Reddish Knob of

Shenandoah Mountain Shenandoah Mountain is a mountain ridge approximately long in Virginia and West Virginia. The steep, narrow, sandstone-capped ridge extends from northern Bath County, Virginia to southern Hardy County, West Virginia. Along the way, its crest de ...

is one of the highest points 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 ...

, rising . A narrow, paved road reaches the summit from

Harrisonburg, Virginia Harrisonburg is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Shenandoah Valley region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. It is also the county seat of the surrounding Rockingham Cou ...

Geography

Reddish Knob is located on the border between

Augusta County Augusta County is a county in the Shenandoah Valley on the western edge of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The second-largest county of Virginia by total area, it completely surrounds the independent cities of Staunton and ...

and Pendleton County,

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

, in the

George Washington National Forest The George Washington and Jefferson National Forests is an administrative entity combining two U.S. United States National Forest, National Forests into one of the largest areas of public land in the Eastern United States. The forests cover o ...

. Reddish Knob stands within the

watershed Watershed may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, an area of land where surface water converges (North American usage) Music * Watershed Music Festival, an annual country ...

of the

Potomac River The Potomac River () is in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and flows from the Potomac Highlands in West Virginia to Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography D ...

, which drains into

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula, including parts of the Ea ...

. The northwest side of Reddish Knob drains into Stony Run, thence into the South Fork of the South Branch of the Potomac River. To the south, Reddish Knob drains into the North Fork of the

Little River Little River may refer to several places: Australia Streams New South Wales *Little River (Dubbo), source in the Dubbo region, a tributary of the Macquarie River * Little River (Oberon), source in the Oberon Shire, a tributary of Coxs River (Haw ...

, thence into the North River, the South Fork of the

Shenandoah River The Shenandoah River is the principal tributary of the Potomac River, long with two River fork, forks approximately long each,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August ...

, and into the Potomac River. To the east, Reddish Knob drains into the Briery Branch of the North River. From Reddish Knob, a scenic gravel road continues south along the ridge crest that forms the boundary between Virginia and West Virginia, passing Shenandoah Mountain Picnic Area in a couple of miles. Further south lies the

Ramsey's Draft Wilderness Ramsey's Draft Wilderness is a designated wilderness area in the North River Ranger District of the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests of Virginia in the United States. The wilderness area was established in 1984 and comprises . It ...

, which contains several stands of virgin hemlock. To the north, a rough road provides access to a number of ridge top balds that have great primitive campsites. Several developed recreation sites are nearby. Hone Quarry has a picnic area, campground with widely spaced sites, and a small lake.

Recreation

The

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...

peak is a popular destination for "day-trippers" for students of the nearby

James Madison University James Madison University (JMU, Madison, or James Madison) is a public university, public research university in Harrisonburg, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1908, the institution was renamed in 1938 in honor of the fourth president of the ...

Eastern Mennonite University Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) is a private Mennonite university in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The university also operates a satellite campus in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, which primarily caters to working adults. EMU is known for its Center f ...

, and

Bridgewater College Bridgewater College is a private liberal-arts college in Bridgewater, Virginia. Established in 1880, Bridgewater College admitted both men and women from the time of its founding and was the first four-year liberal arts college in Virginia to ...

. They enjoy the "parking lot in the sky" as a place to relax and enjoy spectacular 360 degree views year round.

Grindstone 100 Miler Grindstone 100 Miler is an annual 100 mile long ultramarathon that takes place on trails in Virginia's Allegheny Mountains, usually held during the end of September. The race starts at Camp Shenandoah, a local camp of the Boy Scouts of America ...

run entrants summit Reddish Knob. Every year the Blue Ridge Running Camp runs up Reddish Knob. The summit is also included in the Jeremiah Bishop Alpine Loop Gran Fondo. The loop climbs to Reddish Knob via the "darkside" of Reddish Knob's forest road, routes to the summit, then descends to Harrisonburg via the paved access road.

Fire tower

From the 1920s to 1975, a steel

fire tower A fire lookout tower, fire tower, or lookout tower is a tower that provides housing and protection for a person known as a " fire lookout", whose duty it is to search for wildfires in the wilderness. It is a small building, usually on the summit ...

stood atop Reddish Knob.

References

External links

*
PeakBagger.com: Reddish Knob

{{Mountains of West Virginia Mountains of Virginia Mountains of West Virginia Mountains of Augusta County, Virginia Mountains of Pendleton County, West Virginia