Powell Mountain (or "Powells Mountain") is a mountain ridge of the Ridge-and-valley Appalachians of the Appalachian Mountains . It is a long and narrow ridge, running northeast to southwest, from about Norton, Virginia , to near Tazewell, Tennessee . It separates the Clinch River basin and the Powell River basin of Powell Valley . It was named for an 18th-century explorer.
22-490: Powell Mountain's elevation averages between 1,500 to 2,500 feet (460 to 760 meters), with its highest points above 3,000 feet (910 meters). The highest point is Bowling Knob (3,557 feet; 1,084 meters), near the northern end of the mountain. Powell Mountain is about 60 miles (97 km) long. It is broken by one stream only, the North Fork Clinch River . North of the river, the mountain is less well-defined as
44-537: A richly diverse landscape possessing vast biological diversity. High Knob unofficially holds the record for the most snow ever measured in Virginia during a single season, with 200.5 inches (509 cm) during the 1995–96 winter. During a typical year, 60.0 to 70.0 inches (152 to 178 centimetres) of total precipitation falls across the area, to make it one of the wettest areas north of the Great Smokies , and
66-476: A ridge and merges with Stone Mountain and other mountains near the headwaters of Powell River. The southern part of Powell Mountain is paralleled on the south by Newman Ridge and Stone Ridge. Between Powell Mountain and these ridges is Snake Hollow and the headwaters of Blackwater Creek. This area is known for its historic Melungeon population. Powell Mountain is crossed by U.S. Route 58 , called "Daniel Boone Trail Highway". The original Wilderness Road crossed
88-461: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article related to a river in Tennessee is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . High Knob High Knob is the peak of Stone Mountain, that forms part of the border between Scott County and Wise County , Virginia , near the city of Norton that rises to 4,223 feet (1,287 meters) above mean sea level. High Knob
110-601: Is a river in the U.S. states of Virginia and Tennessee . It rises along the slopes of Wallen Ridge in Lee County, Virginia , and empties into the Clinch River at Hancock County, Tennessee , just across the Tennessee/Virginia state line. 36°35′03″N 83°00′41″W / 36.58417°N 83.01139°W / 36.58417; -83.01139 This article related to a river in Virginia
132-623: Is found on the western front range of the Appalachian Mountains , along the mountainous southeastern edge of the Cumberland Plateau of Southwest Virginia . It is unique to Virginia in containing both Appalachian Plateau and Ridge and Valley topography, although it is largely a karstic landform of the Ridge and Valley Province. High Knob stretches across portions of southern Wise County, northern Scott County , and
154-966: The Mount Rogers highcountry to the east (Mount Rogers is the highest peak in Virginia), the terrain surrounding the High Knob of Stone Mountain forms a true highcountry with respect to the western slopes of the Appalachians in Virginia (i.e., the Cumberland Mountains ). The area around High Knob is dominant structural feature of the Powell Valley Anticline of the Cumberland Mountain Overthrust Block. With its adjoining faults (Hunter Valley-Clinchport system), this region possesses
176-605: The Powell River. Continuing northeast, Powell Mountain crosses into Lee County, Virginia . Wallen Creek, a tributary of the Powell River, flows along the north side, while Blackwater Creek and its tributaries (themselves all branches of the Clinch River) flow on the south side. The Wilderness Road followed part of Wallen Creek, between Powell Mountain and Wallen Ridge. State Route 70 crosses Powell Mountain at Hunter Gap. North of Hunter Gap, Newman Ridge continues along
198-468: The destroyed tower. A tower replacement project was spearheaded by The High Knob Enhancement Corporation who raised required funding from donations. Under the direction of the USDA, Forest Service, Hill studio architects and Landscape Architects submitted designs and construction documents for the new tower now roughly standing where the lost tower once stood. The tower was built by DOT Construction. The tower
220-593: The difficult Devil's Racepath made this one of the more difficult segments of the Wilderness Road. The northernmost section of Powell Mountain crosses into Wise County, Virginia , where there is another high summit called Morris Butt (2,940 feet (900 m)). Northeast of that, the headwaters of the Powell River cut a valley into Powell Mountain near the community of Cracker Neck. Northeast of that, Powell Mountain becomes increasingly merged with Little Mountain, Stone Mountain, and Grindstone Ridge. In this section,
242-797: The few remaining fire towers of the Appalachian Mountains. Built in 1938–39 by the Civilian Conservation Corps , the original structure was a 14' × 14' wooden house. The replacement lookout, a three-story structure, was built by the Flatwoods Job Corps in 1978–79. High Knob's fire tower is listed in the National Historic Lookout Registry. On October 31, 2007, the High Knob Lookout Tower
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#1732780540682264-429: The greatest concentration of significant caves in Virginia. The summit of High Knob in particular exerts a significant impact upon the climate of Southwest Virginia and surrounding areas, being one of the rainiest and snowiest locations in both Virginia and the southern Appalachians. This orographically forced climate has, through the vastness of time, worked in intimate union with the geology and topography to create
286-538: The highest summit occurs, High Knob (4,223 feet (1,287 m)), but it is defined as the summit of Stone Mountain rather than Powell Mountain. Finally, Powell Mountain ends near Norton, Virginia . The northern terminus of Powell Mountain is in Jefferson National Forest . 36°30′40″N 83°23′47″W / 36.511197°N 83.396292°W / 36.511197; -83.396292 North Fork Clinch River The North Fork Clinch River
308-603: The modern highway crosses. The North Fork Clinch River breaks northeast of Kanes Gap, Powell Mountain. The mountain curves north and then west along the southwest side of the river, ending at a summit called "Butt of Powell Mountain" (elevation 2,859 feet (871 m)). US Route 23 and crosses Powell Mountain by following the North Fork Clinch River, as does railroad tracks owned by the Norfolk Southern Railway . Powell Mountain continues on
330-488: The mountain nearby at Kanes Gap. Besides the large water gap of the North Fork Clinch River, there are numerous wind gaps . Some of the named gaps, from south to north, include Fugate Gap, Gibson Gap, Mulberry Gap (used by State Route 63), Bryson Gap, Sally Gap, Hunter Gap (used by State Route 70), Kanes Gap, Elisha Lick Gap, and Beaverdam Gap. Powell Mountain's southern end is in Claiborne County, Tennessee . On
352-464: The north side of the mountain flows Little Sycamore Creek, and on the south side, Big Sycamore Creek. The two join just south of the end of Powell Mountain, then flowing into the Clinch River and Norris Lake (the reservoir behind Norris Dam ). To the northeast, Powell Mountain crosses Hancock County, Tennessee , where Newman Ridge runs closely along the south side. Big Sycamore Creek flows between
374-544: The northeastern tip of Lee County . It is a significant physical feature in Virginia and is among the widest singular mountains in the southern Appalachians, being locally greater than 13 miles (21 km) wide from base to base and more than 26 miles (42 km) long. It represents the "pivot point" of the Cumberland Mountain Overthrust Block. (first described in notable detail during the 1920s and 1930s by geologists Charles Butts and John Rich). Although some 1,000 to 1,500 feet (300 to 460 metres) lower in elevation than
396-456: The other side of the North Fork Clinch River, but is less well-defined as a ridge. It blends somewhat with Cliff Mountain, Little Mountain, and Stone Mountain. Near Cliff Mountain is the high summit of Bowling Knob (3,557 feet (1,084 m)). Nearby this section of Powell Mountain is Virginia's Natural Tunnel State Park . Also nearby is a section of the old Wilderness Road known as "Devil's Racepath". The crossing of Powell Mountain at Kanes Gap and
418-418: The south side of Powell Mountain, but its name changes to Stone Ridge. Northeast of Hunter Gap, Powell Mountain's elevation increases to 2,500 feet (760 m) and above. The mountain becomes the boundary between Lee County and Scott County, Virginia . It is crossed by U.S. Route 58 , "Daniel Boone Trail Highway". Daniel Boone's Wilderness Road route crossed Powell Mountain at Kanes Gap, just northeast of where
440-509: The two ridges to its headwaters. Its valley is called Snake Hollow. Northeast of that, Blackwater Creek flows northeastward between Powell Mountain and Newman Ridge. In Hancock County, Powell Mountain reaches heights around 2,300 to 2,400 feet (about 700 to 730 meters), with the highest point, 2,501 feet (762 m)), on the Tennessee-Virginia state line. On the north side of Powell Mountain, Mulberry Creek flows southwestward to join
462-433: The wettest in Virginia for which there are available records. Significant additional moisture contributions occur from fog drip off trees and rime deposition on trees, with many days during the year being spent amid orographic feeder butts that cap its upper elevations. On a clear day, four other states can be seen from the summit: West Virginia , Tennessee , Kentucky , and North Carolina . At its peak stood one of
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#1732780540682484-543: Was destroyed by arson . The tower was set on fire in the early hours of Halloween morning. By the time the Jefferson Forest Service and local fire departments arrived on scene, the fire tower was fully engulfed in flames, and could not be saved. Firefighters were able to keep the fire from spreading to the rest of the Knob, which was suffering from drought conditions. In 2009 work began in earnest to replace
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