Talcott Mountain - Geography

Geography

The Talcott Mountain ridgeline, located in Farmington, West Hartford, Avon, Bloomfield, and Simsbury, Connecticut, is composed of a tiered series of west facing cliffs punctuated by knobs and peaks. Two of the ridge tiers are distinct along most of the mountain's length; additional tiers manifest themselves over shorter sections of the mountain. Talcott Mountain is 3 miles (5 km) at its widest point. Notable peaks on the ridge include the high point, on which stands the historic Heublein Tower, 950 ft (290 m); Ely Mound, 820 ft (250 m), a conical peak south of the main summit overlooking Ely Pond; Kilkenny Rocks, 730 ft (223 m), an exposed ledge near the southern end of the mountain; King Phillip Mountain, 920 ft (280 m), just north of the main summit; Burnt Hill, 447 ft (136 m), a summit located on the southeast side of the mountain; and The Pinnacle (not to be confused with Pinnacle Rock of Farmington Connecticut, also part of the Metacomet Ridge to the south), 737 ft (225 m), in Penwood State Park, just north of the centerpoint of the mountain.

Talcott Mountain is an important aquifer serving metropolitan Hartford and several other communities. Notable reservoirs and other bodies of water on the mountain include: Wash Brook Pond; Lake Louise, a glacial kettle pond with a swamp boardwalk, observation platform, and waterfall; Hartford Reservoirs #'s 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6; Hoe Pond; Ely Pond; Dyke Pond; and Woodridge Lake.

Talcott Mountain is traversed by the following roads (from south to north), Connecticut Route 4, U.S. Route 44, and Connecticut Route 185. A network of suburban streets climb the southern slopes of the mountain, and a number of communications towers sprout from the summit peaks.

The Metacomet Ridge extends north from Talcott Mountain as Hatchet Hill and south as Farmington Mountain. The north and west sides of the mountain drain into the Farmington River, thence into the Connecticut River and Long Island Sound. The Farmington River runs along the east base of the mountain, cutting through the Metacomet Ridge between Talcott Mountain and Hatchet Hill at the Tarrifville Gorge. The east side of the mountain drains into the Park River, thence into the Connecticut River and Long Island Sound.