Black Mountain (Kentucky)
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| Black Mountain | |
|---|---|
| Elevation | 4,145 ft (1,263 m) [1] |
| Location | Kentucky, USA |
| Range | Cumberland Mountains |
| Prominence | 1905 feet (581 metres) [1] |
| Coordinates | |
| Topo map | USGS Benham |
| First ascent | unknown |
| Easiest route | Hike |
Black Mountain is the highest point in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, USA, with a summit elevation of 4,145 feet (1,263 meters) [1] above mean sea level with a top to bottom height of over 2,500 feet (762 m). It is located at in Harlan County near the border with Virginia, just above the town of Lynch and Appalachia, Virginia. It is about 500 feet (152 m) taller than any other mountain in Kentucky and is one of the tallest mountains in Appalachia outside the Blue Ridge Mountains region.
Route 160 east of Lynch, Kentucky and west of Appalachia, Virginia crosses the mountain. The summit is reached by a narrow road that turns off to the right (coming from Lynch, KY or to the left, if coming from Appalachia, VA) at the Kentucky-Virginia line (the gap that is the highest part of Route 160) and leads past an FAA radar dome. The summit is marked with an abandoned metal lookout tower, National Geodetic Survey benchmark and multiple radio towers.
The FAA Radar dome is on the road too, but below the summit. Trees on both sides of the radar tower have been cleared, so views of other mountains are visible. On a clear day the Smoky Mountains on the Tennessee and North Carolina border are clearly visible.
Black Mountain's history is intimately tied to the coal mining of the surrounding region. Lynch, Kentucky, was at one time one of the largest coal mining towns in the nation. In 1998, Jericol Mining, Inc., petitioned to use mountaintop removal methods in the area of Black Mountain. Though the summit itself was not directly threatened, many individuals protested this action due to the peak's status as the state highpoint. In 1999, the Commonwealth of Kentucky purchased mineral and timber rights to the summit and prevented any future large scale mining from being realized. Coal companies have also alleged that mined coal veins converge underneath the summit of Black Mountain and that the summit itself is prone to collapse.
Ownership of the summit is by a coal company named Penn Virginia Corporation of Radnor, Pennsylvania, but public access is allowed with the completion of a waiver.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Science In Your Backyard: Kentucky" U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey, July 3, 2006, retrieved August 25, 2006
[edit] External links
- Required waiver for summit access NOTE: The waiver has a drawing and shows the elevation of Black Mountain as 4139 Ft. As shown on the USGS website [2] , this is incorrect. The correct elevation of Black Mountain, KY is 4145 Ft. AT THE SUMMIT. There is a USGS benchmark located on a large rock over the hill that is 4139 Ft. but it is not on the summit.
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