South Mountain is the northern extension of the

Blue Ridge Mountain Blue Ridge Mountain, also known as Blue Mountain, is the colloquial name of the westernmost ridge of the Blue Ridge Mountains in northern Virginia and the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. The Appalachian Trail traverses the entire length of th ...

range Range may refer to: Geography * Range (geographic), a chain of hills or mountains; a somewhat linear, complex mountainous or hilly area (cordillera, sierra) ** Mountain range, a group of mountains bordered by lowlands * Range, a term used to i ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

and

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. From 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

Knoxville, Maryland Knoxville is an unincorporated community in Frederick and Washington counties, Maryland, United States. The Robert Clagett Farm and Magnolia Plantation are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. History Knoxville is situated at t ...

in the south to

Dillsburg, Pennsylvania Dillsburg is a borough in York County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,643 as of the 2020 census. Geography Dillsburg is surrounded by Carroll Township in northwestern York County. According to the United States Census Bureau, ...

York County, Pennsylvania York County ( Pennsylvania Dutch: Yarrick Kaundi) is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 456,438. Its county seat is York. The county was created on August 19, 1749, from part of Lancaster ...

in the north, the range separates the Hagerstown and

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is a historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974. From 19 ...

valleys from the

Piedmont it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

regions of the two states. The

Appalachian National Scenic Trail The Appalachian Trail (also called the A.T.), is a hiking trail in the Eastern United States, extending almost between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine, and passing through 14 states.Gailey, Chris (2006)"Appalachian ...

follows the crest of the mountain through Maryland and a portion of Pennsylvania.

Geography

South Mountain begins at the Potomac River as a low, narrow ridge, barely one mile wide and only above sea level at its crest. South of the Potomac River 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 ...

, the ridge continues as

Short Hill Mountain Short Hill Mountain is a mountain ridge of the Blue Ridge Mountains in northwest Loudoun County, Virginia. Geography Short Hill rises sharply from the Piedmont countryside of the Loudoun Valley, northwest of Purcellville. It is a low-lying ri ...

for about before subsiding near the town of Hillsboro. South Mountain in Maryland gradually grows higher and wider towards the north. Near the Pennsylvania border, the mountain merges with the hills of the parallel Catoctin Mountain range to the east and becomes more like a low mountain range than a single crest. North of

U.S. Route 30 U.S. Route 30 or U.S. Highway 30 (US 30) is an east–west main route in the system of the United States Numbered Highways, with the highway traveling across the northern tier of the country. With a length of , it is the third longest ...

in Pennsylvania, the South Mountain highlands reach their greatest width, over , and several summits top . The mountain then turns more to the east and becomes a series of small rocky hills between Mount Holly Springs and the northeastern end of the mountain at Dillsburg.

Major summits

Maryland

From south to north: * Lambs Knoll, 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 ...

*Monument Knob, *Bartman Hill, *Pine Knob, *Buzzard Knob, *

Quirauk Mountain Quirauk Mountain is the highest point on South Mountain. The peak is located in northeastern Washington County, Maryland. It lies just southwest of Fort Ritchie Military Reservation in the village of Cascade and about 1/2 mile southeast of t ...

, , highest point on South Mountain in Maryland

Pennsylvania

Center Point Knob Plaque, Cumberland County, PA

From south to north, then east: *Mount Dunlop, *Monterey Peak, *Clermont Crag, *Wildcat Rocks, *Virginia Rock, *Buzzard Peak/Chimney Rocks, *Snowy Mountain, *Green Ridge, *Mount Newman, *Piney Mountain, *Big Pine Flat Ridge, , highest point on South Mountain in Pennsylvania *Big Flat Ridge, *East Big Flat Ridge, *Mount Holly, *Long Mountain, *Center Point Knob, , midpoint of the Appalachian Trail in 1935 *White Rocks,

Gaps

Maryland

From south to north: *

Crampton's Gap Crampton's Gap, also known as Crampton Gap, is a wind gap on South Mountain in Maryland. The gap connects Burkittsville in the Middletown Valley to the east with Gapland and Rohrersville in the Pleasant Valley to the west. Documentation o ...

, , between Burkittsville and Gapland *

Fox's Gap Fox's Gap, also known as Fox Gap, is a wind gap in the South Mountain Range of the Blue Ridge Mountains, located in Frederick County and Washington County, Maryland. The gap is traversed by Reno Monument Road. The Appalachian Trail also cross ...

, , between Middletown and Boonsboro *Harman Gap (Oeiler's Gap), , east of

Cavetown Robin Daniel Skinner (born 15 December 1998), known professionally as Cavetown (sometimes stylized in all lowercase), is an English singer-songwriter, record producer, and YouTuber. His style blends elements of indie rock, indie pop and bed ...

Turner's Gap Turner's Gap is a wind gap in the South Mountain Range of the Blue Ridge Mountains, located in Frederick County and Washington County, Maryland. The gap is traversed by U.S. Route 40 Alternate, the old National Pike. The Appalachian Trail a ...

, , between Middletown and Boonsboro, traversed by

U.S. Route 40 Alternate U.S. Route 40 has at least eight extant special routes. Current routes WaKeeney business loop U.S. Route 40 Business (US-40 Bus.) is a business route through WaKeeney, Kansas, that was recommended in 1979 as substitute for the formerly pro ...

Pennsylvania

From south to north: * Monterey Gap, , at Blue Ridge Summit (see als
Fairfield Gap

Pass near Mount Newman
, traversed by

State reservations

Maryland

From south to north: * South Mountain State Park, length of the ridge crest in Maryland *

Gathland State Park Gathland State Park is a public recreation area and historic preserve located on South Mountain near Burkittsville, Maryland, in the United States. The state park occupies the former estate of war correspondent George Alfred Townsend (1841-1 ...

, Crampton Gap *

Washington Monument State Park Washington Monument State Park is a public recreation area located approximately southeast of Boonsboro, Maryland. The park preserves the Washington Monument, a tower honoring George Washington, the first President of the United States. The mo ...

, near Boonsboro * Greenbrier State Park, near Boonsboro

Pennsylvania

From south to north: * Michaux State Forest, covering most of the mountain *

Caledonia State Park Caledonia State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Greene Township, Franklin County and Franklin Township, Adams County in southern Pennsylvania. The park is named for the Caledonia Furnace, an iron furnace that was owned by Thaddeus St ...

, east of Fayetteville *

Kings Gap State Park Kings Gap Environmental Education Center is a Pennsylvania state park in Cooke, Dickinson and Penn Townships, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania acquired the land in 1973, from the C. H. ...

Pine Grove Furnace State Park Pine Grove Furnace State Park is a protected Pennsylvania area that includes Laurel and Fuller Lakes in Cooke Township of Cumberland County. The Park accommodates various outdoor recreation activities, protects the remains of the Pine Grove ...

, current midpoint of the Appalachian Trail

Conservation

In Pennsylvania, the region surrounding is the focus of
Conservation Landscape Initiative
led by the

Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), established on July 1, 1995, is the agency in the U.S. State of Pennsylvania responsible for maintaining and preserving the state's 124 state parks and 20 state forests; pr ...

(DCNR) and the

Appalachian Trail Conservancy The Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) (formerly Appalachian Trail Conference) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation of the Appalachian Trail, a route in the eastern United States that runs from Maine to Georgia. Founded in ...

. The initiative is organized as South Mountain Partnership, which involves other organizations, government, business, and community members.

History

The history of South Mountain defines the early history of western Maryland. It was viewed as a boundary to the Susquehannock in their original treaty granting land to Maryland. In a 1732 letter to the colonial governor of Maryland, Captain Civility (Togotolisa) chief of Conestoga warns against settlement in the valley beyond the mountain. The first Euromerican land grant west of South Mountain by Maryland was William Park's "Park Hall" in 1731 near Crampton's gap. The earliest route of the

Great Wagon Road Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" *Artel Great (born ...

crossed South Mountain by Fox's Gap on a course between Middletown and Sharpsburg. Other important passes for migration and settlement were Turner's Gap near Boonsboro. Orr's Gap, used today by Interstate 70, and the course of "Cartledge's Old Road" generally following Maryland state route 77. Maryland finally gained clear title to the lands west of South Mountain at the 1744 Treaty of Lancaster. Following the 1859 John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry seven of the raiders escaped from the

Kennedy Farm The Kennedy Farm is a National Historic Landmark property on Chestnut Grove Road in rural southern Washington County, Maryland. It is notable as the place where the radical abolitionist John Brown planned and began his raid on Harpers Ferry, V ...

headquarters to Pennsylvania by following (Elk ridge and) South Mountain north. The escapees traveled by night and spent the days in cold camps among the densest thickets they could find along the remote ridge top. They finally left the mountain near today's

between Chambersburg and Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The

Battle of South Mountain The Battle of South Mountain—known in several early Southern accounts as the Battle of Boonsboro Gap—was fought on September 14, 1862, as part of the Maryland campaign of the American Civil War. Three pitched battles were fought for posses ...

was fought on the mountain at Crampton's, Fox and Turner's gaps during the Maryland Campaign of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

in 1862. In 1863, military engagements of the Gettysburg Campaign on the mountain range included the Fight at Monterey Pass near the

Mason–Dixon Line The Mason–Dixon line, also called the Mason and Dixon line or Mason's and Dixon's line, is a demarcation line separating four U.S. states, forming part of the borders of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and West Virginia (part of Virginia ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:South 01 Blue Ridge Mountains Mountain ranges of Maryland Mountain ranges of Pennsylvania Mountains on the Appalachian Trail Subranges of the Appalachian Mountains Landforms of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania Landforms of Franklin County, Pennsylvania Landforms of Frederick County, Maryland Landforms of Washington County, Maryland