Mount Race | |
Elevation Ft: | 2365 |
Prominence Ft: | 453 |
Location: | Southwest Berkshire County, Massachusetts |
Range: | Taconic Mountains |
Coordinates: | 42.0825°N 73.4322°W |
Type: | Thrust fault |
Age: | Ordovician |
Easiest Route: | Race Brook Falls Trail and Appalachian Trail |
Mount Race, 2365feet, is a mountain in Berkshire County, Massachusetts. It shares many characteristics with the slightly higher Mount Everett about a mile to the north. Part of the Taconic Mountains, Race is known for its waterfalls, an eastern escarpment of nearly 2,000 feet, and expansive views. The Appalachian Trail crosses its summit, which has an open forest of dwarf pitch pine and scrub oak.
Both Race Brook Falls and Bear Rock Falls spill from the steep eastern slopes of Mount Race, the summit of which is part of a divide between the Hudson and Housatonic rivers. The peak bears the surname of William Race, a local resident killed in 1755 by agents of Livingston Manor in a colonial border dispute concerning ownership and farm tenancy.[1] [2] [3]
Western slopes are in the town of Mount Washington, and the east slopes are in Sheffield, Massachusetts. Much of the mountain is part of Mount Washington State Forest; other parcels are privately held.