Great North Mountain is a long

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited Summit (topography), summit area, and ...

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 ...

within the

Ridge-and-valley Appalachians The Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians, also called the Ridge and Valley Province or the Valley and Ridge Appalachians, are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian division and are also a belt within the Appalachian Mountains extending ...

in the

U.S. states In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

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 ...

and

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 ...

. The ridge is located west of the

Shenandoah Valley The Shenandoah Valley () is a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. The valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the eastern front of the Ridge- ...

and

Massanutten Mountain Massanutten Mountain is a synclinal ridge in the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians, located in the U.S. state of Virginia. It is near the West Virginia state line. Geography The mountain bisects the Shenandoah Valley just east of Strasburg in Sh ...

in Virginia, and east of the

Allegheny Mountains The Allegheny Mountain Range (; also spelled Alleghany or Allegany), informally the Alleghenies, is part of the vast Appalachian Mountain Range of the Eastern United States and Canada and posed a significant barrier to land travel in less devel ...

and

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 ...

in West Virginia.

Geography

Great North Mountain is oriented along a northeast-southwest axis from its southern terminus along the

North Fork Shenandoah River The Shenandoah River is the principal tributary of the Potomac River, long with two forks approximately long each,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August 15, 2011 in t ...

Rockingham County, Virginia Rockingham County is a county located in the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 83,757. Its county seat is the independent city of Harrisonburg. Along with Harrisonburg, Rockingham County forms the Harrisonburg, ...

to its northern terminus at U.S. Route 522 in

Frederick County, Virginia Frederick County is located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 91,419. Its county seat is Winchester. The county was formed in 1743 by the splitting of Orange County. It is Virginia's northernmost county. ...

. In the south, the initial of the ridge is known Church Mountain. For much of its length, the mountain forms the border between Virginia and West Virginia, in two separate stretches; starting north of its southern terminus at the border of

Hardy County, West Virginia Hardy County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,299. Its county seat is Moorefield. The county was created from Hampshire County in 1786 and named for Samuel Hardy, a distinguished V ...

, Rockingham County, Virginia and

Shenandoah County, Virginia Shenandoah County (formerly Dunmore County) is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 44,186. Its county seat is Woodstock. It is part of the Shenandoah Valley region of Virgini ...

, for with a break where the border shifts east to Paddy Mountain around Wilson Cove, followed by an additional stretch to the north. The ridge reaches its greatest elevation, , at the peak of Mill Mountain, on the border between Hardy County, West Virginia, and Shenandoah County, Virginia, in the

George Washington National Forest The George Washington and Jefferson National Forests is an administrative entity combining two U.S. National Forests into one of the largest areas of public land in the Eastern United States. The forests cover of land in the Appalachian Mountai ...

. The mountain is crossed by U.S. Route 48 and

and

routes 55 between

Wardensville, West Virginia Wardensville is a town in Hardy County, West Virginia, Hardy County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 265 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Originally named Trout Run, Wardensville was chartered in Virginia in 1832 and ...

, and

Strasburg, Virginia Strasburg is a town in Shenandoah County, Virginia, United States, which was founded in 1761 by Peter Stover. It is the largest town by population in the county and is known for its grassroots art culture, pottery, antiques, and American Civil W ...

Variant names

According to the

Geographic Names Information System The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is a database of name and locative information about more than two million physical and cultural features throughout the United States and its territories, Antarctica, and the associated states of ...

, Great North Mountain has been known by the following names: * Big North Mountain * Greater North Mountain * Greater North Mountains * North Mountain * North Mountains The

Board on Geographic Names The United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN) is a federal body operating under the United States Secretary of the Interior. The purpose of the board is to establish and maintain uniform usage of geographic names throughout the federal governm ...

handed down two official decisions concerning the mountain's name in the years 1941 and 1967. In 1941, the board decided upon the name Big North Mountain and in 1967, it chose Great North Mountain. Both of these name changes were made in order to differentiate the mountain from North Mountain to the north. In the colonial era, Great North Mountain was referred to by some on the frontier as "The Devil's Backbone," an alias noted in the Fry-Jefferson map published in London in 1755.

Local Sites of Interest

Part of Great North Mountain is within the

, which offers many hiking and hunting trails, such as the Seven Springs trail, and those leading to an overlook on

Big Schloss Big Schloss is a peak in the Great North Mountain range of the Ridge and Valley Appalachians, with an elevation of . The peak is located in George Washington National Forest on the border of Virginia and West Virginia, though according to Topoz ...

, a peak in the area. Beside the small town of

Orkney Springs, Virginia Orkney Springs is an unincorporated community in western Shenandoah County, Virginia, United States. The reason for the name "Orkney" is unknown, but believed to be tied to either the Orkney Islands off the coast of Scotland or to the Earl of Ork ...

, at the foot of the mountain, is

Shrine Mont Shrine Mont is a retreat and conference center owned by the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia in the town of Orkney Springs, Virginia, United States which is located at the foot of Great North Mountain in the Shenandoah Valley and at the edge of th ...

, a retreat and conference center owned by the

Episcopal Diocese of Virginia The Diocese of Virginia is the largest diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, encompassing 38 counties in the northern and central parts of the state of Virginia. The diocese was organized in 1785 and is one of the Episco ...

. The retreat includes the Cathedral Shrine of the Transfiguration and The Virginia House (formerly known as the Orkney Springs Hotel). Nearby Basye boasts the four season Bryce Resort, which has golf, skiing, mountain biking, and Lake Laura.

Notes and references

External links

* Landforms of Frederick County, Virginia Ridges of Hampshire County, West Virginia Ridges of Hardy County, West Virginia Landforms of Shenandoah County, Virginia Ridges of Virginia Ridges of West Virginia {{HardyCountyWV-geo-stub