Green Mountains


The Green Mountains are a mountain range in the U.S. state of Vermont and are a subrange of the Appalachian Mountains. The range runs primarily south to north and extends approximately from the border with Massachusetts to the border with Quebec, Canada. The part of the same range that is in Massachusetts and Connecticut is known as the Berkshires or the Berkshire Hills and the Quebec portion is called the Sutton Mountains, or in French.
All mountains in Vermont are often referred to as the "Green Mountains". However, other ranges within Vermont, including the Taconic Mountains in southwestern Vermont and the Northeastern Highlands, are not geologically part of the Green Mountains.

Peaks

The best-known mountains—for reasons such as high elevation, ease of public access by road or trail, or with ski resorts or towns nearby—in the range include:
  1. Mount Mansfield,, the highest point in Vermont
  2. Killington Peak,
  3. Camel's Hump,
  4. Mount Ellen,
  5. Mount Abraham,
  6. Pico Peak,
  7. Stratton Mountain,
  8. Jay Peak,, receives the most snowfall on average in the eastern United States.
  9. Bread Loaf Mountain,
  10. Mount Wilson,
  11. Glastenbury Mountain,
  12. Burke Mountain,
The Green Mountains are part of the Appalachian Mountains, a range that stretches from Quebec in the north to Alabama in the south. The Green Mountains are part of the New England/Acadian forests ecoregion.
Three peaks—Mount Mansfield, Camel's Hump, and Mount Abraham—support alpine vegetation.

Tourism

Some of the mountains are developed for skiing and other snow-related activities. Others have hiking trails for use in summer. Mansfield, Killington, Pico, and Ellen have downhill ski resorts on their slopes. All of the major peaks are traversed by the Long Trail, a wilderness hiking trail that runs from the southern to northern borders of the state and is overlapped by the Appalachian Trail for roughly of its length.

History

The Vermont Republic, also known as the Green Mountain Republic, existed from 1777 to 1791, at which time Vermont became the 14th state.
Vermont not only takes its state nickname from the mountains, it is named after them. The French Monts Verts or Verts Monts is literally translated as "Green Mountains". This name was suggested in 1777 by Dr. Thomas Young, an American revolutionary and Boston Tea Party participant. The University of Vermont and State Agricultural College is referred to as UVM, after the Latin Universitas Viridis Montis.

Geology and physiography

The Green Mountains are a physiographic section of the larger New England province, which in turn is part of the larger Appalachian physiographic division.