2022-12-17: Black Mountain

Kentucky: State High Point 19/50

3.55 mi, 573' elevation gain, 1 hour round-trip (including stops)

I'm almost out of state high points in the Appalachians to hit on my trips to and from college. With travel and daylight times considered, the logical next target was Kentucky's Black Mountain. Along the state's southeastern border with Virginia, Black Mountain is buried deep in coal country, and until very recently, a waiver from a mining company was required to access the summit. Today, however, access is truly public, and the only paperwork to get to the mountain was reserving a hotel nearby.

The normal trailhead for those hiking the peak is at the Jebediah Overlook along Route 160, just on the Virginia side of the mountain. A twisty dirt road leads to the summit, and most highpointers simply drive to the top. However, with icy weather (28 F when I left the car) and a low-clearance sedan, I decided it would be safer - and more fun - to park at the bottom and walk to the top. (I felt really guilty about driving to the top of West Virginia two summers ago).

Looking northeast from the Jebediah Overlook before heading up the mountain. The peak in the background is High Knob, a higher peak in Virginia.

Farmland dots the rolling hills west of Norton VA ahead of mountains to the east.

A close-up of mining operations on Looney Ridge just below the mountain. Distant blasts could be heard throughout the hike.

This rather misleading sign on the KY-VA border denotes Black Mountain. The road here tops out at 3700'; the actual summit and high point are nearly two miles to the southwest.

Beyond the overlook, Route 160 crests at the border between Kentucky and Virginia. Across from a sign about the mountain, there are three dirt roads that stretch out into the woods. The one in the middle - clearly the most travelled - is the road to Black Mountain. The trail is in remarkably good condition, and aside from maybe a few icy patches, my Corolla would have made it to the top with little difficulty. Some areas are even paved!

Ice fills the shallow potholes on the road to Black Mountain. The road is clearly fairly well-maintained, with guard rail along much of the way.

The hike to the summit of Black Mountain is a pretty easy, even boring, road hike. There are no scrambles, bouldering, or interesting diversions for the first mile of the ascent. However, as I approached the summit, I spied what appeared to be a massive white smoke cloud towering over the treetops. It was actually a radar station, located just below the summit and operated remotely. Some empty trailers sat outside the barbed-wire fence that surrounded the station's base, covered in signs warning of severe consequences for would-be trespassers. The station is evidently used for air traffic telemetry, and the generator made a constant low whirring sound like something out of a movie.

The dome of the radar station, visible from far away, is around the size of a small house.

A glimpse of a view to the north (KY) side of the ridge under the station's power lines.

Just beyond the radar station, a red metal gate blocks the road ahead. A trail to the left leads to the true summit, covered in cell phone and television towers, along with a defunct fire tower. It didn't take me long to locate the summit marker, embedded in a section of exposed rock near the edge of the clearing. A plaque memorializes a local innovator who installed the first TV towers in the state on the mountain, but otherwise there's little fanfare for the top of Kentucky.

USGS Survey Marker embedded in the rocky summit. A grassy spot below the fire tower appeared higher, but may have been modified by human activity.

A plaque memorializing William Risden, the man who developed Black Mountain's summit and connected southeast Kentucky with the outside world.

Black Mountain KY, elevation 4145'. State high point 19/50.

A shot of some of the communications infrastructure at the summit.

The summit area showed some signs of abuse by local hooligans. Glass shards covered the area, making it difficult to put my things down and rest. There was some litter at the edges of the clearing, but the worst offender seemed to be some unused, decaying buildings among the active towers. There was another generator here making some humming noise as well. I poked around at the towers a little bit before heading back down towards the car.

A view of the fire tower on the slightly higher grassy area. Note that the bottom two flights of stairs have been removed.

The summit offers a very limited view into VA through the trees in winter.

An artsy shot from below the fire tower. I've heard of people bringing ropes and climbing above the second flight for a view, but the tower seems in far too dangerous a condition to me.

A wide shot from the radar station on descent. Although I was prepared for it, it was still an odd sight to see in person in such a remote area.

Descent went fairly quickly. I was warm and good on time, so I didn't put too much energy into trailrunning, although I let gravity take over at some of the steeper parts of the trail. There are more views of the forest and surrounding valleys on descent, as you're looking down the mountain rather than up it. The weather was beautiful for the hike, with sunlight and a few fluffy clouds, and I even had cell service the whole way, due in no small part to the towers at the summit.

More guardrail along a tight turn near the radar station.

Looking down the road on descent. Trucks for the radar station and towers use this road regularly, and signs along the way warn visitors to watch for oncoming traffic. Today, however, it was empty.

Looking northwest into Kentucky through the trees.

I returned to the trailhead pretty quickly, trailrunning the last few hundred feet and taking extra caution walking along the tight turn on Route 160. The morning's haze had lifted and bits of sunlight had emerged, so I stopped at the overlook to take pictures and look at the western Virginian scenery until my hands got cold.

My car and the incredible overlook await me at the end of the short walk, just beyond the bullet hold-riddled welcome sign at the state line.

The full view from the Jebediah Overlook towards High Knob to the east.

Sunlight bathes the mining operation at Looney Ridge. The barren coal-rich land is scoured by gullies from runoff below the flat work areas.

Shrub and young trees cover the unused floor of the wide mine.

As this was my first time in the state of Kentucky, I figured I would take the scenic route back to the interstate. Rather than backtracking through Virginia, I took Route 160 down the west side of the mountain and then followed US-119 all the way up to Charleston WV, spending two full hours in the beautiful, hilly rural state. I had 'conquered' Kentucky, so it was worth my time to see some of it too.

Looking back up towards Black Mountain from another overlook on Route 160.

Looking east over the hills of Letcher County from the Hogg Overlook on Route 119.

The view north from the same overlook. Much like the Catskills back in New York, the hills here all top out near the same height, resulting in a flatter horizon than most true mountain ranges.

The rest of the trip home wasn't without its excitement. I drove past two state high points I had already hiked, enjoyed the scenic views of southern West Virginia for the first time, and got stuck in a nighttime snowstorm travelling through the mountains of western Maryland. Remarkably I was home by 1:30, far earlier than usual, and enjoyed a night of sleep with another state under my belt.