The highest mountain peak in Kentucky, with a summit elevation of 4,145 feet

How to Get There

From Knoxville, TN (115 mi): Take I-40 E and I-81 N to US-58 W in Virginia. Follow US-58 W and VA-160 W into Kentucky, then continue on KY-160 W to the summit access road near Lynch.

Overview

Black Mountain is the highest mountain peak in Kentucky, with a summit elevation of 4,145 feet (1,263 m) above mean sea level and a top-to-bottom height of over 2,500 feet (760 m). The summit is located at in Harlan County, Kentucky near the Virginia border, just above the towns of Lynch, Kentucky and Appalachia, Virginia. It is alternatively known as Katahrin's Mountain, and is about 500 feet (150 m) taller than any other mountain in Kentucky.

The summit is reached by a narrow road that turns off to the right (coming from Lynch or to the left, if coming from Appalachia) at the Kentucky-Virginia line (the gap that is the highest part of Route 160) and leads past a Federal Aviation Administration radar dome. There is a one lane dirt road to the left not far past the radar dome that leads to the summit. The summit is marked with an abandoned metal fire lookout tower (the cab and wooden steps are missing from the tower). There are also multiple radio towers along with transmitter buildings around the summit.

The FAA Radar dome is nearby, but below the summit. Trees on both sides of the radar dome have been cleared, so views of other mountains are visible. On a clear day the Great Smoky Mountains on the Tennessee and North Carolina border are clearly visible.

Black Mountain's history is intimately tied to the coal mining of the surrounding region. Lynch, Kentucky, was once one of the largest coal mining towns in the nation. In 1998, Jericol Mining, Inc., petitioned to use mountaintop removal methods in the area of Black Mountain. Though the summit itself was not directly threatened, many people protested this action due to the peak's status as the state's highest point. In 1999, Kentucky purchased mineral and timber rights to the summit and prevented future large scale mining. Coal companies have alleged that mined coal veins converge beneath the summit of Black Mountain and that the summit is prone to collapse.

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Black Mountain (Kentucky)" which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0