Madison Boulder Natural Area

Madison Boulder Natural Area: Madison NH

Madison Boulder is boulder is located off Route 13 in Madison New Hampshire.  Yes this may be just a rock but the history and the beauty is amazing.

Madison Boulder is New England’s largest known erratic. The 17-acre site was acquired by the state of New Hampshire in 1946. The boulder was designated as a National Natural Landmark in 1970 by the United States Department of the Interior. The reason it was named a landmark was because the large, erratic “is an outstanding illustration of the power of an ice sheet to pluck out very large blocks of fractured bedrock and move them substantial distances.

Madison Boulder is 23 feet high and 37 feet wide and weighs about 5,000 tons!

Madison Boulder area is open from the middle of May through the middle of November.

Madison Boulder is made from large quartz crystals as well as fine-grained feldspar. These elements were built up under strong pressure from a large molten mass deep in the earth over 200 million years ago. When the molten cooled, it was hardened. Over the years, most of the surface of the earth was swept away by wind and rain but the granite stayed in place.

Boulders like the Madison Boulder were moved great distances during the ice ages by ice sheets.

Pets are allowed at the Madison Boulder Natural Area Park