Mount Watatic
Encyclopedia
Mount Watatic is a 1832 feet (558.4 m) monadnock
located on the Massachusetts
-New Hampshire
border, at the southern end of the Wapack Range
of mountains. It lies within Ashburnham, Massachusetts
, Ashby, Massachusetts
, and New Ipswich, New Hampshire
; the 22 miles (35.4 km) Wapack Trail
and the 92 miles (148.1 km) Midstate Trail both cross the mountain. The Yellow Arrow trail is 1.1 miles.
The east and south side of the mountain drains into the Souhegan River
watershed, to the Merrimack River
thence the Atlantic Ocean
; the west and north sides drain into the Millers River
watershed, to the Connecticut River
, thence into Long Island Sound
.
Mount Watatic was the site of a ski area that operated from 1965 until closing in 1984. An attempt to reopen the ski area in 1988 failed. The bald summit of the mountain featured a fire tower
, open to the public, until its removal in 1997.
In 2000, the summit of the mountain was sold to Industrial Communications and Electronics for the development of a 150 feet (45.7 m) cellular telephone tower
and a road to the summit. In 2002, prior to development of the communications tower, the mountain was purchased for $2,500,000 by the Ashby Land Trust, the Town of Ashby, the Ashburnham Conservation Trust, the Town of Ashburnham, Mass Dept of Fish and Wildlife and Mass Dept of Conservation and Recreation. Unfortunately by this point a road had already been blasted into the ski area (back) side of the mountain, making several of the still maintained ski trails unusable. The purchase resulted in the permanent protection of approximately 281 acres (1.1 km²) of the mountain, including the summit, as conservation land
. In July 2010, Mount Watatic was named one of the "1000 Great Places in Massachusetts" by the State Commission of Massachusetts.
Monadnock
A monadnock or inselberg is an isolated rock hill, knob, ridge, or small mountain that rises abruptly from a gently sloping or virtually level surrounding plain...
located on the Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
-New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
border, at the southern end of the Wapack Range
Wapack Range
The Wapack Range, sometimes referred to as the Pack Monadnock Range, is a 20-mile range of mountains in south-central New Hampshire and adjacent Massachusetts. The range is considered very scenic and rugged with many bare summits and ledges ranging from 1,800 feet to 2,290 feet. The 22 mile Wapack...
of mountains. It lies within Ashburnham, Massachusetts
Ashburnham, Massachusetts
As of the census of 2000, there were 5,546 people, 1,929 households, and 1,541 families residing in the town. The population density was 143.4 people per square mile . There were 2,204 housing units at an average density of 57.0 per square mile...
, Ashby, Massachusetts
Ashby, Massachusetts
Ashby is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 3,120 as of the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and is water....
, and New Ipswich, New Hampshire
New Ipswich, New Hampshire
New Ipswich is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 5,099 at the 2010 census. New Ipswich, situated on the Massachusetts border, includes the villages of Bank, Davis, Gibson Four Corners, Highbridge, New Ipswich Center, Smithville, and Wilder, though these...
; the 22 miles (35.4 km) Wapack Trail
Wapack Trail
The Wapack Trail is one of the oldest public, interstate hiking trails in the United States. Opened in 1923, it follows the Wapack Range north-south for , between Mount Watatic in Ashburnham, Massachusetts and North Pack Monadnock mountain in Greenfield, New Hampshire...
and the 92 miles (148.1 km) Midstate Trail both cross the mountain. The Yellow Arrow trail is 1.1 miles.
The east and south side of the mountain drains into the Souhegan River
Souhegan River
The Souhegan River is a tributary of the Merrimack River in the northeastern United States. long with a drainage area of , it flows north and east through southern New Hampshire to the Merrimack River....
watershed, to the Merrimack River
Merrimack River
The Merrimack River is a river in the northeastern United States. It rises at the confluence of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee rivers in Franklin, New Hampshire, flows southward into Massachusetts, and then flows northeast until it empties into the Atlantic Ocean at Newburyport...
thence the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
; the west and north sides drain into the Millers River
Millers River
The Millers River is a river in northern Massachusetts, originating in Ashburnham and joining the Connecticut River just downstream from Millers Falls, Massachusetts...
watershed, to the Connecticut River
Connecticut River
The Connecticut River is the largest and longest river in New England, and also an American Heritage River. It flows roughly south, starting from the Fourth Connecticut Lake in New Hampshire. After flowing through the remaining Connecticut Lakes and Lake Francis, it defines the border between the...
, thence into Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound is an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean, located in the United States between Connecticut to the north and Long Island, New York to the south. The mouth of the Connecticut River at Old Saybrook, Connecticut, empties into the sound. On its western end the sound is bounded by the Bronx...
.
Mount Watatic was the site of a ski area that operated from 1965 until closing in 1984. An attempt to reopen the ski area in 1988 failed. The bald summit of the mountain featured a fire tower
Fire lookout
A fire lookout is a person assigned the duty to look for fire from atop a building known as a fire lookout tower. These towers are used in remote areas, normally on mountain tops with high elevation and a good view of the surrounding terrain, to spot smoke caused by a wildfire.Once a possible fire...
, open to the public, until its removal in 1997.
Conservation
Radio masts and towers
Radio masts and towers are, typically, tall structures designed to support antennas for telecommunications and broadcasting, including television. They are among the tallest man-made structures...
and a road to the summit. In 2002, prior to development of the communications tower, the mountain was purchased for $2,500,000 by the Ashby Land Trust, the Town of Ashby, the Ashburnham Conservation Trust, the Town of Ashburnham, Mass Dept of Fish and Wildlife and Mass Dept of Conservation and Recreation. Unfortunately by this point a road had already been blasted into the ski area (back) side of the mountain, making several of the still maintained ski trails unusable. The purchase resulted in the permanent protection of approximately 281 acres (1.1 km²) of the mountain, including the summit, as conservation land
Conservation movement
The conservation movement, also known as nature conservation, is a political, environmental and a social movement that seeks to protect natural resources including animal, fungus and plant species as well as their habitat for the future....
. In July 2010, Mount Watatic was named one of the "1000 Great Places in Massachusetts" by the State Commission of Massachusetts.