Pores Knob, in Wilkes County, North Carolina, is the highest point in the Brushy Mountains, a deeply eroded spur of the Blue Ridge. Though only 2,680 feet above sea level, it rises nearly 1,500 feet above its base and stands apart so distinctly from neighboring ridges that it can be considered a monadnock, or isolated peak. A rough gravel road reaches its treeless summit, where several radio towers stand. The mountain is a prominent regional landmark because its open top offers exceptionally wide views across the Appalachians, including parts of North Carolina, some of Virginia’s highest peaks, and even Charlotte.