Gap Mountain, located in

Troy, New Hampshire Troy is a New England town, town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,130 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is situated in southwestern New Hampshire, west of Mount Monadnock. The town's central v ...

, United States, is a small

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, an ...

with three summits ranging between and above sea level. The lower north and middle summits are mostly bald and offer panoramic views of the surrounding rural landscape and of the higher and more popular

Mount Monadnock Mount Monadnock, or Grand Monadnock, is a mountain in the town of Jaffrey, New Hampshire. It is the most prominent mountain peak in southern New Hampshire and is the highest point in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, Cheshire County. It lies sou ...

. 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 an ...

passes over the north and middle peaks. The higher southern summit is wooded with no views. The mountain, located entirely within the Gap Mountain Reservation managed by the

Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests The Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests (SPNHF) is a private, non-profit, land conservation organization, conservation and sustainable forestry organization based in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. It purchases or is given easements ...

, is named for the cleft separating the south peak from the north and middle summits. The mountain is flanked by Mount Monadnock to the north and

Little Monadnock Mountain Little Monadnock Mountain, , is located in the towns of Fitzwilliam and Troy, New Hampshire. Most of the mountain is located within Rhododendron State Park; there are scenic vistas from ledges just below the summit. The 110 mile Metacomet-Mo ...

to the southwest; the mountain's slopes drain to the east and south into 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, Massachusetts, Ashburnham and joining ...

, thence into 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 into Long Isl ...

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, ...

. To the north and west, the slopes drain into the

Ashuelot River The Ashuelot River is a tributary of the Connecticut River, approximately long, in southwestern New Hampshire in the United States. It drains a mountainous area of , including much of the area known as the Monadnock Region. It is the longest tr ...

, thence to the Connecticut River.

History and conservation

Gap Mountain was cleared of timber in the 19th century and used for

pasture Pasture (from the Latin ''pastus'', past participle of ''pascere'', "to feed") is land used for grazing. Types of pasture Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, c ...

for nearby

dairy A dairy is a place where milk is stored and where butter, cheese, and other dairy products are made, or a place where those products are sold. It may be a room, a building, or a larger establishment. In the United States, the word may also des ...

farmers. The summit was still open pasture as late as 1950 but has become progressively more wooded since. In the 1960s the mountain was put up for sale and passed hands several times; a housing development and a ski resort were proposed. Local citizens, concerned about the fate of the mountain, formed a coalition and, with the help of the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, began a twenty-year effort to purchase and conserve Gap Mountain and its environs. Several land donations completed the project, enlarging it to more than . The mountain supports a variety of wildflower species unusual to New Hampshire. The north / middle summits of the mountain are still more or less bare and support extensive

blueberry Blueberries are a widely distributed and widespread group of perennial flowering plants with blue or purple berries. They are classified in the section ''Cyanococcus'' with the genus ''Vaccinium''. Commercial blueberries—both wild (lowbush) ...

heath. The south summit is entirely wooded and no longer supports extensive views.

Recreation

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 ...

and

picking are commonly enjoyed activities on the mountain. The Metacomet-Monadnock Trail, a 114-mile (183 km) trail which stretches from the

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

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. ...

border to Mount Monadnock, crosses the bald northern and middle summits. Two parking lots provide access to the trail. It is about from the south parking lot to the middle summit and about from the north parking lot to the north summit. The middle and north summits are about one tenth of a mile apart. The parking lots were constructed and are maintained by the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests.

References

The Forest Society's Gap Mountain page
Cited Jun 13, 2011. * Baldwin, Henry I. ''Monadnock Guide''

, Concord, New Hampshire, 1987. * ''The Metacomet-Monadnock Trail Guide.'' 9th Edition. The Appalachian Mountain Club. Amherst, Massachusetts, 1999.

External links

* at AMCBerkshire.org
Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
{{Mountains of New Hampshire Mountains of Cheshire County, New Hampshire Mountains of New Hampshire