:''Should not be confused with West Rock, another traprock summit in Connecticut'' West Peak, , of the

Hanging Hills The Hanging Hills of south central Connecticut, United States, are a range of mountainous trap rock ridges overlooking the city of Meriden, Connecticut, Meriden and the Quinnipiac River, Quinnipiac River Valley below. They are a subrange of the ...

, is the highest traprock peak in the state of

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

. The peak hangs above the city of Meriden below and is characterized by its vertical cliffs and sweeping views of southern Connecticut,

Long Island Sound Long Island Sound is a sound (geography), 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 (state), New York to the south. From west to east, ...

, and the

Berkshires The Berkshires () are highlands located in western Massachusetts and northwestern Connecticut in the United States. Generally, "Berkshires" may refer to the range of hills in Massachusetts that lie between the Housatonic and Connecticut River ...

to the west. On a clear day, Mount Tom, in Massachusetts, can be seen 47 miles to the north. The 62-mile Metacomet Trail crosses West Peak. Activities enjoyed on the peak include

hiking A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time. "Hi ...

, picnicking, and

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 such as binoculars or a telescop ...

. West Peak is on an important raptor migration path.

Edwin Howard Armstrong Edwin Howard Armstrong (December 18, 1890 – February 1, 1954) was an American electrical engineer and inventor who developed FM (frequency modulation) radio and the superheterodyne receiver system. He held 42 patents and received numerous awa ...

, who invented

FM radio FM broadcasting is a method of radio broadcasting that uses frequency modulation (FM) of the radio broadcast carrier wave. Invented in 1933 by American engineer Edwin Armstrong, wide-band FM is used worldwide to transmit high fidelity, high-f ...

and was a network radio pioneer, used West Peak as the location of one of the first FM radio broadcasts, in 1939. His original 70-foot radio mast is still there. Currently, West Peak is home to seven FM broadcast stations,

WNPR Connecticut Public Radio, commonly known as WNPR, is a network of public radio stations in the state of Connecticut, western Massachusetts, and East End (Long Island), eastern Long Island, affiliated with NPR (National Public Radio). It is owned ...

WWYZ WWYZ (92.5 FM broadcasting, FM) is a commercial radio station city of license, licensed to Waterbury, Connecticut, and serving the Waterbury, Hartford and New Haven areas. It is owned by iHeartMedia, and airs a country music radio format. WWYZ's ...

, WZMX, WDRC-FM, WKSS,

WHCN WHCN (105.9 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Hartford, Connecticut. It broadcasts a classic hits radio format for the Hartford, Waterbury and New Haven areas, and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. It is branded "The River 105.9", a ...

, and WMRQ-FM. It is also known as West Peak State Park. Image:westpeak02.jpg, View of the cliffs of West Peak in Meriden, Connecticut as seen from below Image:westpeak04.jpg, View looking east from the top of West Peak. East Peak and South Mountain, the lower peaks, are visible. Image:westpeak03.jpg, View looking south from the top of West Peak in Meriden, Connecticut. Sleeping Giant State Park can be seen. Image:meridentower.jpg, The largest transmission tower on West Peak Image:eastpeak02.jpg, View of the lookout tower on East Peak

Geology

West Peak, along with the other

, is part of a mountain chain that is a dormant fault line running through the middle of Connecticut and into Massachusetts.

References

''Connecticut Walk Book''
17th ed. Connecticut Forest and Park Association.
This Week in Amateur Radio
Cited Dec. 13, 2007

External links

The City of Meriden
{{Authority control Meriden, Connecticut Hanging Hills Mountains of Connecticut Landforms of New Haven County, Connecticut Raptor migration sites

Geology

See also

References

External links