Ragged Mountain (New Hampshire)
Encyclopedia
Ragged Mountain is a low mountain with numerous knobby summits in the towns of Danbury
and Andover
in central New Hampshire
. It is home to the Ragged Mountain ski resort.
The Bulkhead, a 300 feet (91.4 m) granite cliff, juts out on the east end of Ragged Mountain. A seldom-used rock climbing
destination, The Bulkhead is also the last place peregrine falcons have nested in the Sunapee-Kearsarge region of New Hampshire. The Bulkhead can be reached from The Bulkhead Trail at the headwaters of Mitchell Brook on Proctor Academy
's campus. From the Andover town green, the hike takes roughly an hour and twenty minutes.
The 75 mile long Sunapee
–Ragged–Kearsarge (SRK) Greenway, a hiking trail, traverses the summit and subsidiary knobs of the mountain. The trailheads are at Proctor Academy on NH Route 11
in Andover and, on the northern side, on New Canada Road in Danbury.
via Bog Brook. The western, southern, and eastern sides of the mountain drain into the Blackwater River
. The entire mountain is situated within the Merrimack River
watershed
, which empties into the Gulf of Maine
(Atlantic Ocean
) near Newburyport, Massachusetts
.
Water bodies around the base of the mountain are (listed counter-clockwise, starting to the west) Eagle Pond, Cold Pond, Hopkins Pond
, Elbow Pond, and Bog Pond.
Danbury, New Hampshire
In 1800, there were 165 people living in Danbury, according to the first official census.As of the 2000 census, there were 1,071 people, 435 households, and 310 families residing in the town. The population density was 28.6 people per square mile . There were 596 housing units at an average...
and Andover
Andover, New Hampshire
Andover is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,371 at the 2010 census. Andover includes the villages of Cilleyville, Potter Place, and East Andover, in addition to the town center...
in central 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...
. It is home to the Ragged Mountain ski resort.
Geography
In his book, The History of the Town of Andover, John R. Eastman describes Ragged Mountain as a "truly ragged pile of ledge and boulder, crag and cliff, hill and ravine." An east-west running, detached mountain, Ragged Mountain contains two prominent peaks separated by a shallow notch. The tallest peak, The Pinnacle, lies in the town of Andover at 2286 feet (696.8 m); the second peak, at the top of Ragged Mountain Ski Resort, is 2225 feet (678.2 m) and sits in the town of Danbury.The Bulkhead, a 300 feet (91.4 m) granite cliff, juts out on the east end of Ragged Mountain. A seldom-used rock climbing
Rock climbing
Rock climbing also lightly called 'The Gravity Game', is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling...
destination, The Bulkhead is also the last place peregrine falcons have nested in the Sunapee-Kearsarge region of New Hampshire. The Bulkhead can be reached from The Bulkhead Trail at the headwaters of Mitchell Brook on Proctor Academy
Proctor Academy
Proctor Academy is a coeducational, independent preparatory boarding school for grades 9-12 located on in Andover, New Hampshire.-Origin:Andover Academy was established in 1848 by the Town of Andover. The idea of the school spawned from a sewing group conversation between the wives of the area's...
's campus. From the Andover town green, the hike takes roughly an hour and twenty minutes.
The 75 mile long Sunapee
Mount Sunapee
Mount Sunapee is a -long mountain ridge in the towns of Newbury and Goshen in western New Hampshire. Its highest peak, at the north end of the mountain, is above sea level. The mountain has three secondary peaks, White Ledges at ; North Peak at ; and South Peak at...
–Ragged–Kearsarge (SRK) Greenway, a hiking trail, traverses the summit and subsidiary knobs of the mountain. The trailheads are at Proctor Academy on NH Route 11
New Hampshire Route 11
New Hampshire Route 11 is a long east–west state highway in New Hampshire, running westward along the southern shore of Lake Winnipesaukee. Its eastern terminus is at the Maine state line in the city of Rochester, where it continues north as Maine State Route 11. U.S. Route 202, which runs...
in Andover and, on the northern side, on New Canada Road in Danbury.
Hydrology
The northern side of Ragged Mountain drains into the Smith RiverSmith River (Pemigewasset River)
The Smith River is a river located in central New Hampshire in the United States. It is a tributary of the Pemigewasset River, part of the Merrimack River watershed....
via Bog Brook. The western, southern, and eastern sides of the mountain drain into the Blackwater River
Blackwater River (Contoocook River)
The Blackwater River is a river located in central New Hampshire in the United States. It is a tributary of the Contoocook River, part of the Merrimack River watershed....
. The entire mountain is situated within 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...
watershed
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
, which empties into the Gulf of Maine
Gulf of Maine
The Gulf of Maine is a large gulf of the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast of North America.It is delineated by Cape Cod at the eastern tip of Massachusetts in the southwest and Cape Sable at the southern tip of Nova Scotia in the northeast. It includes the entire coastlines of the U.S...
(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...
) near Newburyport, Massachusetts
Newburyport, Massachusetts
Newburyport is a small coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, 35 miles northeast of Boston. The population was 21,189 at the 2000 census. A historic seaport with a vibrant tourism industry, Newburyport includes part of Plum Island...
.
Water bodies around the base of the mountain are (listed counter-clockwise, starting to the west) Eagle Pond, Cold Pond, Hopkins Pond
Hopkins Pond (New Hampshire)
Hopkins Pond is located on the south slope of Ragged Mountain, less than two miles northeast of downtown Andover, New Hampshire at in elevation. The pond is part of Proctor Academy's campus in Andover and is jointly managed by Proctor and the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department...
, Elbow Pond, and Bog Pond.