Cacapon Mountain is the westernmost of a pair of north-south mountains that mark this region as part of the ridge and valley section of the Appalachians, with Sleepy Creek Mountain to the east. To the south lies Morgan County’s highest elevation, 2320 feet, near where Cacapon Mountain crosses into Hampshire County, West Virginia, and Frederick County, Virginia, while to the north the view reaches the Potomac and beyond to Maryland and Pennsylvania, making this one of the rare places where four states can be seen. The valley between Cacapon and Sleepy Creek mountains is the county’s most populated area and leads north to the historic town of Berkeley Springs before ending at the Potomac River. Slightly northeast, Warm Springs Ridge rises parallel to the mountain and continues to the Potomac, and in a very small area of that ridge the warm mineral springs emerge in the town center, now Berkeley Springs State Park. Formed in 1933, Cacapon State Park was bounded along the top of the mountain and spread down the eastern slope. Just north of this point, the mostly flat 12-mile Prospect Trail follows a fire road and is accessible to horseback riders and hikers, ending at Prospect Rock, where broad views of the Potomac and Cacapon rivers have long drawn visitors and local residents; riding there was one of George Washington’s favorite activities. Cacapon Mountain is primarily Oriskany sandstone, with notable outcroppings visible along the park entry road, and recent studies suggest that water flowing through the mountain may help supply the warm springs in town. Both Cacapon and Sleepy Creek mountains are heavily wooded with the mixed conifer and hardwood forests common in West Virginia, creating changing seasonal colors that make the area a four-season attraction for photographers. The Washington Heritage Trail is a 136-mile national scenic byway through the three historic counties of West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle, linking 45 historical sites and connecting five 18th-century towns through mountains, rivers, forests, farms, and orchards.
