Back Allegheny Mountain is a long mountain ridge in eastern

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the B ...

. It is part of the

Shavers Fork Mountain Complex Shavers Fork Mountain Complex is the name given to the mountains on either side of Shavers Fork in the highlands portions of Randolph County, Pocahontas County, and Tucker County in West Virginia, USA. Much of the land surrounding the river a ...

in the Allegheny Range of the

Appalachians The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. They ...

Geography

Back Allegheny Mountain runs north to south and east to west, covering a geographic area of . The mountain rises abruptly from the

Greenbrier River The Greenbrier River is a tributary of the New River, long,McNeel, William P. "Greenbrier River." ''The West Virginia Encyclopedia''. Ken Sullivan, editor. Charleston, WV: West Virginia Humanities Council. 2006. . in southeastern West Virginia ...

valley in Pocahontas County,

, and runs nearly parallel to

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 (north to south) and more than five miles (8 km) wide at its widest. Its highest point is at its sou ...

to its west. The mountain reaches its elevational climax of at

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. At an altitude of above sea level, Bald Knob is the third-highest point in West Virginia and the Alle ...

, north of

Snowshoe Snowshoes are specialized outdoor gear for walking over snow. Their large footprint spreads the user's weight out and allows them to travel largely on top of rather than through snow. Adjustable bindings attach them to appropriate winter footwe ...

Ski Resort. The second highest point on the mountain is Hosterman Benchmark West at . Hosterman is approximately north of Bald Knob. North of U.S. Route 250 west of Durbin, the same structural fold of the Earth's crust that forms Back Allegheny Mountain continues north as

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. Shavers Mountain is notable for being "bookended", at its ...

for an additional .

Preservation and recreation

Almost the entirety of Back Allegheny Mountain is protected by the

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 managed land within a proclamation boundary that includes much of the Potomac Highlands Regi ...

. The summit of Bald Knob is owned by the

West Virginia Division of Natural Resources The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR) 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 ...

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

red spruce ''Picea rubens'', commonly known as red spruce, is a species of spruce native to eastern North America, ranging from eastern Quebec and Nova Scotia, west to the Adirondack Mountains and south through New England along the Appalachians to western ...

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 long

Cass Scenic Railroad State Park Cass Scenic Railroad State Park is a state park and heritage railroad located in Cass, Pocahontas County, West Virginia. It consists of the Cass Scenic Railroad, an long heritage railway owned by the West Virginia State Rail Authority and ope ...

. The railroad carries visitors to an elevation of approximately 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, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

away.

Snowshoe Mountain Snowshoe Mountain is a ski resort in the eastern United States, located 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 R ...

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

at the head of

Shavers Fork Shavers Fork of the Cheat River is situated in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia, USA. It is 88.5 mi (142.5 km) long and forms the Cheat at its confluence with Black Fork at Parsons.DeLorme (1997). ''West Virginia Atlas ...

. This area is essentially the southern terminus of both mountains.

References

External links

* * {{Mountains of West Virginia Ridges of West Virginia Allegheny Mountains Monongahela National Forest Ridges of Pocahontas County, West Virginia Landforms of Randolph County, West Virginia

Geography

Preservation and recreation

See also

References

External links