South Branch Mountain

South Branch Mountain is a mountain ridge that runs southwest to northeast through Hampshire and Hardy counties in the Eastern Panhandle of the U.S. state of West Virginia, rising to its greatest elevation of 3,028 feet (923 m) above sea-level in the Nathaniel Mountain Wildlife Management Area. South Branch Mountain is among the largest and most prominent of the mountains in the Ridge-and-valley Appalachians of the Eastern Panhandle region. It forms the eastern edge of the South Branch Potomac River Valley from Springfield to Moorefield. The mountain was originally named Jersey Mountain by colonial settlers in the eighteenth century after Jersey.

South Branch Mountain
South Branch Mountain viewed at its northern end from Millesons Mill, West Virginia.
Highest point
Elevation3,028 ft (923 m)
Coordinates39°11′39″N 78°47′45″W[1]
Geography
LocationHampshire / Hardy counties, West Virginia, U.S.
Parent rangeRidge-and-Valley Appalachians
Topo mapUSGS Sector, Springfield
Climbing
Easiest routeDrive

The Northwestern Turnpike (U.S. Route 50) climbs South Branch Mountain between Shanks and Romney in an area known as Sunrise Summit. The forested wetlands that were once located here on the mountain's top were destroyed by the expansive commercial and residential developments in the Sunrise Summit area along US 50. Further south near Moorefield, the construction of Corridor H has caused increased disruption to South Branch Mountain's forests, habitats, and topography.

References
  1. "South Branch Mountain". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2009-01-01.
South Branch Mountain rises behind the landscape just south of Moorefield, West Virginia
Aerial view of U.S. Route 48 crossing South Branch Mountain, with the Clifford Hollow Bridge near center


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