Bradley Mountain
| Bradley Mountain | |
|---|---|
_From_Bradley_Mountain_Southington_CT.JPG) View of Plainville Reservoir (AKA Crescent Lake) and Sunset Rock State Park from the Bradley Mountain summit. | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 679 ft (207 m)[1] |
| Coordinates | 41°39′27″N 72°50′15″W / 41.6576°N 72.8376°W[1] |
| Geography | |
  Bradley Mountain | |
igneous | |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | Metacomet Trail |
Bradley Mountain, 700 feet (210 m), is a
Geography
Roughly 1.5 miles (2.4 km) in diameter, Bradley Mountain rises steeply 450 feet (140 m) above the Quinnipiac River valley to the west. The mountain consists of an upper ridgeline with several summits and a lower 375 feet (114 m) high bluff-line. The Metacomet Ridge continues north from Bradley Mountain as the ridgeline of Pinnacle Rock and south as Ragged Mountain. Plainville Reservoir (also called Crescent Lake) occupies a bowl-shaped valley on the western side of the mountain, and Shuttle Meadow Reservoir stands between Bradley Mountain and Ragged Mountain to the south. The lower bluff-line is occupied by suburban development. A 0.5 miles (0.8 km) diameter traprock quarry, owned by Tilcon, has obliterated the northeast side of Bradley Mountain below the summit.
The Quinnipiac River, not much more than a brook this far north, passes west through the gap between Bradley Mountain and Pinnacle Rock, forming the north and west and drainage of the mountain, before flowing into Long Island Sound. The east and south sides of the mountain drain into the Mattabesett River, then to the Connecticut River, thence to Long Island Sound.
Geology and ecology
Bradley Mountain, like much of the Metacomet Ridge, is composed of
Recreation and conservation
Despite the development on its lower slopes and the quarry on the mountain's northeast side, Bradley Mountain is a large area of protected public land. Much of the summit and the upper ridgeline west of the summit extending down to Plainville Reservoir has been conserved as Sunset Rock State Park, an undeveloped state property, and as water conservation property managed by the town of Southington. Permitted activities include,
The ecosystem of Bradley Mountain is most threatened by quarrying. In 2000, Bradley Mountain was included in a study by the
The Berlin Land Trust[2] is active in the conservation of Bradley Mountain and its viewshed.
See also
- Metacomet Ridge
- Adjacent summits:
| ↓ South | North ↑ |
|---|---|
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References
- ^ a b "Bradley Mountain". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- ^ "Berlin Land Trust". Archived from the original on 2007-10-15. Retrieved 2007-12-21.
- 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, 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. Archived 2016-07-04 at the Wayback Machine
- Google Earth sat. images 41° 41' 59"N, 72° 49' 58"W. Cited Dec. 19, 2007.
- Connecticut Chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club, mountaineering page. Cited Dec. 19, 2007.
- White, Harry. The Traprock Wilderness Recovery Strategy Yale Forestry School. Southington, Connecticut. Cited Dec. 19, 2007.
- Town of Southington. Cited Dec. 19, 2007.