Shenandoah Mountain is a mountain ridge approximately long 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 ...

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 B ...

. The steep, narrow, sandstone-capped ridge extends from northern Bath County, Virginia to southern

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 ...

. Along the way, its crest defines the borders between

Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally speaking, upland (or uplands) refers to ranges of hills, typically from up to while highland (or highlands) is ...

and Augusta counties, Virginia, and between

Pendleton County, West Virginia Pendleton County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,143, making it the second-least populous county in West Virginia. Its county seat is Franklin. The county was created by the ...

, and

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 Harrisonbur ...

. The name comes from the

Iroquoian The Iroquoian languages are a language family of indigenous peoples of North America. They are known for their general lack of labial consonants. The Iroquoian languages are polysynthetic and head-marking. As of 2020, all surviving Iroquoian ...

word for '

deer Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the re ...

'. Its high point is 4397’/1340 m

Reddish Knob Reddish Knob of Shenandoah Mountain is one of the highest points in Virginia, rising . A narrow, paved road reaches the summit from Harrisonburg, Virginia. Geography Reddish Knob is located on the border between Augusta County, Virginia and Pend ...

along the Virginia/West Virginia border. Located in the Ridge and Valley

physiographic province physiographic province is a geographic region with a characteristic geomorphology, and often specific subsurface rock type or structural elements. The continents are subdivided into various physiographic provinces, each having a specific characte ...

of the

Appalachian Mountains The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. They ...

, Shenandoah Mountain forms part of the western margin of the Shenandoah Valley, and is part of the easternmost

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 ...

. It lies almost entirely within 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 ...

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– ...

crosses the mountain between

Franklin, West Virginia Franklin is a town in Pendleton County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 486 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Pendleton County. Franklin was established in 1794 and named for Francis Evick, an early settler. History ...

, and Harrisonburg, Virginia. Other Shenandoah Mountain high peaks are Flagpole Knob (Virginia; 4383’/1336 m), and Bald Knob (Virginia; 3680’/1122 m ).

References

{{Mountains of West Virginia Ridges of Virginia Ridges of West Virginia Allegheny Mountains Shenandoah River Mountains of Rockingham County, Virginia Mountains of Bath County, Virginia Mountains of Augusta County, Virginia Mountains of Highland County, Virginia Mountains of Pendleton County, West Virginia Ridges of Hardy County, West Virginia

See also

References