Ragged Mountain, est. , is a traprock mountain ridge located west of

New Britain, Connecticut New Britain is a city in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It is located approximately southwest of Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford. The city is part of the Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut, Capitol ...

, in the towns of Southington and

Berlin, Connecticut Berlin ( ) is a town in the Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut, Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut, United States. The population was 20,175 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It was incorporated in 1785. The geographic center of ...

. It is part of the narrow, linear Metacomet Ridge that extends from

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, ...

near

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is List ...

, north through the Connecticut River Valley of

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 ...

to the

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

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

Hartford Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

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 atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric conditions that differ from those in the surrounding areas, often slightly but sometimes substantially. The term may refer to areas as small as a few square m ...

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 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 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 ...

. 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 Quinnipiac River, thence to Long Island Sound; the east side of the mountain drains into the Mattabasett 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 into Long Isl ...

, 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 Metacomet Ridge, is composed of

basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, 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 planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...

, also called traprock, a

volcanic A volcano is commonly defined as a vent or fissure 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 fo ...

rock. The mountain formed near the end of the

Triassic Period The Triassic ( ; sometimes symbolized 🝈) is a geologic period and system which spans 50.5 million years from the end of the Permian Period 251.902 million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Jurassic Period 201.4 Mya. The Triassic is the ...

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 Fault (geology), downfaulted depression, called a graben, or more commonly ...

apart of the

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

n continent from

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

and

Eurasia Eurasia ( , ) is a continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. According to some geographers, Physical geography, physiographically, Eurasia is a single supercontinent. The concept of Europe and Asia as distinct continents d ...

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 Natural satellite, moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a Fissure vent, fractu ...

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 earthquakealso called a quake, tremor, or tembloris the shaking of the Earth's surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those so weak they ...

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 migration path.

Recreation and conservation

Ragged Mountain is open to

rock climbing Rock climbing is a climbing sports discipline that involves ascending climbing routes, routes consisting of natural rock in an outdoor environment, or on artificial resin climbing walls in a mostly indoor environment. Routes are documented in c ...

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 ...

snowshoeing Snowshoes are specialized outdoor gear for walking over snow. Their large footprint spreads the user's weight out and allows them to travel largely on top of rather than through snow. Adjustable bindings attach them to appropriate winter footw ...

bouldering Bouldering is a form of rock climbing that is performed on small rock formations or Climbing wall, artificial rock walls without the use of ropes or Climbing harness, harnesses. While bouldering can be done without any equipment, most climbers ...

, 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

Meriden, Connecticut Meriden ( ) is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, located halfway between the regional cities of New Haven, Connecticut, New Haven and Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford. The city is part of the South Central Connecticut Planni ...

, 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 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. 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 List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...

for the designation of a new National Scenic Trail now tentatively called the New England National Scenic Trail, which would include the Metacomet-Monadnock Trail in Massachusetts and the Mattabesett Trail 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 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 Berlin, Connecticut Southington, Connecticut Landforms of Hartford County, Connecticut

Geography

Geology and ecology

Recreation and conservation

See also

References

External links