Crag Mountain (Massachusetts)

This article is about the mountain in Massachusetts. For other uses, see Crag Mountain (disambiguation).

Crag Mountain closure sign located at the Gulf Road M & M trailhead due to landowner's request of the Berkshire Chapter AMC.

Crag Mountain
View from Crag Mountain; Northfield Mountain Reservoir in distance
Highest point
Elevation	1,503 ft (458 m)
Parent peak	Brush Mountain
Coordinates	42°38′36″N 72°25′05″W
Geography
Location	Northfield, Massachusetts
Geology
Rock age	400 million years
Mountain type(s)	Arête; quartzite
Climbing
Easiest route	Metacomet-Monadnock Trail

Crag Mountain, 1,503 feet (458 m), of the Bald Hills region of east Franklin County, Massachusetts is the southern and most apparent summit of Brush Mountain, 1,507 feet (459 m). Narrow and precipitous, the mountain offers expansive views from its open, knife-edge summit. Crag Mountain is composed of quartzite, a weather-resistant metamorphic rock. The 114 mile (183 km) Metacomet-Monadnock Trail traverses its summit ridge. Crag Mountain is located within the town of Northfield, Massachusetts.

The west side of Crag Mountain flows into Fourmile Brook, then into the Connecticut River, which flows into Long Island Sound. The east side flows into Jack's Brook and Keyup Brook, then into the Millers River, thence the Connecticut River and Long Island Sound.

Recreation

Currently (August 2018), the Crag Mountain summit is closed to thru hikers on the M & M Trail at the request of the landowner. The trail remains blazed with white blazes from Gulf Road in a southerly direction to within a half mile of the summit (marked with three USGS benchmarks). Orange blazes and a well-marked trail continue southerly to the open summit, which affords views of Mt. Monadnock, Mt. Wachusett, and what appears to be Stratton Mountain (VT) to the northwest.

References

• The Metacomet-Monadnock Trail Guide 10th edition, (2005). Amherst, Massachusetts: Appalachian Mountain Club.