| Jay Peak | |
|---|---|
 Jay Peak in January, with anaerial tramway car visible to the right of the summit | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 3,862 ft (1,177 m)[1] |
| Prominence | 2,952 ft (900 m)[2] |
| Listing | #8New England Fifty Finest #81New England 100 Highest |
| Coordinates | 44°55′27″N72°31′32″W / 44.924184297°N 72.525628839°W /44.924184297; -72.525628839[1] |
| Geography | |
 | |
| Location | Orleans County,Vermont |
| Parent range | Green Mountains |
| Topo map | USGS Jay Peak |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | maintained hiking trail |
Jay Peak is amountain located about 5 miles (8.0 km) south of theCanada–US border, inJay andWestfield,Orleans County,Vermont, of which it is the highest point. Most of the mountain is inJay State Forest. The mountain is named for the town of Jay, Vermont, in which much of the mountain except the peak area itself is located.
The town of Jay is in turn named forJohn Jay, the first Chief Justice of the United States and a local landholder. Jay Peak is part of the northernGreen Mountains. The mountain is flanked to the southwest byBig Jay, and to the north by North Jay Peak (3,438 ft / 1,048 m).
The mountain is in thewatershed of theMissisquoi River, which drains intoLake Champlain, thence intoCanada'sRichelieu River, theSaint Lawrence River, and finally into theGulf of Saint Lawrence. The south side of the mountain drains into Jay Brook, thence west into the Trout River and the Missisquoi River. The northwest side of the mountain drains into Black Falls Brook, and thence into the Trout River. The north and northeast sides of the mountain drain east into the Jay Branch of the Missisquoi River.
Jay Peak is the northernmost major mountain crossed by theLong Trail, a 272-mile (438-km) hikingtrail running the length of Vermont. TheJay Peak Resort is on the mountain's northeast side.
| Climate data for Jay Peak 44.9253 N, 72.5253 W, Elevation: 3,419 ft (1,042 m) (1991–2020 normals) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 19.2 (−7.1) | 20.7 (−6.3) | 28.2 (−2.1) | 42.4 (5.8) | 56.3 (13.5) | 64.4 (18.0) | 68.8 (20.4) | 67.4 (19.7) | 61.4 (16.3) | 48.3 (9.1) | 34.4 (1.3) | 24.7 (−4.1) | 44.7 (7.0) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 11.2 (−11.6) | 12.8 (−10.7) | 20.7 (−6.3) | 34.1 (1.2) | 47.7 (8.7) | 56.8 (13.8) | 61.5 (16.4) | 60.0 (15.6) | 53.5 (11.9) | 41.0 (5.0) | 28.1 (−2.2) | 17.9 (−7.8) | 37.1 (2.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 3.2 (−16.0) | 4.9 (−15.1) | 13.3 (−10.4) | 25.7 (−3.5) | 39.2 (4.0) | 49.2 (9.6) | 54.2 (12.3) | 52.7 (11.5) | 45.5 (7.5) | 33.6 (0.9) | 21.8 (−5.7) | 11.1 (−11.6) | 29.5 (−1.4) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 4.69 (119) | 5.00 (127) | 5.53 (140) | 4.59 (117) | 5.72 (145) | 6.70 (170) | 6.46 (164) | 6.18 (157) | 5.60 (142) | 7.23 (184) | 5.66 (144) | 6.96 (177) | 70.32 (1,786) |
| Source: PRISM Climate Group[3] | |||||||||||||
On November 10, 1943, aRoyal Canadian Air Force training plane crashed into the west side of the mountain near the top during a blinding snowfall killing one crew member.[4]
In the mid-1950s brothersErnest W. Gilpin andWallace H. Gilpin, both state legislators and newspaper men, began and achieved their campaign to construct a highway over the south flank of Jay Peak, to connect Troy toMontgomery, Vermont. The Starr family of Troy donated portions of land for the right-of-way for theVermont Route 242 construction.
The peaks across the highway to the south are named for the brothers Gilpin, "Gilpin Mountain", a stone monument, was dedicated to them and sits at the main entrance to Jay Peak Resort at the highway.
To find the table data on the PRISM website, start by clickingCoordinates (underLocation); copyLatitude andLongitude figures from top of table; clickZoom to location; clickPrecipitation, Minimum temp, Mean temp, Maximum temp; click30-year normals, 1991-2020; click800m; clickRetrieve Time Series button.
