Presidential Range (Green Mountains)

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Presidential Range
Highest point
Peak Mount Abraham
Elevation 4,006 ft (1,221 m)  [1]
Prominence 286 ft (87 m)  [2]
Naming
Etymology U.S. presidents
Geography
Country United States
State Vermont
Region New England
County Addison
Parent range Green Mountains

The Presidential Range is a mountain range in the Green Mountains of the U.S. state of Vermont. All of the summits of the peaks in the range are located in Addison County but the eastern slopes in the northern part of the range extend into Washington County. The major peaks in the range are named for several U.S. presidents from the period of the American Civil War through World War I. [3]

Contents

All of the peaks in the Presidential Range are above 3,000 feet (914 m) and all but one are above 3,500 feet (1,067 m). The highest peak in the range is Mount Abraham at 4,006 feet (1,221 m), while the second highest peak is Mount Wilson at 3,745 feet (1,141 m). Both peaks are among the one hundred highest peaks in New England.

Description

From north to south (which corresponds to the chronological order of the corresponding presidencies), the Presidential Range includes:

The three northernmost summits are in the town of Lincoln while the other two are in Ripton (all in Addison County). Except for Mount Abraham, the major peaks of the range are in the Breadloaf Wilderness in the Green Mountain National Forest. [4] Mount Abraham is separated from the other peaks by Lincoln Gap, the highest vehicle-accessible mountain pass in Vermont. [5]

Drainage basin

Most of Presidential Range lies within the watershed of Lake Champlain, which drains into the Richelieu River in Québec, the Saint Lawrence River, and then eventually into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. Portions of Mount Roosevelt and Mount Wilson lie within the watershed of the Connecticut River, which drains into Long Island Sound in Connecticut.

Trails

The Long Trail, a 273-mile (439 km) hiking trail running the length of Vermont, traverses the major peaks of the Presidential Range. The trail enters the southern edge of the Breadloaf Wilderness at Middlebury Gap on Vermont Route 125 and winds northward 28.9 miles (46.5 km) along the ridge of the Green Mountains to Appalachian Gap on Vermont Route 17: [6]

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Distance northboundFeatureApproximate altitudeDistance southbound
mileskmfeetmmileskm
28.946.5Appalachian Gap2,3777250.00.0
25.841.5Stark Mountain3,6621,1163.15.0
23.638.0Mount Ellen4,0831,2445.38.5
21.234.1Nancy Hanks Peak3,8121,1627.712.4
20.733.3Lincoln Peak3,9751,2128.213.2
19.932.0Mount Abraham4,0061,2219.014.5
19.130.7Battell Shelter3,2409909.815.8
19.030.6Junction: Battell Trail3,2209809.915.9
17.327.8Lincoln Gap2,42473911.618.7
13.421.6Mount Grant3,6231,10415.524.9
12.620.3Cooley Glen Shelter
Junction: Cooley Glen Trail		3,13095016.326.2
12.119.5Mount Cleveland3,4821,06116.827.0
9.014.5Mount Roosevelt3,5281,07519.932.0
8.613.8Junction: Clark Brook Trail3,3901,03020.332.7
7.812.6Mount Wilson3,7451,14121.134.0
6.911.1Emily Proctor Shelter
Junction: Emily Proctor Trail		3,4601,05022.035.4
6.310.1Bread Loaf Mountain3,8351,16922.636.4
0.00.0Middlebury Gap2,14465328.946.5

Apart from the Presidential Range, there are five peaks above 3,500 feet (1,067 m) on this section of the Long Trail. North of Mount Abraham, there are four such peaks: Lincoln Peak, Nancy Hanks Peak, Mount Ellen, and Stark Mountain. South of Mount Wilson, the only such peak is Bread Loaf Mountain.

Thru hikers traverse 12.1 miles (19.5 km) of trail between Mount Wilson and Mount Abraham. Along the way, four side trails provide access to the Long Trail (Emily Proctor Trail, Clark Brook Trail, Cooley Glen Trail, and Battell Trail) with limited off-road parking at each trailhead. There are three shelters on this section of the Long Trail: Emily Proctor Shelter, Cooley Glen Shelter, and Battell Shelter. Each shelter is at the intersection of the Long Trail and the corresponding side trail.

A popular day hike begins and ends where the Long Trail crosses Lincoln Gap Road in the town of Lincoln. From Lincoln Gap, the summit of Mount Abraham is 2.6 miles (4.2 km) north on the Long Trail. Alternatively, the Battell Trail, whose trailhead is also in Lincoln, terminates at the Battell Shelter after 2.0 miles (3.2 km). From the shelter, the summit is 0.8 miles (1.3 km) north on the Long Trail. [1]

The Emily Proctor Trail and the Cooley Glen Trail share the same trailhead. A popular loop hike begins and ends at this trailhead. The 12.4-mile (20.0 km) loop hike takes in three peaks of the Presidential Range: Mount Wilson, Mount Roosevelt, and Mount Cleveland. A fourth president, Mount Grant, is just off the main loop, 0.8 miles (1.3 km) north of the Cooley Glen Shelter on the Long Trail. [7]

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Mount Ellen (Vermont)

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Mount Abraham (Vermont)

Mount Abraham is a mountain in the Green Mountains in the U.S. state of Vermont. Located in the Green Mountain National Forest, its summit is in the town of Lincoln in Addison County, but its eastern slopes extend into the town of Warren in Washington County. The mountain is named after Abraham Lincoln, former president of the United States. It is one of five peaks in Vermont's Presidential Range.

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Bread Loaf Mountain Mountain in Vermont, US

Bread Loaf Mountain is a mountain located in Addison County, Vermont, in the Breadloaf Wilderness in the Green Mountain National Forest. The mountain is part of the central Green Mountains. Bread Loaf Mountain is flanked to the northeast by Mount Wilson, part of Vermont's Presidential Range.

Mount Wilson (Vermont)

Mount Wilson is a mountain in the Green Mountains in the U.S. state of Vermont. Located in the Breadloaf Wilderness of the Green Mountain National Forest, its summit is in the town of Ripton in Addison County. The mountain is named after Woodrow Wilson, former president of the United States. Flanked by Bread Loaf Mountain to the southwest, Mount Wilson is one of five peaks in Vermont's Presidential Range. At 3,745 feet (1,141 m), it is the 12th highest peak in Vermont and one of the hundred highest peaks in New England.

Lincoln Peak (Vermont)

Lincoln Peak is a mountain located on the border between Addison and Washington counties in the U.S. state of Vermont. It is part of the Lincoln Mountain section of the Green Mountains in the Green Mountain National Forest. Lincoln Peak is flanked to the southwest by Mount Abraham, and to the north by Nancy Hanks Peak, which was named after Abraham Lincoln's assassination.

Lincoln Gap is a mountain pass in the Green Mountains of the U.S. state of Vermont. The highest point of the gap is located in the town of Lincoln in Addison County approximately 0.5 miles (0.8 km) west of the boundary between Lincoln and the town of Warren in Washington County.

Mount Grant (Vermont)

Mount Grant is a mountain in the Green Mountains in the U.S. state of Vermont. Located in the Breadloaf Wilderness of the Green Mountain National Forest, its summit is in the town of Lincoln in Addison County. The mountain is named after Ulysses S. Grant, former president of the United States. Mount Grant is one of five peaks in Vermont's Presidential Range.

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Middlebury Gap, is a mountain pass in the Green Mountains of Vermont. The height of land of the pass is located in Addison County.

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Breadloaf Wilderness

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Joseph Battell Wilderness

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Mount Cleveland (Vermont)

Mount Cleveland is a mountain in the Green Mountains in the U.S. state of Vermont. Located in the Breadloaf Wilderness of the Green Mountain National Forest, its summit is in the town of Lincoln in Addison County. The mountain is named after Grover Cleveland, former president of the United States. Mount Cleveland is one of five peaks in Vermont's Presidential Range.

Mount Roosevelt (Vermont)

Mount Roosevelt is a mountain in the Green Mountains in the U.S. state of Vermont. Located in the Breadloaf Wilderness of the Green Mountain National Forest, its summit is in the town of Ripton in Addison County. The mountain is named after Theodore Roosevelt, former president of the United States. Mount Roosevelt is one of five peaks in Vermont's Presidential Range.

References

  1. 1 2 Green Mountain Club (2015). Vermont's Long Trail: A Footpath in the Wilderness (Topographic map) (5th ed.). 1:85,000. Cartography by Center for Community GIS. ISBN   978-1-888021-46-2.
  2. ↑ "Mount Abraham, Vermont". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2008-12-11.
  3. ↑ Bushnell, Mark (September 15, 2019). "Whence Camel's Hump and other Vermont mountain names?". VTDigger . Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  4. ↑ "Breadloaf Wilderness". United States Forest Service . Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  5. ↑ "Mount Abraham; The Protectors Of The Gap And A Plane Wreck". ObscureVermont.com. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  6. ↑ Long Trail Guide (28th ed.). Waterbury Center, Vermont: Green Mountain Club. 2017. ISBN   978-1-888021-48-6.
  7. ↑ Day Hiker's Guide to Vermont (6th ed.). Waterbury Center, Vermont: Green Mountain Club. 2011. ISBN   978-1-888021-35-6.
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