Saltonstall Mountain, also known as Saltonstall Ridge (Lonotonoquet in Quinnipiac), with a high point of (est.) above sea level, is a traprock mountain ridge located east of New Haven, Connecticut and north of Long Island Sound. It is part of the Metacomet Ridge that extends from Long Island Sound near New Haven, Connecticut, north through the Connecticut River Valley of Massachusetts to the Vermont border. Saltonstall Mountain is known for its scenic cliff faces and sharp ridgeline, unique microclimate ecosystems, rare plant communities, and for Lake Saltonstall, a long by 0.3 miles (400 m) wide municipal reservoir nearly enclosed by the mountain. Saltonstall Mountain is traversed by a number of hiking trails managed by the South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority (SCCRWA) and Branford Land Trust. Geography Saltonstall Mountain rises steeply above the surrounding landscape, with a high point of (est.) . It is roughly long by wide and shaped like a hunting bow. The mountain lies within the towns of Branford, North Branford, and East Haven, Connecticut. Its western side is steepest, with vertical ledges and talus slopes, while its eastern side is lower and punctuated by hilly rises. The high point lies at the north end of the mountain; Lake Saltonstall is sandwiched in the mountain's southern arms. Beside Lake Saltonstall, the mountain shelters several other small bodies of water, including Lidyhites Pond, located in the center of the ridge north of Lake Saltonstall; Linsley Pond and Cedar Pond, located at the mountain's northern foot; and the two Branford Supply Ponds, located at the eastern foot. The Farm River runs along the western foot of the mountain. Interstate 95 cuts through the southern tip of the ridge. The Metacomet Ridge continues north from Saltonstall Mountain as Totoket Mountain and south as Beacon Hill where the ridge terminates at Long Island Sound. To the west, the Metacomet Ridge continues from Saltonstall Mountain through urban East Haven and New Haven as a series of parallel traprock rises culminating in East Rock. An outlying peak, Peter's Rock, lies to the north-northwest of Saltonstall Mountain. The west side of Saltonstall Mountain drains into the Farm River, thence to the East Haven River and Long Island Sound; the east side into Pisgah Brook, thence into the Branford River and Long Island Sound. Geology and environment Saltonstall Mountain, like much of the Metacomet Ridge, is composed of basalt, also called traprock, a volcanic rock.