Blue Ridge Mountain

Blue Ridge Mountain, also called Blue Mountain, forms the westernmost ridge of the Blue Ridge in northern Virginia and the eastern panhandle of West Virginia, extending from the Potomac River to Linden Gap. With the Shenandoah Valley on its west side, it is a relatively continuous, modest-elevation ridge whose smoother profile reflects its Catoctin Greenstone geology, later uplifted in the Alleghenian Orogeny. Its notable peaks include Loudoun Heights, Raven Rocks, Mount Weather, and Paris Mountain, while Keyes, Snickers, Ashby, and Manassas gaps have long provided natural crossings. The Appalachian Trail follows the ridge, which remains both a landscape barrier and a major recreation corridor.

Shenandoah Retreat, Virginia · United States