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West Virginia's landscape was created by a massive mountain-building event 245 million years ago called the Appalachian Orogeny, when the floor of an ancient inland sea was pushed up to create the Appalachian Mountains.
Over time, erosion (from water and weather) slowly shaped the mountains into the many valleys and rugged hills we know today.
This exhibit includes mountains and knobs featured in e-WV.
The Allegheny Mountains run northward from the southern part of West Virginia to the state line, covering about 12% of the state's total area. This region includes major ridges, like Back Allegheny Mountain (4,840 feet) and Shavers Mountain (4,193...
The Blue Ridge runs all the way from Pennsylvania to Georgia, touching only the easternmost tip of West Virginia in Jefferson County, where its crest forms the border with Virginia.The Blue Ridge contains the oldest surface rocks in the state. The...
Cheat Mountain stretches about 48 miles from the Tucker County line down to Pocahontas County. It’s a continuation of other big mountains, such as like Backbone and McGowan. Its highest point is about 4,840 feet (nearly a mile above sea level). Th...
Droop Mountain peaks at 3,136 feet in Pocahontas and Greenbrier counties. It got its name because it appears to "droop" when viewed from the valley below.On November 6, 1863, Droop Mountain was the site of one of the most important Civil War battl...
East River Mountain is a mountain ridge that forms part of the border between Mercer County and Virginia. It runs for about 35 miles until the New River cuts through it at a spot called The Narrows.The mountain's crest is made of a really hard, du...
Flat Top Mountain is a large area of high ground in southern West Virginia, touching five different counties (Mercer, Raleigh, Summers, Wyoming, and McDowell). It sits on the edge of the Allegheny Plateau. The summit is a unique, flat tableland co...
Gaudineer Knob (4,450 feet) and its scenic area are located on Cheat Mountain in Randolph and Pocahontas counties. It’s named for Donald Gaudineer, a forester who tragically died saving his children in a house fire.The Knob is an example of a "hig...
Gauley Mountain is a huge landmark. In just 2.4 miles, the elevation jumps from 2,300 feet to its high point of 4,520 feet at Sharp Knob. The mountain is made of sedimentary rock uplifted millions of years ago. The shape of the main ridge is often...
Ice Mountain in Hampshire County is a unique natural site that acts like a giant, natural refrigerator. The mountain has a large area covered in boulders and rock debris. In the winter, water freezes inside this pile of rocks. The thick layer of r...
The first known settler here was Maurice Sullivan from County Kerry, followed by John Quinlan and families like the McCarthys and Dillons. Around 1877, the settlers built a small log church called St. Colman (named for an Irish saint) on land Sull...
Kates Mountain (3,240 feet) is a ridge and landmark in Greenbrier County, located across from the Greenbrier resort in White Sulphur Springs.The mountain is named for Kate Carpenter, who was one of the first European-American settlers in the area ...
North Fork Mountain is a 34-mile-long straight mountain ridge that runs northeast to southwest in Grant and Pendleton counties, along the North Fork of the South Branch Potomac River. The mountain is the side of a massive, upward-bent rock structu...
Peters Mountain is a ridge about 50 miles long, running along the border between Monroe County and Virginia. It was likely named after an early settler, Peter Wright.This mountain is a geological twin to East River Mountain. They are separated onl...
Pike Knob Preserve is a protected area of 1,095 acres located on North Fork Mountain in Pendleton County. It is owned by the Nature Conservancy.Pike Knob rises nearly 4,300 feet above sea level. From the preserve, you get amazing views in all dire...
Saddle Mountain is a section of New Creek Mountain in Mineral County with a distinctive natural notch, or gap, known as the Devil's Saddle. The actual, proper name for this notch is Dolls Gap.Dolls Gap looks exactly like a giant saddle carved into...
Sewell Mountain, uplifted out of the sea millions of years ago when the Appalachian Mountains were being formed, is made of sedimentary rock, mostly shale and sandstone. Coal is the most important mineral here financially. A special layer is even ...
Spruce Knob is the highest point in all of West Virginia. Its summit reaches 4,861 feet above sea level and is located on Spruce Mountain in Pendleton County.The knob is made of Pottsville sandstone, a very hard rock that dates back over 300 milli...