| Great North Mountain | |
|---|---|
_in_High_View%2c_Hampshire_County%2c_West_Virginia.jpg) View of Great North Mountain fromHigh View,West Virginia | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 3,299 ft (1,006 m) |
| Coordinates | 39°02′08″N78°34′03″W / 39.03556°N 78.56750°W /39.03556; -78.56750 |
| Geography | |
 | |
| Location | Virginia andWest Virginia,U.S. |
| Parent range | Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians |
| Topo map | USGS Wardensville |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | Drive,hike |
Great North Mountain is a 50-mile (80 km) longmountainridge within theRidge-and-Valley Appalachians in theU.S. states ofVirginia andWest Virginia. The ridge is located west of theShenandoah Valley andMassanutten Mountain in Virginia, and it is east of theAllegheny Mountains andCacapon River in West Virginia.[1]
Great North Mountain is oriented along a northeast-southwest axis from its southern terminus along theNorth Fork Shenandoah River inRockingham County, Virginia to its northern terminus atU.S. Route 522 inFrederick County, Virginia. In the south, the initial 7 miles (11 km) of the ridge is known as Church Mountain.[2] For much of its length, the mountain forms the border between Virginia and West Virginia, in two separate stretches; starting 7 miles (11 km) north of its southern terminus at the border ofHardy County, West Virginia, Rockingham County, Virginia andShenandoah County, Virginia, for 26 miles (42 km) with a 4.5-mile (7.2 km) break where the border shifts east to Paddy Mountain around Wilson Cove, followed by an additional 14-mile (23 km) stretch to the north.
The ridge reaches its greatest elevation, 3,299 feet (1,006 m), at the peak of Mill Mountain, on the border between Hardy County, West Virginia, and Shenandoah County, Virginia, in theGeorge Washington National Forest.[3] The mountain is crossed byU.S. Route 48 andWest Virginia andVirginia routes 55 betweenWardensville, West Virginia andStrasburg, Virginia.
According to theGeographic Names Information System, Great North Mountain has been known by the following names:
TheBoard on Geographic Names handed down two official decisions concerning the mountain's name in the years 1941 and 1967. In 1941, the board decided upon the nameBig North Mountain and in 1967, it choseGreat North Mountain. Both of these name changes were made in order to differentiate the mountain fromNorth Mountain to the north.[citation needed] In the colonial era, Great North Mountain was referred to by some on the frontier as "The Devil's Backbone," an alias noted in the Fry-Jefferson map published in London in 1755.[4]
Part of Great North Mountain is within theGeorge Washington National Forest, which offers many hiking and hunting trails, such as the Seven Springs trail, and those leading to an overlook onBig Schloss, a peak in the area.
Beside the small town ofOrkney Springs, Virginia, at the foot of the mountain, isShrine Mont, a retreat and conference center owned by theEpiscopal Diocese of Virginia. The retreat includes the Cathedral Shrine of the Transfiguration and The Virginia House (formerly known as the Orkney Springs Hotel). Nearby Basye boasts the four season Bryce Resort, which has golf, skiing, mountain biking, and Lake Laura.
 | ThisFrederick County, Virginia state location article is astub. You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |
 | ThisShenandoah County, Virginia state location article is astub. You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |
 | This article is about a location inHampshire County,West Virginia is astub. You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |
| This article about a location inHardy County,West Virginia is astub. You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |