Backbone Mountain is a
ridge300px|thumb|right|Stratigraphic ridge found in Northeastern [[Tennessee]]A ridge is a geological feature that features a continuous elevational crest for some distance. Ridges are usually termed hills or mountains as well, depending on size...
of the
Allegheny MountainsThe Allegheny Mountain Range — informally, the Alleghenies — is part of the vast Appalachian Mountain Range of the eastern United States and Canada...
of the central
AppalachianThe Appalachian Mountains , often called the Appalachians, are a vast system of mountains in eastern North America. Definitions vary on the precise boundaries of the Appalachians...
Mountain Range. It is situated in the U.S. states of
West VirginiaWest Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, and Pennsylvania and Maryland to the northeast...
and
MarylandMaryland is a state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia to the south and west, Pennsylvania to the north, and Delaware to the east. It is comparable in size to the European country of Belgium. According to the U.S...
and forms a portion of the
Allegheny FrontThe Allegheny Front is a portion of the escarpment that delineates the eastern edge of the Appalachian Plateau and the higher ranges of the Allegheny Mountains, separating them from the lower Alleghenies to the east...
and the
Eastern Continental DivideThe Eastern Divide or Eastern Continental Divide is a continental divide in the United States that separates the Gulf of Mexico and Gulf of St...
. Its summit is the highest point in the state of Maryland.
Backbone Mountain stretches approximately southwest to northeast, from the
Black ForkThe Black Fork is a principal tributary of the Cheat River in eastern West Virginia in the United States. It is a short stream, about four miles in length,[The American Rivers Outstanding Rivers List, Second Edition, May 1991. Compiled and edited by Matthew H. Huntington and John D....]
near
HambletonHambleton is a town in Tucker County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 246 at the 2000 census. Hambleton was established in 1889, but not incorporated until 1905. It was named by then United States Senator Stephen B. Elkins in honor of a stockholder by this name in the West Virginia...
in
Tucker County, West VirginiaTucker County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of 2000, the population was 7,321. Its county seat is Parsons. Tucker County was created in 1856 from a part of Randolph County, then part of Virginia. In 1871, a small part of Barbour County, West Virginia, was...
to the Savage River Reservoir in
Garrett CountyGarrett County is the westernmost county of the U.S. state of Maryland and is part of the Pittsburgh DMA. As of 2000, the population was 29,846. It was named for John Work Garrett , president of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad from 1858 until his death in 1884...
,
MarylandMaryland is a state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia to the south and west, Pennsylvania to the north, and Delaware to the east. It is comparable in size to the European country of Belgium. According to the U.S...
.
The mountain provides a boundary between two watersheds.
Backbone Mountain is a
ridge300px|thumb|right|Stratigraphic ridge found in Northeastern [[Tennessee]]A ridge is a geological feature that features a continuous elevational crest for some distance. Ridges are usually termed hills or mountains as well, depending on size...
of the
Allegheny MountainsThe Allegheny Mountain Range — informally, the Alleghenies — is part of the vast Appalachian Mountain Range of the eastern United States and Canada...
of the central
AppalachianThe Appalachian Mountains , often called the Appalachians, are a vast system of mountains in eastern North America. Definitions vary on the precise boundaries of the Appalachians...
Mountain Range. It is situated in the U.S. states of
West VirginiaWest Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, and Pennsylvania and Maryland to the northeast...
and
MarylandMaryland is a state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia to the south and west, Pennsylvania to the north, and Delaware to the east. It is comparable in size to the European country of Belgium. According to the U.S...
and forms a portion of the
Allegheny FrontThe Allegheny Front is a portion of the escarpment that delineates the eastern edge of the Appalachian Plateau and the higher ranges of the Allegheny Mountains, separating them from the lower Alleghenies to the east...
and the
Eastern Continental DivideThe Eastern Divide or Eastern Continental Divide is a continental divide in the United States that separates the Gulf of Mexico and Gulf of St...
. Its summit is the highest point in the state of Maryland.
Description and geography
Backbone Mountain stretches approximately southwest to northeast, from the
Black ForkThe Black Fork is a principal tributary of the Cheat River in eastern West Virginia in the United States. It is a short stream, about four miles in length,[The American Rivers Outstanding Rivers List, Second Edition, May 1991. Compiled and edited by Matthew H. Huntington and John D....]
near
HambletonHambleton is a town in Tucker County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 246 at the 2000 census. Hambleton was established in 1889, but not incorporated until 1905. It was named by then United States Senator Stephen B. Elkins in honor of a stockholder by this name in the West Virginia...
in
Tucker County, West VirginiaTucker County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of 2000, the population was 7,321. Its county seat is Parsons. Tucker County was created in 1856 from a part of Randolph County, then part of Virginia. In 1871, a small part of Barbour County, West Virginia, was...
to the Savage River Reservoir in
Garrett CountyGarrett County is the westernmost county of the U.S. state of Maryland and is part of the Pittsburgh DMA. As of 2000, the population was 29,846. It was named for John Work Garrett , president of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad from 1858 until his death in 1884...
,
MarylandMaryland is a state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia to the south and west, Pennsylvania to the north, and Delaware to the east. It is comparable in size to the European country of Belgium. According to the U.S...
.
The mountain provides a boundary between two watersheds. The headwaters of
Youghiogheny RiverThe Youghiogheny River , or the Yough for short, is a tributary of the Monongahela River, approximately 122 mi long, in the U.S. states of West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania...
, in the watershed of the
Mississippi RiverThe Mississippi River is the second longest river in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico....
, lie just northwest of the mountain, whereas the headwaters of the North Branch of the
Potomac RiverThe Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately 383 statute miles long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles . In terms of area, this makes the Potomac River the fourth largest river along the...
lie just south of the mountain, along the
West VirginiaWest Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, and Pennsylvania and Maryland to the northeast...
-
MarylandMaryland is a state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia to the south and west, Pennsylvania to the north, and Delaware to the east. It is comparable in size to the European country of Belgium. According to the U.S...
border.
The ridge is crossed by twice
U.S. Route 219U.S. Route 219 is a spur of U.S. Route 19. It runs for from West Seneca, New York at Interstate 90 to Rich Creek, Virginia at U.S. Route 460. Its passes through the states of New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia and Virginia....
, once north of
ParsonsThe town of Parsons is the county seat of Tucker County, West Virginia, in the United States. The population was 1,463 at the 2000 census. The town was named for Ward Parsons, described by one source as having once owned the land on which the town was built, and by another as having been an aged...
and again near Silver Lake. It is also crossed by
U.S. Route 50U.S. Route 50 is a major east-west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching just over from Ocean City, Maryland on the Atlantic Ocean to West Sacramento, California. Until 1972, when it was replaced by Interstate Highways west of Sacramento, it extended to San Francisco, near the Pacific...
east of Red House, Maryland, which is marked by a
Maryland State Highway AdministrationThe Maryland State Highway Administration is the state agency responsible for maintaining Maryland numbered highways outside of Baltimore City...
sign.
Hoye-Crest
Located just inside of Maryland along Backbone Mountain is
Hoye-Crest. At an elevation of , it is the highest point in the state of
MarylandMaryland is a state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia to the south and west, Pennsylvania to the north, and Delaware to the east. It is comparable in size to the European country of Belgium. According to the U.S...
. The location, named for Captain Charles Hoye of the
Garrett CountyGarrett County is the westernmost county of the U.S. state of Maryland and is part of the Pittsburgh DMA. As of 2000, the population was 29,846. It was named for John Work Garrett , president of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad from 1858 until his death in 1884...
Historical Society, has a marker and offers a view of the North Branch Potomac River valley to the east. The location is accessible via a path leading from
U.S. Route 219U.S. Route 219 is a spur of U.S. Route 19. It runs for from West Seneca, New York at Interstate 90 to Rich Creek, Virginia at U.S. Route 460. Its passes through the states of New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia and Virginia....
to the west.
Olson Observation Tower
The southern end of Backbone Mountain was the location of
West VirginiaWest Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, and Pennsylvania and Maryland to the northeast...
's first fire tower. The first tower was built in 1922 by the state and subsequently transferred to
Monongahela National ForestThe Monongahela National Forest was established by the U.S. Congress in 1915 as the "Monongahela Purchase". It became a U.S. National Forest on April 28, 1920 and now encompasses...
. In 1963, the original tower was replaced with the one currently on-site and named after Ernest B. Olson in recognition of 28 years of service in MNF fire control and conservation programs.
While the cab of the tower is not open to the public, the 133 steps leading to it are. The tower provides spectacular views of the areas including
Cheat RiverThe Cheat River is a tributary of the Monongahela River in eastern West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania in the United States. Via the Monongahela and Ohio Rivers, it is part of the Mississippi River watershed.-Geography:...
watershed,
ParsonsThe town of Parsons is the county seat of Tucker County, West Virginia, in the United States. The population was 1,463 at the 2000 census. The town was named for Ward Parsons, described by one source as having once owned the land on which the town was built, and by another as having been an aged...
,
Blackwater CanyonBlackwater Canyon is a rugged, heavily-wooded, eight-mile long gorge carved by the Blackwater River in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia, USA...
, Canaan Mountain and the
Otter Creek WildernessThe Otter Creek Wilderness is a U.S. Wilderness area located in the Cheat-Potomac Ranger District of Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia. The Wilderness sets in a bowl-shaped valley formed by Otter Creek, between McGowan Mountain and Shavers Mountain in Tucker County and Randolph County,...
.
Crabtree Woods
Crabtree Woods, on the northwest slopes of Backbone Mountain, is in the
Potomac-Garrett State ForestPotomac-Garrett State Forest is a state forest in the state of Maryland....
. It constitutes Maryland's largest surviving remnant of old-growth forest: over of mixed Appalachian hardwoods (
sugar mapleAcer saccharum is a species of maple native to the hardwood forests of northeastern North America, from Nova Scotia west to southern Ontario, and south to Georgia and Texas....
,
red oakRed oak may refer to:*Lobatae, a group of oak trees*Quercus rubra, northern red oak, native to the northeastern United States* Agkistrodon contortrix, a venomous snake species found in North America* Red Oak, Iowa, a town in southwestern Iowa...
,
basswoodTilia americana is a species of Tilia, native to eastern North America, from southeast Manitoba east to New Brunswick, southwest to northeast Texas, and southeast to South Carolina, and west along the Niobrara River to Cherry County, Nebraska...
and cucumber tree).
See also
- List of tallest mountains of U.S. states
- Blackwater Canyon
Blackwater Canyon is a rugged, heavily-wooded, eight-mile long gorge carved by the Blackwater River in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia, USA...
- Monongahela National Forest
The Monongahela National Forest was established by the U.S. Congress in 1915 as the "Monongahela Purchase". It became a U.S. National Forest on April 28, 1920 and now encompasses...
External links