Nature
North Fork Mountain is a 34-mile quartzite-capped ridge in eastern West Virginia that forms the western edge of Smoke Hole Canyon and includes high points such as Kile Knob, Panther Knob, and Pike Knob. Part of the Wills Mountain Anticline, its hard Tuscarora quartzite crest and adjacent limestone terrain give it a striking shape, while its unusual dryness makes it the driest high mountain in the Appalachians. That climate supports distinctive pine barrens, rare plant communities, and the southernmost natural red pine stands. Though sparsely settled, it also preserves traces of Smoke Hole homesteads, heavy logging, a devastating 1930 fire, and later conservation within Monongahela National Forest.
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West Virginia · United States
