Purgatory Chasm State Reservation

Template:Geobox Purgatory Chasm State Reservation is a Massachusetts state park located off Route 146 on Purgatory Road in the town of Sutton. The park, managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, is notable for its .25-mile-long (400 m), 70-foot-deep (21 m) chasm of granite bedrock featuring abrupt precipices and boulder caves in which ice lingers into the early summer.

History

Several theories have been proposed to account for the chasm's creation. According to one, 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). Purgatory Chasm was declared a state park in 1919.

Recreation

The reservation is open to picnicking and hiking; rock climbing is allowed by special permit only. 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 visitors center, and 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.

External links

• Purgatory Chasm State Reservation Department of Conservation and Recreation
• Purgatory Chasm State Reservation Map Department of Conservation and Recreation