Back Allegheny Mountain is a long mountain ridge in eastern
West Virginia. It is part of the
Shavers Fork Mountain Complex in the
Allegheny Range of the
Appalachians.
Geography
BAM runs north to south and east to west and covers a geographic area of . It rises abruptly from the
Greenbrier River valley in
Pocahontas County,
West Virginia, and runs nearly parallel to
Cheat Mountain to its west. The mountain reaches its elevational climax of at
Bald Knob, north of
Snowshoe Ski Resort. The second highest point on the mountain is Hosterman Benchmark West at . Hosterman is approximately north of Bald Knob.
North of
U.S. Route 250 west of
Durbin, the same structural fold of the Earth's crust that forms Back Allegheny Mountain continues north as
Shavers Mountain for an additional .
Preservation and recreation
Almost the entirety of Back Allegheny Mountain is protected by the
Monongahela National Forest. The summit of Bald Knob is owned by the
West Virginia Division of Natural Resources. Back Allegheny and other mountains in the area are known for their extensive
red spruce forests, as well as other high altitude plants and animals. The whole of Back Allegheny is an environmentally sensitive area.
Bald Knob is the terminus of the long
Cass Scenic Railroad State Park. The railroad carries visitors to an elevation of approximately north of the summit ridge. An overlook platform gives visitors a view of the Greenbrier Valley and, on clear days, a view all the way into......
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