Peak Mountain, also called Copper Mountain, est. 730 feet (220m), is a traprock mountain located in East Granby, Connecticut, 6 miles (10km) south of the Massachusetts border and 6 miles west of the Connecticut River. It is part of the narrow, linear Metacomet Ridge that extends from Long Island Sound near New Haven, Connecticut, north through the Connecticut River Valley of Massachusetts to the Vermont border. Peak Mountain is known for its expansive views from 200 feet (61m) high cliffs overlooking the historic Old Newgate Prison, Congamond Lake, and the Salmon Brook Valley of north-central Connecticut. The mountain is also known for its microclimate ecosystems, rare plant communities, and as a seasonal raptor migration path. It is traversed by the 51-mile (82km)Metacomet Trail.
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Roughly 3 miles (4.8km) long by 1 mile (1.6km) wide, Peak Mountain rises steeply 400 feet (120m) above the Salmon Brook Valley to the west and the Connecticut River Valley to the east. The name Peak Mountain applies to the entire ridge while Copper Mountain may apply to the entire ridge or just a ledge, 672 feet (205m), on the south side of the ridge. The Metacomet Ridge continues north from Peak Mountain to become West Suffield Mountain and south to become Hatchet Hill.
The west side of Peak Mountain drains into Salmon Brook, then into the Farmington River, thence to the Connecticut River and Long Island Sound; the east side drains into the Connecticut River.
Peak Mountain, like much of the Metacomet Ridge, is composed of basalt, also called traprock, a volcanic rock. The mountain formed near the end of the Triassic Period with the rifting apart of the North American continent from Africa and Eurasia. Lava welled up from the rift and solidified into sheets of strata hundreds of feet thick. Subsequent faulting and earthquake activity tilted the strata, creating the cliffs and ridgeline of Peak Mountain. Hot, dry upper slopes, cool, moist ravines, and mineral-rich ledges of basalt talus produce a combination of microclimate ecosystems on the mountain that support plant and animal species uncommon in greater Connecticut. Peak Mountain is also an important raptor migration path; Hawkcount.org has recorded over 20 different species of raptor migrating via Peak Mountain including the bald eagle, American kestrel, golden eagle, and peregrine falcon. (See Metacomet Ridge for more information on the geology and ecosystem of Peak Mountain)
Connecticut Walk Book East: The Trail Guide to the Blue Blazed Hiking Trails of Eastern Connecticut (2005) 19th edition. Rockfall, Connecticut: The Connecticut Forest and Park Association.
Raymo, Chet and Raymo, Maureen E.Written in Stone: A Geologic History of the Northeastern United States. Globe Pequot, Chester, Connecticut, 1989.
This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Peak_Mountain, and is written by contributors.
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