Powell Valley in

southwest The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A '' compass rose'' is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west— ...

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 ...

, in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, is located near the city of Norton and the town of Big Stone Gap in

Wise County, Virginia Wise County is a county located in the U.S. state of Virginia. The county was formed in 1856 from Lee, Scott, and Russell Counties and named for Henry A. Wise, who was the Governor of Virginia at the time. The county seat is in Wise. Hi ...

. Powell Valley is a picturesque location, with an overlook accessible from the Northbound lanes of U.S. Route 23. A number of homes, farms, and a church are located in the valley below the overlook. The valley begins between Powell Mountain and Little Stone Mountain where the waters of the Powell River flow down from the rugged mountains of western Wise County. The immense exposed rock face where Stone Mountain and Powell Mountain come together near Grindstone Ridge to the southeast from the overlook, yields a striking visual change in altitude. Within only 0.8 mile the vertical elevation changes by ) across the northern face of the Grindstone Ridge Dome of the High Knob Massif, to mark one of the greatest short-distance vertical elevation changes in the southern Appalachians (the greatest found west of the Blue Ridge in Virginia ). The valley follows the Powell River west towards the Tennessee border. Majestic Powell Valley is part of the High Knob Landform, lying literally amid its heart and eroded core, and is a true geologic wonder. The Virginia longhunter, explorer and later Revolutionary War general Joseph Martin was instrumental in opening up Powell Valley to settlement from the east.In the Footsteps of Daniel Boone, K. Randell Jones, Published by John F. Blair, 2005
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External links

* ttp://www.topoquest.com/map.asp?z=17&n=4085301&e=351938&s=100&size=m&datum=nad83 TopoQuest Map
Wikimapia
{{coord missing, Virginia Valleys of Virginia Landforms of Wise County, Virginia