The Mountains of Virginia

Looking towards the Blue Ridge on the western boundary of Fauquier County

The tallest peak in Virginia is Mount Rogers in Grayson County, at 5729 feet (1746 meters) above sea level. In contrast, the high point in Washington, DC is 429 feet - lower than the 555 foot Washington Monument...

Is that tall enough to be a mountain? In Virginia, there are no official criteria for distinguishing a "mountain" vs. a "hill." Local custom determines place names, and the Board of Geographic Names has no standards to override common names created by local residents. (Paul Larson at Southern Utah University has suggested "the difference between a mountain and a hill is in vegetation changes. If it is high enough for vertical zonation to occur it is a mountain, but if the same vegetation type covers the entire height of the feature, it is a hill."¹)

For many years, Virginians thought the the highest spot in the colony/state of Virginia was at the Peaks of Otter, because Flat Top and Sharp Top stood out as distinct peaks compared to the adjacent ridges.

Today, we know that Grayson County is the "roof" of Virginia, with the highest average elevation and the highest peaks. Whitetop Mountain appears to be taller than Mount Rogers. It too stands slightly apart from other places, and the treeless "bald" appearance also makes it more eye-catching than nearby Mount Rogers. However, if the red spruce covering Mount Rogers and blocking the view from the top continue to die off, then there's a chance that the highest point in Virginia will be easier to recognize.

Can We Identify Summits From Topographic Maps?

Of course. The 1:24,000 scale topographic maps produced by the US Geological Survey will show the height of the mountains. A topo quadrangle map that has not been updated for 50 years will still have accurate elevation data - but watch out for the online databases.

According to the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS)

• 1,846 records of a feature named a "summit," 693 records of a "ridge," and 155 named places above 4,000 feet in elevation still may not match the local definition of what is a "mountain."
• Height is a relative feature. In Accomack County, the named ridges are low in elevation, but the slight difference in height above the surrounding land is important enough to be affect the drainage and to be noticed.
• Latitude and longitude are in degrees/minutes/seconds. Bulls Head is a summit (all of 2 feet high...) in Accomack County. Its latitude is "373438N" - equal to 37 degrees, 34 minutes, 38 seconds north of the Equator. Its longitude is "0754003W" - equal to 75 degrees, 40 minutes, and 3 seconds west of the Prime Meridian.
  

However, Ivan Ash has compared the GNIS data to the maps and found discrepancies - see Virgina Summits Above 4,000 Feet That Do Not Qualify as True Summits. Note that he requires a 200 foot drop between a given summit and an adjacent, higher one before classifying a high point as a "summit."

According to GNIS, there were only a few counties in Virginia with named summits above 5,000 feet:

Feature Name	State	County	Type	Elevation	Latitude	Longitude	USGS 7.5' Map
Haw Orchard Mountain	VA	Grayson	summit	5080	363746N	0813035W	Whitetop Mountain
Pine Mountain	VA	Grayson	summit	5526	363925N	0813117W	Whitetop Mountain
Rogers, Mount	VA	Grayson	summit	5729	363935N	0813241W	Whitetop Mountain
Whitetop Mountain	VA	Grayson	summit	5520	363819N	0813620W	Whitetop Mountain
Buzzard Rock	VA	Smyth	summit	5080	363806N	0813700W	Whitetop Mountain

Named Places Above 4,000 Feet in Virginia (According to GNIS)

1,846 Named "Summits" of Virginia (According to GNIS)

693 Named "Ridges" of Virginia (According to GNIS)

Where Are the Appalachians?

the Blue Ridge, as seen from Fauquier

References

Links

• America's Roof - Summits of Virginia
• Appalachian Mountains - Panoramic Image
• Highroad Guide to the Virginia Mountains
• Mount Rogers
  • Mount Rogers Field Trip (Radford University Geology Field School)
  • Dan Graybeal's Mount Rogers Website
  • Mount Rogers (from America's Roof)
  • Grayson Highlands State Park
  • George Washington and Jefferson National Forests
    • Mount Rogers National Recreation Area
    • Scenic Byways
    • High Country Recreation: Limits of Acceptable Change
• Mole Hill and Other Melted Rocks
• Old Rag in Winter
• Peaks of Otter
  • Landmarks of American Nature Writing - Peaks of Otter
  • Five Army Men Die In Crash of Plane (Peaks of Otter, 1943)
  • Peaks of Otter - Milepost 86 (Blue Ridge Parkway)
  • The Peaks of Otter - Life and Times
• USA DEM Mosaic (from Earth Reasource Mapping)
• White Top, The Summit of Virginia (NOTE: not a recent publication...)
• Wilderness Society
• Virginia's Mountain Treasures