Bald Knob
Encyclopedia
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 4842 feet (1,475.8 m) above sea level, Bald Knob is the third-highest point in West Virginia and also the third highest point in the Allegheny Mountains
.
, which transports visitors via old logging railroads to a 4770 feet (1,453.9 m) sub-peak approximately 1/4 mile north of Bald Knob. Its lofty elevation (only 21 feet (6.4 m) lower than the highest point in the Alleghenies, Spruce Knob
), gives Bald Knob a unique hemiboreal
ecosystem. While the lower and middle elevations of the mountain are populated by oak
, hickory
, birch
, beech
and maple
, the summit dome is dominated by red spruce
. Rowan
, eastern hemlock
, and balsam fir
also occur above 4000 feet (1,219.2 m), though they are not as common as the spruce. The region was extensively logged from 1900 to 1960. Red spruce, being a valuable natural resource, lured timber companies into the area. By 1940, the mountain had been stripped of nearly all virgin red spruce. The last harvest of red spruce and eastern hemlock on Bald Knob was in 1960. The summit was one of the last places logged by the Mower Lumber Company. Today, red spruce and other high elevation flora are making a comeback on the mountain; however, it will take many years for the area to fully recover. This era of West Virginia logging has been well documented in books such as Tumult on the Mountain and On Beyond Leatherbark: The Cass Saga.
is owned by Monongahela National Forest
, the summit at Bald Knob itself is part of Cass Scenic Railroad State Park
. Most visitors to Bald Knob come via train from Cass
, but the site is also accessible by hiking in on Forest Road 267B. For safety reasons, hiking along the railroad grade itself is not permitted.
Back Allegheny Mountain
Back Allegheny Mountain is a long mountain ridge in eastern West Virginia. It is part of the Shavers Fork Mountain Complex in the Allegheny Range of the Appalachians.- Geography :...
in Pocahontas County
Pocahontas County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 9,131 people, 835 households, and 527 families residing in the county. The population density was 10 people per square mile . There were 7,594 housing units at an average density of 8 per square mile...
, 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...
and is part of Cass Scenic Railroad State Park
Cass Scenic Railroad State Park
Cass Scenic Railroad State Park is a State Park located in Cass, Pocahontas County, West Virginia.It consists of the Cass Scenic Railroad, an long heritage railroad that is owned by the state of West Virginia...
. At an altitude of 4842 feet (1,475.8 m) above sea level, Bald Knob is the third-highest point in West Virginia and also the third highest point in the Allegheny Mountains
Allegheny Mountains
The Allegheny Mountain Range , also spelled Alleghany, Allegany and, informally, the Alleghenies, is part of the vast Appalachian Mountain Range of the eastern United States and Canada...
.
Description
The mountaintop can be reached by hiking but is more commonly reached by riding the Cass Scenic RailroadCass Scenic Railroad State Park
Cass Scenic Railroad State Park is a State Park located in Cass, Pocahontas County, West Virginia.It consists of the Cass Scenic Railroad, an long heritage railroad that is owned by the state of West Virginia...
, which transports visitors via old logging railroads to a 4770 feet (1,453.9 m) sub-peak approximately 1/4 mile north of Bald Knob. Its lofty elevation (only 21 feet (6.4 m) lower than the highest point in the Alleghenies, Spruce Knob
Spruce Knob
Spruce Knob, at , is the highest point in the state of West Virginia and the summit of Spruce Mountain, the tallest mountain in the Alleghenies.-Overview:...
), gives Bald Knob a unique hemiboreal
Hemiboreal
Hemiboreal means halfway between the temperate and subarctic zones. The term is most frequently used in the context of ecosystems.-Botany:...
ecosystem. While the lower and middle elevations of the mountain are populated by oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
, hickory
Hickory
Trees in the genus Carya are commonly known as hickory, derived from the Powhatan language of Virginia. The genus includes 17–19 species of deciduous trees with pinnately compound leaves and big nuts...
, birch
Birch
Birch is a tree or shrub of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. The Betula genus contains 30–60 known taxa...
, beech
Beech
Beech is a genus of ten species of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia and North America.-Habit:...
and maple
Maple
Acer is a genus of trees or shrubs commonly known as maple.Maples are variously classified in a family of their own, the Aceraceae, or together with the Hippocastanaceae included in the family Sapindaceae. Modern classifications, including the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group system, favour inclusion in...
, the summit dome is dominated by red spruce
Red Spruce
Picea rubens is a species of spruce native to eastern North America, ranging from eastern Quebec to Nova Scotia, and from New England south in the Adirondack Mountains and Appalachians to western North Carolina.-Physical description:...
. Rowan
Rowan
The rowans or mountain-ashes are shrubs or small trees in genus Sorbus of family Rosaceae. They are native throughout the cool temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with the highest species diversity in the mountains of western China and the Himalaya, where numerous apomictic microspecies...
, eastern hemlock
Eastern Hemlock
Tsuga canadensis, also known as eastern or Canadian hemlock, and in the French-speaking regions of Canada as pruche du Canada, is a coniferous tree native to eastern North America. It ranges from northeastern Minnesota eastward through southern Quebec to Nova Scotia, and south in the Appalachian...
, and balsam fir
Balsam Fir
The balsam fir is a North American fir, native to most of eastern and central Canada and the northeastern United States .-Growth:It is a small to medium-size evergreen tree typically tall, rarely to tall, with a narrow conic crown...
also occur above 4000 feet (1,219.2 m), though they are not as common as the spruce. The region was extensively logged from 1900 to 1960. Red spruce, being a valuable natural resource, lured timber companies into the area. By 1940, the mountain had been stripped of nearly all virgin red spruce. The last harvest of red spruce and eastern hemlock on Bald Knob was in 1960. The summit was one of the last places logged by the Mower Lumber Company. Today, red spruce and other high elevation flora are making a comeback on the mountain; however, it will take many years for the area to fully recover. This era of West Virginia logging has been well documented in books such as Tumult on the Mountain and On Beyond Leatherbark: The Cass Saga.
Climate
Bald Knob generally experiences mild summers and cold winters. The summit and west facing slopes of the mountain receive an average of 60 inches (1,524 mm) of precipitation per year and 180 inches (4,572 mm) of snowfall. The annual record snowfall is over 300 inches (7,620 mm). Temperatures in the area have been known to reach -40 degrees Fahrenheit (-40 °C). Winter conditions can occur anytime from early October through early May. Snowfall has been observed in the higher elevations in every month except July. Federal troops observed snowfall on August 13, 1861 at nearby Fort Milroy. The last freeze usually occurs in May and the first freeze usually occurs in September, however, freezing temperatures can occur anytime throughout the year. Current weather conditions for both the summit and base of the mountain at the town of Cass are available below.Accessing Bald Knob
While most of Back Allegheny MountainBack Allegheny Mountain
Back Allegheny Mountain is a long mountain ridge in eastern West Virginia. It is part of the Shavers Fork Mountain Complex in the Allegheny Range of the Appalachians.- Geography :...
is owned by Monongahela National Forest
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-owned land within a proclamation boundary that includes much of the Potomac Highlands Region and portions of 10 counties.The MNF includes some...
, the summit at Bald Knob itself is part of Cass Scenic Railroad State Park
Cass Scenic Railroad State Park
Cass Scenic Railroad State Park is a State Park located in Cass, Pocahontas County, West Virginia.It consists of the Cass Scenic Railroad, an long heritage railroad that is owned by the state of West Virginia...
. Most visitors to Bald Knob come via train from Cass
Cass, West Virginia
Cass is an unincorporated census-designated place on the Greenbrier River in Pocahontas County, West Virginia, USA. As of the 2010 census, its population was 52...
, but the site is also accessible by hiking in on Forest Road 267B. For safety reasons, hiking along the railroad grade itself is not permitted.
Miscellaneous facts
- The south face of Bald Knob is the site of the headwaters of Leatherbark RunLeatherbark RunLeatherbark Run is the name of a stream in Pocahontas County, West Virginia, as well as the name of the gap in the Allegheny Mountains carved by the stream as it flows southeastward toward the Greenbrier River....
, West Virginia's highest stream. - Until 2001, Bald Knob was thought to be the second highest point in the state, but a survey conducted by Snowshoe Ski Resort using GPSGlobal Positioning SystemThe Global Positioning System is a space-based global navigation satellite system that provides location and time information in all weather, anywhere on or near the Earth, where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites...
technology concluded that Thorny Flat, the highpoint of Cheat MountainCheat MountainCheat Mountain is an exceptionally high and rugged ridge situated in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia, USA. It is about long and more than five miles wide at its widest. Its highest point is at its southernmost end at Thorny Flat, which has an elevation of...
, roughly five miles south of Bald Knob, was approximately six feet higher though this has not been officially confirmed by the U.S. Geological Survey. - Bald Knob is the highest point reached by a standard gauge railroad east of the Mississippi RiverMississippi RiverThe Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
.
See also
- Back Allegheny MountainBack Allegheny MountainBack Allegheny Mountain is a long mountain ridge in eastern West Virginia. It is part of the Shavers Fork Mountain Complex in the Allegheny Range of the Appalachians.- Geography :...
- Cass Scenic Railroad State ParkCass Scenic Railroad State ParkCass Scenic Railroad State Park is a State Park located in Cass, Pocahontas County, West Virginia.It consists of the Cass Scenic Railroad, an long heritage railroad that is owned by the state of West Virginia...
- Monongahela National ForestMonongahela National ForestThe Monongahela National Forest is a national forest located in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia, USA. It protects over of federally-owned land within a proclamation boundary that includes much of the Potomac Highlands Region and portions of 10 counties.The MNF includes some...