View source for Green Mountains

{{Short description|Subrange of the Appalachian Mountains in Quebec, Canada and Vermont, United States}}
{{About|the mountain range in Vermont|other uses|Green Mountain (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name = Green Mountains
| photo = South from Mount Mansfield.jpg
| photo_caption = Green Mountains looking south from the summit of [[Mount Mansfield]], the highest point in the range
| parent =[[Appalachian Mountains]]
| location = [[Vermont]]
| highest = [[Mount Mansfield]]
}}

The '''Green Mountains''' are a [[mountain range]] in the [[U.S. state]] of [[Vermont]] and are a [[List of subranges of the Appalachian Mountains|subrange]] of the [[Appalachian Mountains]]. The range runs primarily south to north and extends approximately {{convert|250|mi|km}} 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]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://academics.smcvt.edu/vtgeographic/textbook/mountains/mountains_of_vermont.htm|title=The Mountains of Vermont|publisher=Saint Michael's College|access-date=7 September 2013|archive-date=20 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191220005908/http://academics.smcvt.edu/vtgeographic/textbook/mountains/mountains_of_vermont.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> or the Berkshire Hills<ref>{{Cite gnis|id=619372|name=Berkshire Hills|access-date=27 November 2016}}</ref> (with the Connecticut portion, mostly in [[Litchfield County, Connecticut|Litchfield County]], locally called the Northwest Hills or Litchfield Hills) and the Quebec portion is called the Sutton Mountains, or ''{{ill|Monts Sutton|fr}}'' in French.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.toponymie.gouv.qc.ca/ct/toposweb/fiche.aspx?no_seq=61211|title=Monts Sutton|publisher=Commission de toponymie Québec|access-date=7 September 2013}}</ref>

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 [[Northeast Kingdom|Northeastern Highlands]], are not geologically part of the Green Mountains.

==Peaks==
[[Image:GreenMtns fromJayPeak.jpg|thumb|right|Green Mountains looking south from [[Jay Peak (Vermont)|Jay Peak]]]]
[[Image:Northern Green Mtns.jpg|thumb|right|Jay Peak, located at the northern end of the Green Mountains in Vermont]]
[[Image:greenmountains.jpg|thumb|right|Green Mountains outside of [[Montpelier, Vermont]]]]
The best-known mountains—for reasons such as high elevation, ease of public access by road or trail (especially the [[Long Trail]] and [[Appalachian Trail]]), or with ski resorts or towns nearby—in the range include:<ref>Peak elevations taken from {{cite web|title=Mountain Peaks, Summits, and High Points|url=http://www.mountainzone.com/mountains|access-date=17 January 2010}}</ref>

# [[Mount Mansfield]], {{convert|4395|ft|m}}, the highest point in Vermont
# [[Killington Peak]], {{convert|4241|ft|m}}
# [[Camel's Hump]], {{convert|4084|ft|m}}
# [[Mount Ellen (Vermont)|Mount Ellen]], {{convert|4083|ft|m}}
# [[Mount Abraham (Vermont)|Mount Abraham]], {{convert|4017|ft|m}}
# [[Pico Peak]], {{convert|3957|ft|m}}
# [[Stratton Mountain (Vermont)|Stratton Mountain]], {{convert|3940|ft|m}}
# [[Jay Peak (Vermont)|Jay Peak]], {{convert|3862|ft|m}}, receives the most snowfall on average in the eastern United States.<ref>{{cite book | author = Wheeler, Scott |title = The Man Who Helped Electrify the Jay Peak Ski Area | publisher = Northland Journal |date=February 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | author = McLean, Dan |title = Investors purchase Jay Peak | publisher = Burlington Free Press | date = July 1, 2008}}</ref>
# [[Bread Loaf Mountain]], {{convert|3835|ft|m}}
# [[Mount Wilson (Vermont)|Mount Wilson]], {{convert|3780|ft|m}}
# [[Glastenbury Mountain]], {{convert|3748|ft|m}}
# [[Burke Mountain (Vermont)|Burke Mountain]], {{convert|3280|ft|m|}}<!--not part of the Green Mountain range-->

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]].<ref name="Ecoregions">{{cite journal|author=Olson, D. M, E. Dinerstein |title=Terrestrial Ecoregions of the World: A New Map of Life on Earth |journal=[[BioScience]] |year=2001 |volume=51 |issue=11 |pages=933–938 |doi=10.1641/0006-3568(2001)051[0933:TEOTWA]2.0.CO;2 |display-authors=etal |doi-access=free }}</ref>

Three peaks—Mount Mansfield, Camel's Hump, and Mount Abraham—support [[alpine plant|alpine vegetation]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Joseph |first=Adam |date=2017-06-02 |title=Leave No Trace in the Alpine Zone |url=https://www.greenmountainclub.org/leave-no-trace-alpine-zone/ |access-date=2023-10-05 |website=Green Mountain Club |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Tourism==
Some of the mountains are developed for [[skiing]] and other snow-related activities. Others have hiking trails for use in summer.<ref>[http://www.summitpost.org/green-mountains-vermont/170967 Green Mountains (Vermont) : Climbing, Hiking & Mountaineering]. SummitPost. Retrieved on 2013-07-12.</ref> 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 {{frac|3}} of its length.

==History==
The [[Vermont Republic]], also known as the Green Mountain Republic,<ref>See, e.g., Robert Temple, ''Edge Effects: The Border-Name Places'' (2008), p. 6; Paul Finkelman and Stephen E. Gottlieb, ''Toward a Usable Past: Liberty Under State Constitutions'' (University of Georgia Press, 2009), p. 375; Ralph Nading Hill, ''The College on the Hill: A Dartmouth Chronicle'' (Dartmouth Publications: 1965), pp. 46, 50; Vermont Historical Society, ''Vermont History'', Vol. 66-67 (1998), p. 87.</ref> existed from 1777 to 1791, at which time Vermont became the 14th state.

Vermont not only takes its [[state nickname]] ("The Green Mountain State") 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 [[Thomas Young (American revolutionary)|Dr. Thomas Young]], an American revolutionary and [[Boston Tea Party]] participant.  The [[University of Vermont|University of Vermont and State Agricultural College]] is referred to as UVM, after the Latin ''Universitas Viridis Montis'' (University of the Green Mountains).<ref>[http://www.uvm.edu/about_uvm/?Page=history/default.html&SM=historysubmenu.html History and Traditions] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150520000000/https://web.archive.org/web/20150520020011/http://www.uvm.edu/about_uvm?Page=history%2Fdefault.html&SM=historysubmenu.html |date=2015-05-20 }}, University of Vermont.</ref>

==Geology and physiography==
[[Image:NortheastAppalachiansMap.gif|thumb|right|320px|Map of the main regions of the northern Appalachians]]
The Green Mountains are a [[Physiographic regions of the world|physiographic section]] of the larger [[New England province]], which in turn is part of the larger [[Appalachian Mountains|Appalachian]] physiographic division.<ref name="USGS-Water">{{cite web |title=Physiographic divisions of the conterminous U. S. |publisher=U.S. Geological Survey |url=https://water.usgs.gov/GIS/metadata/usgswrd/XML/physio.xml |access-date=2007-12-06 }}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Green Mountain National Forest]]
* [[Green Mountain Parkway]]
* [[Green Mountain Boys]]—[[paramilitary]] infantry led by [[Ethan Allen]] that took [[Fort Ticonderoga]] during the [[American Revolution]]
* [[Green Mountain Club]]
* [[List of subranges of the Appalachian Mountains]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikivoyage-inline|Green Mountains}}
{{AmCyc Poster}}
* {{GNIS|1460934|Green Mountains}}
* {{Cite NSRW|short=x|wstitle=Green Mountains}}

{{Vermont}}
{{Mountains of Quebec}}
{{Mountains of Vermont}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Coord|44|47|30|N|72|34|58|W|type:mountain_region:US-VT_dim:50km_source:GNIS|display=title}}

[[Category:Landforms of Addison County, Vermont]]
[[Category:Landforms of Bennington County, Vermont]]
[[Category:Landforms of Chittenden County, Vermont]]
[[Category:Landforms of Lamoille County, Vermont]]
[[Category:Landforms of Orleans County, Vermont]]
[[Category:Landforms of Rutland County, Vermont]]
[[Category:Landforms of Washington County, Vermont]]
[[Category:Landforms of Windham County, Vermont]]
[[Category:Mountain ranges of Quebec]]
[[Category:Mountain ranges of Vermont]]
[[Category:Physiographic sections]]
[[Category:Regions of Vermont]]
[[Category:Subranges of the Appalachian Mountains]]
[[Category:Culture of Vermont]]