Mount Frissell – Connecticut’s High Point

Among the 50 state High Points, Connecticut’s apex sports a unique trait. Mount Frissell’s peak is actually in Massachusetts, but its southwestern shoulder – right on the border of the two states – happens to be the highest point within Connecticut.

So to stand on the rooftop of Connecticut, one needs not to be on the mountain’s top!

At 2.379 feet above sea level, the High Point is 56 feet taller than Bear Mountain, just 1.8 miles away, which is the tallest peak entirely within Connecticut.

Ranking 36th on the elevation list, not featuring eye-popping relief, and being part of a peak that resides in another state did not inspire much excitement for me when it came to bagging Frissell. I figured it would be a straightforward, short, easy stroll with uneventful views.

Fortunately, I was wrong.

Situated in the picturesque Taconic Mountain Range, the Frissell hike actually included a trio of peaks. In addition to the namesake High Point, we also traversed Round Mountain to the south and Brace Mountain to the west. The trail starts initially in a level forest, but quickly became rocky, to my vast enjoyment.

The trails never included anything that could be termed rock climbing or scrambling, but the terrain provided just enough verticality to become an adventure. Further, Round Mountain and Brace Mountain had bald tops, which provided some stunning, snowy views.

For geography nerds, the Mount Frissell loop packs an extra bonus.

Between the summits of Frissell and Brace, the trail hits a tri-point. The states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York converge in wonderful geometry. An old marker squats at the spot.

The area has a lot to offer, as mountains, rivers, and forests abound. The Massachusetts and Rhode Island High Points are mere hours away. The trek was much more “mountainous” than I imagined, so I was pleasantly surprised with the outing. In fact, in many ways, it was a more technical and demanding journey than the higher and longer hike up Mount Greylock in Massachusetts.

After I created a video about the Greylock excursion we took, I mentioned that my wife had summited Frissell and Greylock while eight months pregnant. One man mistook my statement to mean we would be climbing them soon and expressed that he did not think Frissell would be possible for a woman in late-stage pregnancy. He was shocked to learn she had already completed the climb!

I cobbled together a video of our excursion to Connecticut’s High Point. Please do me the honor of watching it by clicking the link below!