The Sauratown Mountains, which are sometimes called "the mountains away from the mountains", are an isolated

mountain range A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have aris ...

located within Stokes and Surry counties in the

U.S. state 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 so ...

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

. The vast majority of the range is located in Stokes County. Although the range occupies only 5% of Stokes County's area, it dominates the county's scenery from almost every direction. The Sauras rise sharply 800 to 1,700 feet (244 to 518 meters) above the surrounding terrain. The Sauratown Mountains were named after the " Saura", a Siouan-speaking Native American tribe that lived in the area before European colonists arrived in the early 18th century. The range consists of rugged, heavily forested ridges frequently broken by large

quartzite Quartzite is a hard, non- foliated metamorphic rock that was originally pure quartz sandstone.Essentials of Geology, 3rd Edition, Stephen Marshak, p 182 Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tecton ...

rock cliffs that can be seen for miles. The Sauratown Mountains are known for offering some of the best rock climbing in North Carolina. The highest point in the Sauratown Mountains is Moore's Knob, which rises to 2,579 feet (786 m). South Stokes High School, a local high school located south of the mountains in Walnut Cove, has the Saura Indian as their mascot. The range is home to Hanging Rock State Park, which was formed in 1936 and contains Moore's Knob and other prominent peaks. From 1935 to 1942, the

Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government unemployment, work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was ...

, a

New Deal The New Deal was a series of wide-reaching economic, social, and political reforms enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1938, in response to the Great Depression in the United States, Great Depressi ...

agency, built a dam and lake in the park, as well as hiking and climbing trails and picnic and campground areas. Uniquely shaped Pilot Mountain is also located in the range. Pilot Mountain State Park encompasses the westernmost end of the range. A hiking and bridle trail, known as the Sauratown Trail, crosses the range and interconnects the two state parks. The

Mountains-to-Sea Trail The Mountains-to-Sea State Trail (MST) is a long-distance trail in the US for hiking and backpacking, that traverses North Carolina from the Great Smoky Mountains to the Outer Banks. Its western endpoint is at Kuwohi, where it connects to the Ap ...

follows the Sauratown Trail and passes through both parks.

Peaks

References

{{Mountains of North Carolina Mountain ranges of North Carolina Protected areas of Stokes County, North Carolina Protected areas of Surry County, North Carolina Inselbergs of Piedmont (United States) Landforms of Stokes County, North Carolina Landforms of Surry County, North Carolina