White Rock (Taconic Mountains)

This article is about a ridge of the Taconic Mountains. For other uses, see White Rock.
White Rock
Highest point
Elevation 2,550 ft (780 m)
Parent peak 42° 43' 29"N, 73° 16' 34"W
Coordinates

High point:
42°45′14″N 73°16′48″W / 42.75389°N 73.28000°W / 42.75389; -73.28000Coordinates: 42°45′14″N 73°16′48″W / 42.75389°N 73.28000°W / 42.75389; -73.28000

Ridgeline:
42°48′26″N 73°19′11″W / 42.80722°N 73.31972°W / 42.80722; -73.31972 to
42°43′29″N 73°16′34″W / 42.72472°N 73.27611°W / 42.72472; -73.27611
Geography
Location Williamstown, Massachusetts, Pownal, Vermont, and Petersburgh, New York
Parent range Taconic Mountains
Geology
Age of rock Ordovician
Mountain type Thrust fault; metamorphic rock and sedimentary rock
Climbing
Easiest route Taconic Crest Trail

White Rock, 2,550 feet (780 m), is the name of the high point on a 7 mi (11 km) ridgeline in the Taconic Mountains. The ridge is located in the tri-state corner of New York, Massachusetts, and Vermont in the towns of Petersburgh, Williamstown, and Pownal. The ridge has several distinct knobs; those with names are, from south to north: White Rocks, 2,365 feet (721 m); Smith Hill, 2,330 feet (710 m); White Rock, the high point 2,550 feet (780 m); and Bald Mountain 2,485 feet (757 m). The Snow Hole, located along the ridgeline between Bald Mountain and the White Rock, is a crevasse in which snow can be found well into the summer.

Geography

The summit and west side of the ridge are located in New York, the east side in Vermont, and the southeast 2 miles (3.2 km) in Massachusetts. The summit ridge is part meadow and part wooded with red spruce, balsam fir, and northern hardwood tree species. It is notable for its views of the Hoosic River valley and Hudson River Valley. The 35 mi (56 km) Taconic Crest Trail traverses the mountain. Portions of the ridge are within protected conservation land, but much of it is privately owned.

The Taconic Mountains continue north from White Rock ridge across the Hoosic River valley as Mount Anthony and south over Petersburgh Pass as Mount Raimer. The White Rock ridge is flanked to the east across the Hoosic River Valley by the western escarpment of the Green Mountains. The west side of the ridge drains into the Little Hoosic River, thence into the Hoosic River, the Hudson River, and Long Island Sound. The east side drains into the Hoosic River. Petersburg Pass, located on New York Route 2/ Massachusetts Route 2, cuts over the gap between the southernmost knob of the ridge, White Rocks, and Mount Raimer, at an elevation of 1,650 feet (500 m).

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 9/2/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.