Geography
West Rock Ridge, located in New Haven, Hamden, Woodbridge, and Bethany, Connecticut, is 1 mile (1.6 km) wide at its widest point, although steepness of the terrain make the actual square mileage much larger. Notable peaks on the ridge include the high point, alternately called High Rock or York Mountain, est. 700 feet (213 m), at the north terminus of the ridge; the southern prominence with a summit parking lot, picnic tables, and observation area, usually referred to as West Rock, 400 feet (122 m), and popularly known as the South Overlook; and several knobs in between those two points. Judges Cave is also located at the southern end of the ridge.
West Rock Ridge is an important aquifer. The ridge is bordered on the west by property owned by the South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority; reservoirs include Lake Dawson and Lake Watrous. Konolds Pond, which is not used as a water source, is located just north of Rt. 15 in an industrial area.
The main body of water inside the park is Lake Wintergreen, 44 acres (180,000 m2), located east of the ridge. There is also a small fishing pond located near Mountain Road, and a flood control pond located at the north end of the park. The Wilbur Cross Parkway (Route 15) passes through the south central side of the mountain in the West Rock Tunnel, also known as the Heroes Tunnel. A network of suburban streets abut the mountain on all sides and a seasonal paved park road climbs to the crest of the ridge and along its length. Several communications towers sprout from the ridge crest.
The Metacomet Ridge extends north from West Rock Ridge as Mad Mare Hill and Mount Sanford and northeast as Rocky Top and Sleeping Giant. East of West Rock Ridge, the Metacomet Ridge spreads out into a series of low, parallel ridges toward Saltonstall Mountain in Branford, Connecticut; the only noteworthy summit in between is East Rock which looms over New Haven from the north. The west side of West Rock Ridge drains into West River, then into Long Island Sound; the east side into Belden Brook thence to West River, and the north side into Mill River thence to New Haven Harbor and Long Island Sound.
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—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
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—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)