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All the United States Kentucky Partridge Black Mountain

Black Mountain

You can climb to the summit of Black Mountain, as long as you sign the waiver.

Partridge, Kentucky

Added By
Thomas Harper
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View from Route 160 up Black Mountain   thomasharper / Atlas Obscura User
View from Route 160 up Black Mountain   thomasharper / Atlas Obscura User
Female Spicebush Swallowtail   thomasharper / Atlas Obscura User
Black Mountain Summit   thomasharper / Atlas Obscura User
Black Mountain   LongLiveRock on Wiki
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About

Standing over converging mined veins, Black Mountain is the highest point in Kentucky at 4,145 feet above sea level. 

In a state known for its coal mines and caves more than its mountains, underneath Black Mountain lies over so many hollowed-out veins the summit area is prone to collapse. Ever optimistic, the owners of the summit, Penn Virginia Resources, allow access—as long as you complete a waiver and mail it in to their Kingsport, Tennessee office. 

Black Mountain's history is tied to the coal fortunes of the area. The town at the foot of the mountain, Lynch, was one of the largest coal towns in the country with a population of over 10,000. After mining became more mechanized in the 1960s and 70s, many workers left the area, dropping the population below 1,000. In 1998 a company petitioned to use mountaintop removal in this area, but protests across the state and a visit from President Clinton thwarted those plans.

At the utilitarian summit are various communication towers, an FAA dome, and a former lookout tower that had its lower stairs removed. A forest surrounds the summit that is home to many black butterflies, and views are to be had from the road leading to the mountain from the Virginia side.

Related Tags

Mountains Geographic Markers State High Points

Know Before You Go

From Route 160 between Lynch, KY and Appalachia, VA, turn southwest on a dirt road at the crest of this road at the state border. Have a copy of your waiver with you just in case.

Community Contributors

Added By

thomasharper

Edited By

Rachel, cl94

  • Rachel
  • cl94

Published

May 24, 2013

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Sources
  • http://highpointers.org/archives/27
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Mountain_%28Kentucky%29
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynch,_Kentucky
  • http://www.summitpost.org/black-mountain-ky/153383
  • http://www.ket.org/kentuckylife/1300s/kylife1315.html
  • http://highpointers.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/ky-release.pdf
Black Mountain
Black Mountain Ridge Road
Partridge, Kentucky, 40862
United States
36.91426, -82.893773
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Benham Schoolhouse Inn

Benham, Kentucky

miles away

Kentucky Coal Museum

Benham, Kentucky

miles away

Virginia's Natural Tunnel

Duffield, Virginia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Kentucky

Kentucky

United States

Places 84
Stories 11

Nearby Places

Benham Schoolhouse Inn

Benham, Kentucky

miles away

Kentucky Coal Museum

Benham, Kentucky

miles away

Virginia's Natural Tunnel

Duffield, Virginia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Kentucky

Kentucky

United States

Places 84
Stories 11

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geographic markers

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Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
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