Pack Monadnock or Pack Monadnock Mountain , is the highest peak of 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 ...
of mountains and the highest point in
Hillsborough County, New Hampshire
Hillsborough County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. As of the 2020 census, the population was 422,937, almost one-third the population of the entire state. Its county seats are Manchester and Nashua, the state' ...
. The mountain, a
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 ...
, is located in south-central
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the nor ...
within the towns of
Peterborough
Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire until ...
and
Temple
A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called church (building), churches), Hindui ...
. The
Wapack Trail
The Wapack Trail is one of the oldest public, interstate hiking trails in the United States. Opened in 1923, it follows the Wapack Range north-south for , between Mount Watatic in Ashburnham, Massachusetts, and North Pack Monadnock mountain in G ...
and a number of shorter trails traverse the mountain. A firetower and ledges on the summit offer long views north to the
White Mountains, west to
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 ...
, and south into
.
North Pack Monadnock Mountain
North Pack Monadnock or North Pack Monadnock Mountain is a monadnock in south-central New Hampshire, at the northern end of the Wapack Range of mountains. It lies within Greenfield and Temple, New Hampshire; the Wapack Trail traverses the mo ...
is located directly to the north along the Wapack ridgeline;
Temple Mountain to the south.
Much of the mountain is located within
Miller State Park
Miller State Park is the oldest state-run park in New Hampshire, a state in the New England region of the United States. It is located in the towns of Peterborough and Temple, and is centered on Pack Monadnock, a mountain.
Description
The pa ...
. A seasonal automobile road ascends from the south to a picnic area at the summit. The summit also has a staffed air-pollution monitoring station.
The east side of the mountain drains into the
Souhegan River
The Souhegan River is a tributary of the Merrimack River in the northeastern United States. It is long, with a drainage area of , and flows north and east through southern New Hampshire to the Merrimack River.
The river begins in New Ipswich, Ne ...
watershed, thence into the
Merrimack River
The Merrimack River (or Merrimac River, an occasional earlier spelling) is a river in the northeastern United States. It rises at the confluence of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee rivers in Franklin, New Hampshire, flows southward into Mass ...
and
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Afr ...
; the west side drains into the
Contoocook River
The Contoocook River () is a river in New Hampshire. It flows from Contoocook Lake on the Jaffrey/ Rindge border to Penacook (just north of Concord), where it empties into the Merrimack River. It is one of only a few rivers in New Hampshire th ...
, thence into the Merrimack River.
The mountain is the home of the Pack Monadnock Raptor Migration Observatory, where
birdwatchers
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 like binoculars or a telescope, by ...
from around the region gather for the annual
hawk
Hawks are birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are widely distributed and are found on all continents except Antarctica.
* The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks and others. This subfa ...
migration. During the peak migration season in September, birdwatchers search the sky for
kettles of hundreds of hawks
swarm
Swarm behaviour, or swarming, is a collective behaviour exhibited by entities, particularly animals, of similar size which aggregate together, perhaps milling about the same spot or perhaps moving ''en masse'' or migrating in some direction. ...
ing above rising thermals as they migrate south.
The mountain's summit at Peterborough is also home to the transmitter of two
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
-market radio stations:
NOAA Weather Radio
NOAA Weather Radio NWR; also known as NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards is an automated 24-hour network of VHF FM weather radio stations in the United States (U.S.) that broadcast weather information directly from a nearby National Weather Serv ...
station
WNG575
The National Weather Service Gray/Portland, Maine (GYX) is a local office of the National Weather Service responsible for monitoring weather conditions over western Maine and all of New Hampshire. It is situated in Gray, Maine, in the metropolitan ...
and 92.1
WDER-FM, which airs a
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...
talk and preaching format.
Etymology
According to local tradition, the word "pack" is a
Native American word for "little" and "monadnock" is used to describe an isolated mountain summit; thus "Little Monadnock" refers to its relationship to the higher Mount Monadnock, , to the west. Pack Monadnock should not be confused with
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-Mona ...
, located to the west.
References
* ''Southern New Hampshire Trail Guide'' (1999). Boston: The
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 ...
.
External links
Miller State Park official websiteFriends of the WapackPack Monadnock Raptor Migration Observatory
{{Authority control
Mountains of Hillsborough County, New Hampshire
Mountains of New Hampshire
Raptor migration sites
Peterborough, New Hampshire
Temple, New Hampshire
New Hampshire placenames of Native American origin