Mount Katahdin
Mount Katahdin is the highest peak in the US state of Maine at 1606 meters, as well as the highest point Baxter State Park, a protected area of 80,000 ha located in the White Mountains (New Hampshire), United States. The park has more than 45 peaks, which can be explored through a network of trails that total approximately 240 km.
Called Katahdin by the Penobscot Native Americans, meaning "The Greatest Mountain," it is located in northeastern Piscataquis, in Piscataquis County, and is the central hub of Baxter State Park. It is a steep and high massif formed by an intrusion of granite eroded to the surface. The flora and fauna of the mountain are typical of those found in northern New England.
The Katahdin was known to Native Americans in the region, and to Europeans since at least 1689. It has inspired hikes, climbs, journal accounts, paintings, and a piano sonata. The area around the peak was protected by the Governor Percival Baxter as of the 1930s. Katahdin is the northern end of the Appalachian Trail, and lies near a stretch known as the "Hundred-Mile Wilderness".
In 1967, Mount Katahdin was designated as a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service.
The mountain is commonly called just "Katahdin", though the official name is "Mount Katahdin", as decided by the United States Board on Geographic Names in 1893.
