Spruce Knob - West Virginia High Point
A Spruce Knob View
__________________________________________________________
At 4,863 feet above sea level, Spruce Knob is West Virginia's highest peak. From this rugged alpine peak, you can view grassy openings and pastures or look down on forested ridges as far as the eye can see.
The vegetation here has adapted to a harsh environment. One-sided red spruce deformed by constant exposure to strong westerly winds cling to the high rocky ridges. Blueberry and huckleberry plants hug the ground. Mountain ash dot the landscape and brighten autumn days with brilliant foliage. From May through July, the flowers of azaleas, mountain laurel and rhododendron appear. Hardwood forest of beech, birch, maple and cherry cover the lower elevations.
The severe climate here means that cold fogs and strong winds can occur even in summer. Snow covers much of the area during winter months and roads are sometimes closed, or passable only with four-wheel drive vehicles.
A stone and steel observation tower sits atop the Knob, providing visitors with a vantage point from which to enjoy a 360 degree view. The half-mile Whispering Spruce Trail circles the knob and provides panoramic views. Interpretive signs along the gentle, graveled trail describe the high country vegetation, geology and animal life. Restrooms, picnic tables, grills and vehicle parking complete the facilities available at the tower.
For more information on the Spruce Knob - Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area please contact the Seneca Rocks Discovery Center at (304) 567-2827 or the Potomac Ranger District at (304) 257-4488. Current hours of operation for the Center are 9:00 am until 4:30 pm 7 days a week.
The Monongahela National Forest (MNF) was established by the U.S. Congress in 1915 as the 7,200-acre Monongahela Purchase. It became a U.S. National Forest on April 28, 1920 and now encompasses 910,155 acres (3,683 km²). It is located in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia, USA and includes parts of 10 West Virginia counties including much of the Potomac Highlands Region.
The MNF includes some major landform features such as the Allegheny Front and the western portion of the Ridge-and-valley Appalachians. Within the Forest are most of the highest mountain peaks in the state, including the highest, Spruce Knob (4,863 feet), also the highest point in the Alleghenies. Approximately 75 tree species are found in the Forest. Almost all of the trees are a second growth forest, grown back after the land was heavily cutover around the turn of the 20th Century.
______________________________________________________
To log this cache, take a photo of yourself or your GPSr at the observation tower. And to demonstrate the ducational value of earthcaching, please email the answers to the following questions to ARF!.
1. What is unique to the RED SPRUCE trees on Spruce Knob?
2. What is the size, in acres of The Monongahela National Forest?
3. Standing at this coordinate, look down and tell me what you see. How does it differ from the graphic (provided by the park service) on this cache page?
Please email your answers first, then LOG THE FIND. Each logger must email the answers. Do not wait on a reply from me. FINDs which do not meet logging requirements will be removed.
Bronze.
Silver.
Gold.
Platinum.
ARF! is an EarthCache Master
You can be, too! Click on the Earthcache logo above to see how!
Earthcaching: Leave No Trace!