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 area, and is usually higher ...
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 are ...
, the summit of Hawksbill Mountain is the highest point in
Shenandoah National Park
Shenandoah National Park (often ) is an American national park that encompasses part of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The park is long and narrow, with the Shenandoah River and its broad valley to the west, and the ...
, as well as the highest point in both Madison and Page counties.
The north face of Hawksbill Peak is a drop into Timber Hollow, which is the largest elevation change in the park. The summit is one of the few places in Shenandoah National Park where one can find
balsam fir
''Abies balsamea'' or balsam fir is a North American fir, native to most of eastern and central Canada (Newfoundland west to central Alberta) and the northeastern United States (Minnesota east to Maine, and south in the Appalachian Mountains to ...
, a tree more typical of northern
New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
and southeast
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...
.
The
National Park Service
The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational properti ...
has constructed a stone observation platform at the summit. Byrd's Nest No. 2, one of a series of shelters built in the park by Senator Harry Byrd, is nearby. Hawksbill peak is also the site of a
peregrine falcon
The peregrine falcon (''Falco peregrinus''), also known as the peregrine, and historically as the duck hawk in North America, is a cosmopolitan bird of prey (raptor) in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-grey bac ...
restoration project. The summit of Hawksbill Mountain can be reached by a short hike from a
trailhead
A trailhead is the point at which a trail begins, where the trail is often intended for hiking, biking, horseback riding, or off-road vehicles. Modern trailheads often contain rest rooms, maps, sign posts and distribution centers for informatio ...
located at the Upper Hawksbill parking area, just off of
Skyline Drive
Skyline Drive is a National Parkway that runs the entire length of the National Park Service's Shenandoah National Park in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, generally along the ridge of the mountains. The drive's northern terminus is a ...
in Shenandoah National Park. A number of other hiking trails lead to the summit of Hawksbill, while the
Appalachian 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 ...
goes around and about in elevation below the summit.
Gallery
File:Byrd's Nest Shelter No. 2.jpg, Byrd's Nest Shelter No. 2
File:Appalachian Trail Blaze En Route to Hawksbill Summit.jpg, Appalachian Trail Blaze en route to Hawksbill Summit
Mountain peaks of Virginia
This article comprises three sortable tables of the major mountain peaks of Virginia. This article defines a significant summit as a summit with at least of topographic prominence, and a major summit as a summit with at least of topographi ...