Wolf Rock, Connecticut

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Wolf Rock Nature Preserve
Wolf Rock (looking out at view), Mansfield, CT - October 2020.jpg
Wolf Rock
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Map of Connecticut
Location Mansfield, Connecticut
Coordinates 41°45′35″N72°12′47″W / 41.759607°N 72.213017°W / 41.759607; -72.213017
Area108 acres (44 ha)
Governing body Joshua's Trust
joshuastrust.org/wolf-rock-nature-preserve

Wolf Rock, also known as Wolfpit Rocks, Woolfes Rocks, and Wolfe's Rock is the name of a notable gneiss and quartz conglomerate glacial erratic in Mansfield, Connecticut, perched atop a 40-foot cliff. The rock itself is six feet tall and almost round. [1] The surrounding landscape also contains many boulders and crags. The rock was once part of a tower used to view the landscape.

Contents

The Wolf Rock Nature Preserve which holds Wolf Rock is 108 acres in total. It is the first acquisition of the Joshua's Trust and includes part of the Nipmuck Trail. [2]

The Wolf Rock Nature Preserve is adjacent to Sawmill Brook Preserve and contains many trails. It is popular with rock climbers. [3] It is mentioned as far back as the eighteenth century and was included in various deeds. [4] It was named for the wolves which once lived here, and thus is often incorrectly associated with Israel Putnam. It also may have referred to a person with a similar last name.

Though the rock is situated on a 40-foot part of the ledge, the ledge itself goes up to 544 feet and dips down to 25 feet in some places. [5] There is a cairn located nearby. [6]

View of Wolf Rock looking towards trail (October 2020) Wolf Rock (looking in towards trail), Mansfield, CT - October 2020.jpg
View of Wolf Rock looking towards trail (October 2020)
Glacial rock in Wolf Rock Nature Preserve (October 2020) Glacial rock in Wolf Rock Nature Preserve, Mansfield, CT - October 2020.jpg
Glacial rock in Wolf Rock Nature Preserve (October 2020)

See also

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Coney Rock is a 600 foot tall, 1,000 foot long, glacially formed granite and gneiss ridge in Storrs, Connecticut, part of the town of Mansfield. It is part of the 200-acre Coney Rock Preserve owned partly by the Town and partly by Joshua's Trust that includes the remains of an old farm, a marsh, a hemlock grove, a hornbeam stand, a birch grove, and glacial erratics, as well as five miles of white and yellow blazed trails. There is a memorial bench at the peak. According to local legend, one can see Rhode Island from the ridge. The cliff is stepped.

References

  1. Lopes, Janet. "Double Dose of Treasures for Hikers at Mansfield Preserves".
  2. Marteka, Peter. "Glacial Rock Highlights Mansfield's Wolf Rock Preserve".
  3. "Wolf Rock, 5.1-5.9 : Climbing, Hiking & Mountaineering : SummitPost".
  4. "Wolf Rock Nature Preserve". 22 November 2013.
  5. "Wolf Rock".
  6. "Wolf Rock Nature Preserve". 8 October 2016.