Backbone Mountain

Backbone Mountain is a ridge of the Allegheny Mountains of the central Appalachian Mountain Range. It is situated in the U.S. states of West Virginia and Maryland and forms a portion of the Eastern Continental Divide. Within the state of Maryland, Backbone Mountain reaches an elevation of Template:Convert, making it Maryland's highest point.

Description and geography

Backbone Mountain stretches approximately Template:Convert southwest to northeast, from the Black Fork near Hambleton in Tucker County, West Virginia to the Savage River Reservoir in Garrett County, Maryland.<ref name="GNIS Backbone Mountain">Template:Cite gnis</ref>

The Eastern Continental Divide follows part of the mountain in Maryland. The headwaters of Youghiogheny River, in the watershed of the Mississippi River, lie just northwest of the mountain, whereas the headwaters of the North Branch of the Potomac River lie just south of the mountain, along the West Virginia-Maryland border. In West Virginia, the Eastern Continental Divide diverts to the east, with both sides of the mountain draining into the Black Fork.

The ridge is crossed twice by U.S. Route 219, once north of Parsons and again near Silver Lake. It is also crossed by U.S. Route 50 east of Red House, Maryland, which is marked by a Maryland State Highway Administration sign.

Notable features

Hoye-Crest

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} Located just inside of Maryland along Backbone Mountain is Hoye-Crest. At an elevation of Template:Convert, it is the highest point in the state of Maryland. The location, named for Captain Charles Hoye, founder of the Garrett County 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 219 to the west.

Olson Observation Tower

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} The southern end of Backbone Mountain was the location of West Virginia's first fire tower.<ref name="MNF Olson Observation Tower">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The first tower was built in 1922 by the state and subsequently transferred to Monongahela National Forest. 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. From the tower it is possible to view the surrounding area, including Cheat River watershed, Parsons, Blackwater Canyon, Canaan Mountain and the Otter Creek Wilderness.

Crabtree Woods

Crabtree Woods, on the northwest slopes of Backbone Mountain, is in the Potomac-Garrett State Forest.<ref>Maryland Native Plant Society: Crabtree Old-Growth Forest, Garrett County, Maryland Template:Webarchive</ref> It constitutes Maryland's largest surviving remnant of old-growth forest: over Template:Convert <ref>DeGroot, Bob (January 12, 2006), "Legislative Issue: Protecting Maryland's Forests, Natural Reserves, and Wildlife" Template:Webarchive, The Sierra Club Maryland Chapter Newsletter Online</ref> of mixed Appalachian hardwoods (sugar maple, red oak, basswood and cucumber tree).<ref>McCarthy, B.C. and D.R. Bailey (1996), "Composition, structure, and disturbance of Crabtree Woods: an old-growth forest of western Maryland", Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club 123(4), pp. 350–365.</ref>

See also

• Outline of Maryland
• Index of Maryland-related articles
• Blackwater Canyon
• List of U.S. states by elevation
• Monongahela National Forest

External links

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• Template:Cite summitpost