Stony Man, named for a rock outcrop that resembles a man's stony face, is Shenandoah National Park's second highest peak at 4,011 feet. Ten thousand years ago, when glaciers covered much of North America, this area was much colder and cold climate plants covered the land. As temperatures rose, glaciers retreated northward and plants adapted to a warmer climate replaced them, but in the coolness on top of Stony Man a few cold weather plants survived. Native red spruce and balsam fir persist there today, reflecting the peak's cold past.
