Cacapon Mountain ( ) runs northwest through
Morgan and
Hampshire
Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...
counties in
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 ...
's
Eastern Panhandle
The Eastern Panhandle is the eastern of the two panhandles in the U.S. state of West Virginia; the other is the Northern Panhandle. It is a small stretch of territory in the northeast of the state, bordering Maryland and Virginia. Some sources ...
, rising to its greatest elevation of above
sea-level
Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardised g ...
at High Point. Cacapon Mountain is a folded mountain
ridge
A ridge or a mountain ridge is a geographical feature consisting of a chain of mountains or hills that form a continuous elevated crest for an extended distance. The sides of the ridge slope away from the narrow top on either side. The line ...
, belonging to the
Appalachian Ridge and Valley Province. Cacapon Mountain spans 16 miles (26 km) NNE to the
Potomac River
The Potomac River () drains the Mid-Atlantic United States, flowing from the Potomac Highlands into Chesapeake Bay. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map. Retrieved Augus ...
near
Great Cacapon.
From its southern point, Cacapon Mountain rises from the landscape north of
Bloomery
A bloomery is a type of metallurgical furnace once used widely for smelting iron from its oxides. The bloomery was the earliest form of smelter capable of smelting iron. Bloomeries produce a porous mass of iron and slag called a ''bloom ...
in northeastern Hampshire County. The mountain's western flank forms a series of steep hollows such as Horsebone Hollow and the hollow that bears Falling Spring Run. Beyond these hollows lies the
Cacapon River
The Cacapon River ( ; meaning Medicine Waters), located in the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle region, is an shallow river known for its fishing, boating, wildlife, hunting, and wilderness scenery. As part of the Potoma ...
which parallels the Cacapon Mountain until it joins the Potomac River. Between Bloomery and the Morgan County line, Cacapon Mountain forms the border between Hampshire and
Frederick County in
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
. While in Morgan County, the majority of Cacapon Mountain lies in
Cacapon Resort State Park
Opened in 1933, the Cacapon Resort State Park is located on the eastern slopes of Cacapon Mountain in Morgan County, West Virginia, USA. Panorama Overlook, at the southern end of the park and above sea level, is the highest point in the park ...
. The mountain forms a series of warm springs that flow from the
Devonian
The Devonian ( ) is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic era, spanning 60.3 million years from the end of the Silurian, million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Carboniferous, Mya. It is named after Devon, England, whe ...
Oriskany (Ridgeley) sandstone
Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks.
Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...
along the eastern flank of its
anticline
In structural geology, an anticline is a type of fold that is an arch-like shape and has its oldest beds at its core, whereas a syncline is the inverse of an anticline. A typical anticline is convex up in which the hinge or crest is the ...
such as those at
Berkeley Springs
Berkeley Springs is a town in, and the county seat of, Morgan County, West Virginia, United States, in the state's Eastern Panhandle. "Berkeley Springs" is also commonly used to refer to the area in and around the Town of Bath. In 1776, the Virg ...
. Cacapon Mountain's northern end is located at the scenic Panorama Overlook off
West Virginia Route 9
West Virginia Route 9 (WV 9) is a major east–west state highway located in the eastern extents of West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle. The western terminus of the route is at the Maryland state line north of Paw Paw, where WV 9 becomes ...
that overlooks three states and the confluence of the Cacapon and Potomac Rivers.
References
External links
Cacapon Resort State Park
Landforms of Frederick County, Virginia
Ridges of Hampshire County, West Virginia
Ridges of Morgan County, West Virginia
Ridges of West Virginia
Ridges of Virginia
{{FrederickCountyVA-geo-stub