Chester Gap, sometimes referred to as Happy Creek Gap for the creek that runs down its western slope, is a wind gap in the

Blue Ridge Mountains The Blue Ridge Mountains are a Physiographic regions of the United States, physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Highlands range. The mountain range is located in the Eastern United States and extends 550 miles southwest from southern ...

on the border of Rappahannock County, Fauquier County, and Warren County in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

. The gap is traversed by U.S. Route 522. The

Appalachian Trail The Appalachian Trail, also called the A.T., is a hiking trail in the Eastern United States, extending almost between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine, and passing through 14 states.Gailey, Chris (2006)"Appalachian Tra ...

also passes across the gap, with a trailhead at the gap.

Geography

At the gap is approximately below the adjacent ridge line and above the surrounding countryside. Chester Gap is only south of the much lower Manassas Gap, the two are separated by the High Knob peak. The

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

of Chester Gap is located within and immediately south of the gap. Just to the west of the gap is the northern end of

Shenandoah National Park Shenandoah National Park (often ) is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States that encompasses part of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia. The park is long and narrow, with the Shenandoah River and its ...

. Immediately north of the gap is the town of Front Royal.

References

{{Gaps of the Appalachian Mountains Landforms of Fauquier County, Virginia Landforms of Warren County, Virginia Landforms of Rappahannock County, Virginia Wind gaps of Virginia Blue Ridge Mountains Rappahannock River