Purgatory Chasm State Reservation

Purgatory Chasm State Reservation
Looking south into the chasm.
Location	Sutton, Massachusetts
Coordinates	42°7′42″N 71°42′52″W
Governing body	Department of Conservation and Recreation (Massachusetts)

Purgatory Chasm State Reservation is a state park in Sutton, Massachusetts. The park, managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, is notable for its .25-mile (0.40 km) long, 70-foot (21 m) deep chasm of granite bedrock featuring abrupt precipices and boulder caves in which ice lingers into the early summer. The reservation is open to picnicking and hiking; rock climbing is allowed by special permit only. Purgatory Chasm was declared a state park in 1919.

According to the most recent research, the chasm was created when glacial meltwater from a burst ice dam ripped out blocks of bedrock at the end of the last Ice Age (14,000 years ago).

The reservation is located off Route 146 on Purgatory Road.

Recreation

There are 2 miles (3.2 km) of hiking trails around the chasm. Although the park is open year round, the chasm itself is closed to hikers and climbers during the winter months because of ice hazards.

The reservation includes picnic areas with grills, a visitor's center, and a playground.

In art

A book of poems by Susan Edmonds Richmond titled Purgatory Chasm, a song by Holly Hanson of Neptune's Car titled Lover's Leap (The Purgatory Chasm Song), and the Steve Ulfelder novel Purgatory Chasm were inspired by hikes in the chasm.

Gallery

• Photos of Purgatory Chasm
• 

  A plaque found on the north end of the chasm.

• 

  Looking south into the chasm, second view.

• 

  Looking up at "Lovers Leap."

• 

  Looking into "His Majesty's Cave."

• 

  A tall rock formation at Purgatory Chasm.

References

• Purgatory Chasm Geology
• Purgatory Chasm State Reservation. Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. Retrieved December 7, 2008.

External links

• Purgatory Chasm trail map