Bickle Knob is a mountain summit located east of
Elkins in
Randolph County Randolph County is the name of eight counties in the United States:
*Randolph County, Alabama
*Randolph County, Arkansas
*Randolph County, Georgia
*Randolph County, Illinois
*Randolph County, Indiana
*Randolph County, Missouri
*Randolph County, Nort ...
,
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...
, USA. Easily accessible during warm-weather months, Bickle Knob is also home to one of the few remaining observation towers in
Monongahela National Forest
The Monongahela National Forest is a national forest located in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia, USA. It protects over of federally managed land within a proclamation boundary that includes much of the Potomac Highlands Regi ...
.
Observation tower
The most prominent feature of Bickle Knob is its observation tower. Formerly a
fire tower
A fire lookout tower, fire tower or lookout tower, provides housing and protection for a person known as a "fire lookout" whose duty it is to search for wildfires in the wilderness. It is a small building, usually on the summit of a mountain or ...
, the original cab has been removed and replaced with a wooden viewing platform. The observation tower provides 360-degree views of the surrounding area including the
Shavers Fork River
Shavers Fork of the Cheat River is situated in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia, USA. It is 88.5 mi (142.5 km) long and forms the Cheat at its confluence with Black Fork at Parsons.DeLorme (1997). ''West Virginia Atlas ...
,
Tygart Valley River
The Tygart Valley River — also known as the Tygart River — is a principal tributary of the Monongahela River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed Aug ...
valley, and the
U.S. Route 33
U.S. Route 33 (US 33) is a United States Numbered Highway that runs northwest–southeast for from northern Indiana to Richmond, Virginia, passing through Ohio and West Virginia en route. Although most odd-numbered U.S. routes are north– ...
crossing of
Cheat Mountain
Cheat Mountain is an exceptionally high and rugged ridge situated in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia, USA. It is about long (north to south) and more than five miles (8 km) wide at its widest. Its highest point is at its sou ...
. The tower is not handicapped-accessible.
Other facilities
A
pit toilet
A pit latrine, also known as pit toilet, is a type of toilet that collects human feces in a hole in the ground. Urine and feces enter the pit through a drop hole in the floor, which might be connected to a toilet seat or squatting pan for user ...
is located at Bickle Knob. The site formerly featured a small picnic ground, which has since been removed. **pit toilet has been removed, as well.
Access
Bickle Knob is located at the end of Forest Route 91A, a spur from Stuart Memorial Drive (FR 91). Both roads are gravel but can easily be traversed by normal passenger cars. Stuart Memorial Drive is a scenic path as it traces the edge of the
Shavers Fork
Shavers Fork of the Cheat River is situated in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia, USA. It is 88.5 mi (142.5 km) long and forms the Cheat at its confluence with Black Fork at Parsons.DeLorme (1997). ''West Virginia Atlas ...
canyon. Due to the high elevation of the area and the fact that FR 91 is not plowed in the winter,
the road may be hazardous when snow is present.
See also
*
Olson Observation Tower
Olson Observation Tower is one of the few remaining fire towers in Monongahela National Forest. Olson is located at the southern end of Backbone Mountain northeast of Parsons in Tucker County, West Virginia.
The southern end of Backbone Mounta ...
, another Monongahela National Forest observation tower
References
{{Mountains of West Virginia
Monongahela National Forest
Mountains of Randolph County, West Virginia
Allegheny Mountains
Mountains of West Virginia