Bald Knob
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Bald Knob is the highest point on Back Allegheny Mountain in Pocahontas County, West Virginia and is part of Cass Scenic Railroad State Park. At 4,842 feet above sea level, it is the third highest point in the state and also the third highest in the Allegheny Mountains.
General Information
The mountaintop can be reached by hiking but is more commonly reached by riding the Cass Scenic Railroad, which terminates just below the summit. Its lofty elevation (only 21 feet lower than the highest point in the state, Spruce Knob), gives Bald Knob a unique and often inhospitable climate. Unlike the surrounding lower elevations which are populated by oak, hickory, birch, beech and maple, the summit dome is dominated by the West Virginia Red Spruce. Mountain ash, hemlock, and Balsam fir also occur at this altitude, though they are not as common as the spruce. The region was extensively logged from 1900 to 1960. Spruce, being a valuable natural resource, lured the timber companies into the area. By 1940, the mountain was virtually barren. The last harvest of Red Spruce and hemlock on Bald Knob was in 1960. The summit was one of the last places logged by the Mower Lumber Company. Today, Red Spruce and other high elevation flora are making a comeback on the mountain, however, it will take many years for the area to fully recover. This era of West Virginia logging has been well documented in books such as "Tumult on the Mountain" and "On Beyond Leatherbark: The Cass Saga."
Climate
Bald Knob generally experiences mild summers and cold winters. The summit and west facing slopes of the mountain receive an average of 60 inches of precipitation per year and more than 180 inches of snow. The annual record snowfall is over 300 inches. Temperatures in the area have been known to reach -40 degrees Fahrenheit. One can expect winter conditions anytime between mid October to mid April. Snowfall has been recorded on the summit in every month except July and August. The last freeze usually occurs in mid-May and the first freeze occurs in mid to late September, however, freezing temperatures can occur anytime throughout the year.
Additional Facts
- A firetower built in the 1930s is located at the summit and an observation deck has been built on the eastern side of the mountain for Cass Scenic Railroad.
- Bald Knob is the site of the headwaters of the Leatherbark, West Virginia's highest stream.
- Until 2001, Bald Knob was thought to be the second highest point in the state, but a survey conducted by Snowshoe Ski Resort using GPS technology concluded that Thorny Flat, the highpoint of Cheat Mountain, roughly five miles south of Bald Knob, was approximately six feet higher. This has not been officially confirmed by the USGS.
- Most of the mountain is owned by the Monongahela National Forest, purchased from Mower Lumber Company in 1960 by the federal government. The summit, however, is owned by Cass Scenic Railroad State Park.
- Hiking to Bald Knob on the railroad tracks is against federal and state law.
- Cass Scenic Railroad State Park is eleven miles long and only sixty feet wide, just enough for the railroad right-of-way.
- Bald Knob is the highest point reached by a standard gauge railroad east of the Mississippi.
External links
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