Back Allegheny Mountain - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Back Allegheny Mountain is a long mountain ridge in eastern West Virginia

West Virginia

West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...

. It is part of the Shavers Fork Mountain Complex in the Allegheny

Allegheny Mountains

The Allegheny Mountain Range , also spelled Alleghany, Allegany and, informally, the Alleghenies, is part of the vast Appalachian Mountain Range of the eastern United States and Canada...

Range of the Appalachians.

Geography

Back Allegheny Mountain runs 18 miles (29 km) north to south and 8 miles (12.9 km) east to west, covering a geographic area of 76 square miles (196.8 km²). The mountain rises abruptly from the Greenbrier River

Greenbrier River

The Greenbrier River is a tributary of the New River, long, in southeastern West Virginia, USA. Via the New, Kanawha and Ohio Rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of...

valley in Pocahontas County

Pocahontas County, West Virginia

As of the census of 2000, there were 9,131 people, 835 households, and 527 families residing in the county. The population density was 10 people per square mile . There were 7,594 housing units at an average density of 8 per square mile...

, West Virginia

West Virginia

, and runs nearly parallel to Cheat Mountain

Cheat Mountain

Cheat Mountain is an exceptionally high and rugged ridge situated in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia, USA. It is about long and more than five miles wide at its widest. Its highest point is at its southernmost end at Thorny Flat, which has an elevation of...

to its west. The mountain reaches its elevational climax of 4842 feet (1,475.8 m) at Bald Knob

Bald Knob

Bald Knob is the highest summit of Back Allegheny Mountain in Pocahontas County, West Virginia and is part of Cass Scenic Railroad State Park...

, 5 miles (8 km) north of Snowshoe

Snowshoe Mountain

Snowshoe Mountain is a ski resort in Snowshoe, West Virginia. The resort has skiable terrain across and covers a total area of in the Allegheny Mountains, which are a part of the vast Appalachian Mountain Range. It is positioned in the bowl shaped convergence of two mountains, Cheat and Back...

Ski Resort. The second highest point on the mountain is Hosterman Benchmark West at 4757 feet (1,449.9 m). Hosterman is approximately 3.3 miles (5.3 km) north of Bald Knob.

North of U.S. Route 250

U.S. Route 250

U.S. Route 250 is a route of the United States Numbered Highway System, and is a spur of U.S. Route 50. It currently runs for from Sandusky, Ohio to Richmond, Virginia. It passes through the states of Virginia, West Virginia, and Ohio. It goes through the cities of Richmond, Virginia,...

west of Durbin

Durbin, West Virginia

Durbin is a town in Pocahontas County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 262 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Durbin is situated in the northern part of Pocahontas County at the confluence of the East and West Forks of the Greenbrier River. It is thus the starting point of the...

, the same structural fold of the Earth's crust that forms Back Allegheny Mountain continues north as Shavers Mountain

Shavers Mountain

Shavers Mountain, is a high and rugged ridge situated in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia. It is about long, north to south, and several of its peaks exceed in elevation...

for an additional 35 miles (56.3 km).

Preservation and recreation

Almost the entirety of Back Allegheny Mountain is protected by the Monongahela National Forest

Monongahela National Forest

The Monongahela National Forest is a national forest located in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia, USA. It protects over of federally-owned land within a proclamation boundary that includes much of the Potomac Highlands Region and portions of 10 counties.The MNF includes some...

. The summit of Bald Knob is owned by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources

West Virginia Division of Natural Resources

The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources is an agency of the government of the U.S. state of West Virginia. While formerly known as the cabinet-level Department of Natural Resources, it is now part of the West Virginia Department of Commerce...

. Back Allegheny and other mountains in the area are known for their extensive red spruce

Red Spruce

Picea rubens is a species of spruce native to eastern North America, ranging from eastern Quebec to Nova Scotia, and from New England south in the Adirondack Mountains and Appalachians to western North Carolina.-Physical description:...

forests, as well as other high altitude plants and animals. The whole of Back Allegheny is an environmentally sensitive area.

Bald Knob is the terminus of the 11 miles (17.7 km) long Cass Scenic Railroad State Park

Cass Scenic Railroad State Park

Cass Scenic Railroad State Park is a State Park located in Cass, Pocahontas County, West Virginia.It consists of the Cass Scenic Railroad, an long heritage railroad that is owned by the state of West Virginia...

. The railroad carries visitors to an elevation of 4700 feet (1,432.6 m) approximately 0.25 mile (0.402335 km) north of the summit ridge. An overlook platform gives visitors a view of the Greenbrier Valley and, on clear days, a view all the way into Virginia

Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

12 miles (19.3 km) away.

Snowshoe Mountain

Snowshoe Mountain

Ski Resort is situated in the bowl-shaped convergence of Back Allegheny with Cheat Mountain

Cheat Mountain

at the head of Shavers Fork. This area is essentially the southern terminus of both mountains.

Geography

Preservation and recreation

See also