Long Mountain (Hampshire County, Massachusetts)

Traprock mountain in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, U.S.

Long Mountain

Long Mountain from Mount Norwottuck

Highest point
Elevation| 920 ft (280 m)
Coordinates| 42°18′18″N 72°28′59″W﻿ / ﻿42.30500°N 72.48306°W﻿ / 42.30500; -72.48306
Geography
Location| Amherst and Granby, Massachusetts.
Parent range| Holyoke Range / Metacomet Ridge
Geology
Age of rock| 200 Ma
Mountain type| Fault-block; igneous
Climbing
Easiest route| Metacomet-Monadnock Trail

Long Mountain, 920 feet (280 m) feet above sea level, is a traprock mountain of the Holyoke Range, part of the greater Metacomet Ridge which stretches from Long Island Sound to nearly the Vermont border. The mountain rises steeply from the surrounding landscape 600 feet (180 m) below and consists of five distinct peaks, from east to west: 685 feet (209 m), 775 feet (236 m), 795 feet (242 m), 920 feet (280 m), the high point, and the eastern summit, 906 feet (276 m). It is located within the towns of Amherst and Granby, Massachusetts. The 110-mile (180 km) Metacomet-Monadnock Trail and the 47-mile (76 km) Robert Frost Trail traverse the mountain. The Holyoke Range continues to the west as Mount Norwottuck and to the east as Harris Mountain.

## Geology and ecology

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Long 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 steep ridge and talus slopes of Long 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 Massachusetts.

## Recreation

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Several trails are located on Long Mountain, most notably the 110-mile (180 km) Metacomet-Monadnock Trail and the 47-mile (76 km) Robert Frost Trail which share the same footway on the mountain. Several ledges near the summit provide views of greater Amherst region and the Fort River valley. Most of Long Mountain has been conserved as part of the Mount Holyoke Range State Park; local conservations commissions and private land holders own the remaining acreage. The nearest trailhead to the summit is located on Harris Mountain Road precisely as it crosses the Granby to Amherst boundary line. This location can be accessed either via Bay Road in Amherst or Batchelor Street in Granby. The trail leading to the west leads to the summit.

## References

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* The Metacomet-Monadnock Trail Guide. 9th Edition. The Appalachian Mountain Club. Amherst, Massachusetts, 1999.
* Farnsworth, Elizabeth J. "Metacomet-Mattabesett Trail Natural Resource Assessment." 2004\. PDF file. Cited Nov. 20, 2007.
* The Metacomet-Monadnock Trail Guide. 9th Edition. The Appalachian Mountain Club. Amherst, Massachusetts, 1999.
* Raymo, Chet and Raymo, Maureen E. Written in Stone: A Geologic History of the Northeastern United States. Globe Pequot, Chester, Connecticut, 1989.

## External links

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* Mount Holyoke Range State Park map
* Hampshire College mountain biking map of the Holyoke Range
* Berkshire Chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club
* The Kestrel Trust
* The Valley Land Fund
* Friends of the Mount Holyoke Range
* Natural resource assessment of the Metacomet Ridge
* Geology of the northern Metacomet Ridge region

* v
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* e

Mountains of Massachusetts

The Berkshires|

| Hoosac Range|

* Crum Hill

|

Others|

* Bakke Mountain
* Borden Mountain
* Crum Hill
* Massaemett Mountain
* Monument Mountain
* Mount Institute
* Pocumtuck Mountain
* Tekoa Mountain

Holyoke Range|

* Bare Mountain
* Long Mountain
* Mount Hitchcock
* Mount Holyoke
* Mount Norwottuck
* Round Mountain
* Seven Sisters

Metacomet Ridge|

* Bare Mountain
* Crag Mountain
* East Mountain
* Farley Ledges
* Mount Grace
* Mount Hitchcock
* Mount Holyoke
* Mount Lincoln
* Mount Nonotuck
* Mount Norwottuck
* Mount Orient
* Stratton Mountain
* Mount Toby
* Mount Tom
* Northfield Mountain
* Pine Cobble Mountain
* Provin Mountain
* Round Mountain
* Seven Sisters
* Sugarloaf Mountain

Mount Tom Range|

* Mount Nonotuck
* Mount Tom

Pocumtuck Range|

* Sugarloaf Mountain

Taconic Mountains|

* Alander Mountain
* Berlin Mountain
* Berry Hill
* Berry Mountain
* Brodie Mountain
* Doll Mountain
* Holy Mount
* Honwee Mountain
* Misery Mountain
* Mount Everett
* Mount Fitch
* Mount Fray
* Mount Frissell
* Mount Greylock
* Mount Race
* Mount Raimer
* Mount Williams
* Pine Mountain
* Poppy Mountain
* Potter Mountain
* Round Mountain
* Rounds Mountain
* Saddle Ball Mountain
* Shaker Mountain
* Smith Mountain
* Tower Mountain
* White Rock

Wapack Range|

* Mount Watatic

Others|

* Great Blue Hill
* Little Tom Mountain
* Mount Jefferson
* Mount Pisgah
* Mount Wachusett
* Peaked Mountain
* Pine Hill
* Scorton Hill
* Tully Mountain
* Waitt's Mountain
* White Hill

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