| Shavers Fork Mountain Complex | |
|---|---|
 View fromGaudineer Knob onShavers Mountain | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Thorny Flat, Pocahontas County, West Virginia |
| Elevation | 4,848 ft (1,478 m)[1] |
| Prominence | 720 ft (220 m) |
| Coordinates | 38°23′37″N79°59′02″W / 38.39361°N 79.98389°W /38.39361; -79.98389 |
| Geography | |
  Shavers Fork Mountain Complex Location of Gaudineer Knob in West Virginia | |
| Country | United States |
| State | West Virginia |
| Counties | |
| Peaks | |
| Settlement | Durbin |
| Range coordinates | 38°36′55″N79°50′39″W / 38.61528°N 79.84417°W /38.61528; -79.84417[2] |
Shavers Fork Mountain Complex is the name given to the mountains on either side ofShavers Fork in the highlands portions ofRandolph County,Pocahontas County, andTucker County inWest Virginia, USA. Much of the land surrounding the river and its adjacent mountains is protected byMonongahela National Forest including about 20,000 acres (81 km2) of designatedwilderness.
Cheat Mountain follows the western side ofShavers Fork fromThorny Flat inPocahontas County north to nearParsons inTucker County. This ridge separates theShavers Fork valley from theTygart Valley River valley.
Its high point is atThorny Flat. Another notable point is where theStaunton-Parkersburg Turnpike (present-dayU.S. Route 250) crosses Cheat Mountain atWhite Top. During theAmerican Civil War, it was home to the highestUnion Army fortification of the war.
Shavers Mountain andBack Allegheny Mountain are part of the same structuralridge that follows the eastern edge ofShavers Fork fromPocahontas County intoTucker County. North ofU.S. Route 250, the ridge is known asShavers Mountain; south, it isBack Allegheny Mountain. This ridge separates theShavers Fork watershed, which eventually flows to theMonongahela River, from theGreenbrier River watershed, which eventually enters theKanawha River.
One notable high point on Back Allegheny Mountain isBald Knob, one of the highest points in the state. Just north of US 250 on Shavers Mountain isGaudineer Knob, which provides scenic overviews of much of the Shavers Fork Mountain Complex. It is also home to theGaudineer Scenic Area, a protected stand ofspruce trees.
Several other neighboring mountains are frequently considered to be part of the Shavers Fork Mountain Complex.
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Much of the Shavers Fork area was heavily timbered in the early 20th century after theWestern Maryland Railway andDurbin subdivision of theChesapeake and Ohio Railway opened, providing economic transport. By the 1930s, much of the land was completely denuded. This led to devastating floods and fires of the remaining trees. In the 1930s,reforestation of the land began in ernest throughCivilian Conservation Corps projects of theMonongahela National Forest.
The mountains in this area, particularly the Cheat and Back Allegheny, are notorious for their bad weather, especially in winter. Both record lows[3] and record snowfall for the state of West Virginia have occurred here. Terrible storms and bitter cold are the norm from November to April, although it has been known to snow on the highest summits as early as mid-September and as late as June 7. Freezing temperatures and frost have occurred during every month and rime ice accumulations are common above 4,000 feet (1,200 m). As a rule of thumb, "if you don't like the weather, wait 10 minutes and it will change."