Big Jay is a 3,786-foot (1,154 m) mountain in the northern Green Mountains of Vermont , located on the border of Franklin and Orleans counties.
15-563: The summit of Big Jay is the highest point of Franklin County. Big Jay is flanked to the south by Little Jay (3,182 ft or 970 m), and to the northeast by Jay Peak (3,865 ft or 1,178 m), the highest summit of the Jay Peak complex. Jay Peak is named for John Jay (1745–1829) of New York , one of the founding fathers of the United States . Big Jay stands within the watershed of
30-479: A blinding snowfall killing one crew member. In the mid-1950s brothers Ernest W. Gilpin and Wallace 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 to Montgomery, Vermont . The Starr family of Troy donated portions of land for the right-of-way for the Vermont Route 242 construction. The peaks across
45-514: Is in Jay 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 for John Jay , the first Chief Justice of the United States and a local landholder. Jay Peak is part of the northern Green Mountains . The mountain is flanked to the southwest by Big Jay , and to the north by North Jay Peak (3,438 ft / 1,048 m). The mountain
60-725: Is in the watershed of the Missisquoi River , which drains into Lake Champlain , thence into Canada 's Richelieu River , the Saint Lawrence River , and finally into the Gulf 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
75-555: The Jay–;Troy State Highway (which was 4.097 miles (6.593 km) long) and the Montgomery State Highway (3.382 miles (5.443 km) and consisted only of the route in the town of Montgomery). By petition, the state of Vermont re-designated the section between Jay and Troy as VT 242 in 1959. The section through the town of Montgomery was added on May 1, 1964. The remaining 4.965-mile (7.990 km) segment, located in
90-572: The Mountain Road moniker as it runs along Jay Peak . The route passes through dense woods along Jay Peak, running up the mountainside. After making a northwestern jog, VT 242 turns northeast, passing Access Road, which connects drivers to Jay Peak Ski Resort . Winding northeast, the route parallels Access Road, which soon meets Shortcut, which connects back to VT 242. Now in the town of Jay , VT 242 runs northeast past some residences before bending east to Graham Hill Road. At that junction,
105-556: The Trout River, a tributary of the Missisquoi River , which drains into Lake Champlain , thence into Canada 's Richelieu River , the Saint Lawrence River , and into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence . The east and southeast sides of Big Jay drain into Jay Brook, which joins the South Branch Trout River in Montgomery to form the Trout River. The southwest and western sides of Big Jay drain into Hannah Clark Brook, and thence into
120-536: The Trout. The northern end of Big Jay drains into Black Falls Brook, and thence into the Trout. There is no official hiking trail on Big Jay, although there is a herd path to the summit from Jay Peak. There is also a summit register. In the summer of 2007 two men cut an illegal ski trail several hundred yards down the eastern side of the protected habitat. The offense carries a maximum $ 5,000 fine and five years in jail. Hikers and skiers have been encouraged to stay away from
135-453: The hamlet, turning east through the town of Montgomery, into a mix of dense woods and residences. The route winds east for a distance, reaching a junction with Minglewood Road, where VT 242 turns northeast running along the base of Big Jay Mountain . At the junction with Christmas Road, VT 242 turns northeast and crosses into Orleans County and into the town of Westfield . VT 242 continues northeast through Westfield, dropping
150-604: 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. Vermont Route 242 Vermont Route 242 ( VT 242 ) is a 12.878-mile-long (20.725 km) state highway located in Franklin and Orleans counties , Vermont , United States . The route begins at an intersection with VT 118 (Main Street) in
165-504: The mountain drain east into the Jay Branch of the Missisquoi River. Jay Peak is the northernmost major mountain crossed by the Long Trail , a 272-mile (438-km) hiking trail running the length of Vermont. The Jay Peak Resort is on the mountain's northeast side. On November 10, 1943, a Royal Canadian Air Force training plane crashed into the west side of the mountain near the top during
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#1732908240012180-415: The route turns northeast again, reaching the hamlet of Jay. Through Jay, VT 242 passes a local restaurant and store at Cross Road. Leaving Jay, the route soon turns southeast into the town of Troy . In Troy, VT 242 goes east and reaches a junction with VT 101 . This junction marks the eastern terminus of VT 242. VT 242 was first designated as two state-maintained highways, known as
195-545: The scar caused by the vandalism so that the area can recover. This article about a location in Vermont is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Jay Peak (Vermont) Jay Peak is a mountain located about 5 miles (8.0 km) south of the Canada–US border , in Jay and Westfield , Orleans County , Vermont , of which it is the highest point. Most of the mountain
210-451: The state highway system. VT 242 begins at an intersection with VT 118 (Main Street) in the hamlet of Montgomery Center (in the town of Montgomery just north of the western terminus of VT 58 . Running northeast through Montgomery Center, VT 242 runs along Mountain Road, a two-lane residential street through the eastern side of the hamlet. The route soon bends east and leaves
225-509: The town of Montgomery and runs through the Green Mountains of Vermont past Jay Peak to a junction with VT 101 in the town of Troy . The route was first designated by the state of Vermont in 1959 from the town of Jay to Troy, with the piece in the town of Montgomery being added five years later. In 1972, the segment in Westfield and Jay that connected the two segments was added to
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