Cacapon Mountain
Encyclopedia
Cacapon Mountain runs northwest through Morgan
and Hampshire
counties in West Virginia
's Eastern Panhandle, rising to its greatest elevation of 2,618 feet (798 m) above sea-level at High Point. Cacapon Mountain is a folded mountain ridge, belonging to the Appalachian Ridge and Valley
Province. Cacapon Mountain spans 16 miles (26 km) NNE to the Potomac River
near Great Cacapon
. The local pronunciation is generally kəˈkeɪpən .
From its southern point, Cacapon Mountain rises from the landscape north of Bloomery
in northeastern Hampshire County. The mountain's western flank forms a series of steep hollows such as Horsebone Hollow and the hollow that bears Falling Spring Run. Beyond these hollows lies the Cacapon River
which parallels the Cacapon Mountain until it joins the Potomac River. Between Bloomery and the Morgan County line, Cacapon Mountain forms the border between Hampshire and Frederick County
in Virginia
. While in Morgan County, the majority of Cacapon Mountain lies in Cacapon Resort State Park
. The mountain forms a series of warm springs that flow from the Devonian
Oriskany (Ridgeley)
sandstone
along the eastern flank of its anticline
such as those at Berkeley Springs
. Cacapon Mountain's northern end is located at the scenic Panorama Overlook off West Virginia Route 9 that overlooks four states and the confluence of the Cacapon and Potomac Rivers.
Morgan County, West Virginia
Morgan County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of 2010, it's population was 17,541. Its county seat is Berkeley Springs. The county is one of three in Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area...
and Hampshire
Hampshire County, West Virginia
Hampshire County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of 2010, the population was 23,964. Its county seat is Romney, West Virginia's oldest town . Hampshire County was created by the Virginia General Assembly on December 13, 1753, from parts of Frederick and Augusta counties ...
counties in 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...
's Eastern Panhandle, rising to its greatest elevation of 2,618 feet (798 m) above sea-level at High Point. Cacapon Mountain is a folded mountain ridge, belonging to the Appalachian Ridge and Valley
Ridge-and-valley Appalachians
The Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians, also called the Ridge and Valley Province or the Valley and Ridge Appalachians, are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian division and are also a belt within the Appalachian Mountains extending from southeastern New York through northwestern New...
Province. Cacapon Mountain spans 16 miles (26 km) NNE to the Potomac River
Potomac River
The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...
near Great Cacapon
Great Cacapon, West Virginia
Great Cacapon, pronounced , is an unincorporated census-designated place in Morgan County in the U.S. state of West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle. As of the 2010 census, its population was 386....
. The local pronunciation is generally kəˈkeɪpən .
From its southern point, Cacapon Mountain rises from the landscape north of Bloomery
Bloomery, Hampshire County, West Virginia
Bloomery is an unincorporated hamlet in Hampshire County in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Bloomery is located along the Bloomery Pike , northwest of Winchester, Virginia...
in northeastern Hampshire County. The mountain's western flank forms a series of steep hollows such as Horsebone Hollow and the hollow that bears Falling Spring Run. Beyond these hollows lies the Cacapon River
Cacapon River
The Cacapon River , located in the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle region, is an river known for its fishing, boating, wildlife, and scenery...
which parallels the Cacapon Mountain until it joins the Potomac River. Between Bloomery and the Morgan County line, Cacapon Mountain forms the border between Hampshire and Frederick County
Frederick County, Virginia
Frederick County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is included in the Winchester, Virginia-West Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area. It was formed in 1743 by the splitting of Orange County. For ten years it was the home of George Washington. As of 2010, the population was...
in 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...
. While in Morgan County, the majority of Cacapon Mountain lies in Cacapon Resort State Park
Cacapon Resort State Park
Opened in 1933, the Cacapon Resort State Park is located on the eastern slopes of Cacapon Mountain in Morgan County, West Virginia. Panorama Overlook, at the southern end of the park and above sea level, is the highest point in the park and in Morgan County.- Features :* 48-room Lodge* 12-room...
. The mountain forms a series of warm springs that flow from the Devonian
Devonian
The Devonian is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic Era spanning from the end of the Silurian Period, about 416.0 ± 2.8 Mya , to the beginning of the Carboniferous Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya...
Oriskany (Ridgeley)
Ridgeley sandstone
The Ridgeley sandstone is a sandstone or quartzite of Devonian age found in the Appalachian Mountains of Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia, USA. The Ridgeley is fine-grained, siliceous, calcareous in its lower strata, sometimes fossiliferous, and sometimes locally pebbly or...
sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
along the eastern flank of its anticline
Anticline
In structural geology, an anticline is a fold that is convex up and has its oldest beds at its core. The term is not to be confused with antiform, which is a purely descriptive term for any fold that is convex up. Therefore if age relationships In structural geology, an anticline is a fold that is...
such as those at Berkeley Springs
Bath (Berkeley Springs), West Virginia
Bath is a town in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, United States. It is the county seat of Morgan County. The town is incorporated as Bath, but it is often referred to by the name of its post office, Berkeley Springs. The population of the town was 663 according to the 2000 United States...
. Cacapon Mountain's northern end is located at the scenic Panorama Overlook off West Virginia Route 9 that overlooks four states and the confluence of the Cacapon and Potomac Rivers.