after rain or ice is not suggested. At least one documented injury with rescue occurred on Tully Mountain in May, 2018, when a 25-year-old hiker lost his footing on a wet trail and could not get himself out of the woods after he had rolled down a hill 15–20 feet and then fell off a ledge another 10–12 feet, landing on his back. He was able to call 911 for help. Orange Fire & Rescue and the Western Mass Regional Technical Rescue Team responded, a medical helicopter was denied due to weather, so the rescue team set up a rope system to get the man out of the woods before he was sent to UMass-Worcester to be treated for his injuries. In August, 2020, authorities were alerted to a fire just below the eastward observation point of the mountain. Fire crews from local fire departments, Massachusetts Forest Fire Control, and the Massachusetts Department of Fisheries and Wildlife responded and controlled the fire, the cause of which remains under investigation. Due to the steep, treacherous terrain, the Massachusetts Air National Guard responded and made several water drops with a Blackhawk helicopter, drawing water from Tully Pond. Access to hike up the mountaintop of Tully Mountain is typically by one of three routes: (a) Cemetery Route from a pathway starting near the over-wintering vault at the Tully Cemetery, just south of Tully mountain, or (b) Tully Brook Route from a small unmarked dirt parking area off Tully Road, adjacent to the bridge over the Tully River, just west of the mountain; this pathway follows a completely level and wide cart-path and logging operation around the base of the mountain for about 3/8ths of a mile, and then ascends along a yellow blazed trail, or (c) Mountain Road Route from a defined parking area at the terminus of Mountain Road near the eastern base of the mountain on the side of the open observation face, allowing a slow pathway ascent and views of your parked vehicle from the observation point; one can walk the wide path in a slow winding ascent (this is the easiest, gentlest route up the mountain), or can cut directly across the field from the parking lot to a defined path that quickly connects with the cemetery ascent route (the steepest, fastest route up the mountain). From this parking lot, voices are heard as they carry down the mountain from the observation monadnock. The slow ascent trail is 0.9 miles long and winds along a classic New England stone wall which runs along a pasture and a bog before turning direction through the forested approach to the summit. The parking lot is at 709 feet altitude, and the total altitude gain of the hike is 422 feet to the east observation area. Although there are blue and yellow blazes, there are no defined trailhead signs, and there is no fee to use the area. The sign at the parking area indicates No Camping. Total hiking time one-way to the vista is approximately 20–30 minutes, making this a common destination for hikers of all ages, active families, and teenagers looking for a spot to do what teenagers do.


References


External links


Tully Trail
The Trustees of Reservations
Tully Mountain Trail
Alltrails.com {{Mountains of Massachusetts Mountains of Franklin County, Massachusetts Mountains of Massachusetts