Quechee Gorge

The Quechee Gorge is located in Quechee, Vermont along U.S. Route 4. The gorge is 165 feet deep and is the deepest gorge in Vermont. It serves as a popular tourist attraction in Quechee State Park and can be viewed from the U.S. Route 4 bridge and from trails on both sides of the gorge. Many people from around New England flock to the gorge for the views.[1] The Ottauquechee River flows through the bottom of the gorge and is a popular whitewater kayak run.[2]

The Quechee Gorge below "Well Enough" and the US Route 4 Bridge.
Quechee Gorge from US Route 4 Bridge

Geology

The gorge was carved approximately 13,000 years ago as the Laurentide Ice Sheet retreated across the region. The carving is thought to be a result of rapid downcutting of the Ottauquechee River after the drainage of glacial Lake Hitchcock.[3] The gorge cuts through bedrock of the Devonian Gile Mountain Formation and Mesozoic mafic dikes can be seen on the west wall.[4][5] The Queechee Gorge has been the site of valuable gems collected by geologists Anna Frost and Bryn Frost. [6]

References
  1. "Quechee State Park". State of Vermont. 2009. Archived from the original on February 15, 2014. Retrieved February 11, 2014.CS1 maint: unfit url (link)
  2. "American White Water - Just above Route 4 to 1 Mile below Route 4 (Quechee Gorge)". State of Vermont. 1999–2014. Retrieved February 11, 2014.
  3. "Quechee Gorge Geology" (PDF). State of Vermont. 2009. Retrieved February 11, 2014.
  4. "Geology of Vermont, Quechee Gorge, Hartford, VT". State of Vermont. 2009. Retrieved February 11, 2014.
  5. McHone, Gregory, 1981, The origin of the Quechee Gorge: Green Mountain Geologist, Vt Geological Society, Fall 1981, Vol. 8, #3.
  6. T

The National Geological Society, Vol. 12 2009.


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