Skip to content

Big Schloss

Big Schloss, seen from above at true elevation

Big Schloss rises to 894 m in West Virginia. Mill Mountain stands 1,006 m to the northeast, 3.2 miles off. The nearest named place is Wolf Gap Recreation Area, a park 1.8 miles away. Skyline Drive passes 23 miles off.

Big Schloss is a peak in the Great North Mountain range of the Ridge and Valley Appalachians. It features a rocky outcropping of white sandstone with expansive views into Trout Run Valley in West Virginia and Little Schloss Mountain in Virginia.

The story

Big Schloss is a peak in the Great North Mountain range of the Ridge and Valley Appalachians, with an elevation of 2,964 feet (903 m). The peak is located in George Washington National Forest on the border of Virginia and West Virginia, though according to Topozone, the actual summit is in Virginia. The trail is part of the Lee Ranger District. It features a rocky outcropping of white sandstone with expansive views into Trout Run Valley in West Virginia and Little Schloss Mountain in Virginia. German settlers gave Big Schloss its name. Schloss is German for "castle", and the name is a reference to the rocky outcrop. German was the common language in the area for several years. A number of hiking trails lead to Big Schloss. Hikers may ascend from Wolf Gap Recreation Area via the Mill Mountain trail, or a circuit hike coming from FDR Rt. 92. The Potomac Appalachian Trail Club maintains the trails leading up to Big Schloss. A bridge provides access to the Big Schloss rock outcropping. In the Fall of 2010, the bridge was replaced with new stairs, 20' of new handrails, and two new concrete abutments.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Wikidata Q4906299, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.

What the record says

Elevation
894 m

How to reach it

Coordinates38.94141, -78.66599

Named places within 25 miles

Peaks
Parks: 46
Museums: 18
Historic sites: 16
Springs: 15
Attractions: 10
Cliffs: 8
Waterfalls: 6
Artworks: 4
  • Cootie Bug: 15.7 mi
  • Statue of Liberty: 15.7 mi
  • Love: 21.6 mi
  • Happy Moon, 10,000 Smiles: 23.8 mi
Picnic sites: 4
Nature reserves: 3
Gardens: 2

Other summits around it

The highest named summits within 13.2 miles of Big Schloss. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.

SummitBearingElevationDistance
Mill MountainNE 36°1,006 m3.2 mi
Devils BenchmarkWSW 257°995 m3.6 mi
Sugar KnobNE 51°976 m3.8 mi
Long MountainWNW 288°951 m2.5 mi
Little Sluice MountainENE 65°951 m3.8 mi
Snyder KnobW 261°936 m5.8 mi
Paddy MountainNE 51°910 m7.1 mi
Cove MountainWSW 246°898 m9.4 mi

When to go

Light through the year

DateSunriseGolden hourSunset
March equinox07:1918:5219:27
June solstice05:5020:0420:44
September equinox07:0318:3819:13
December solstice07:3116:1416:56

Local time (America/New_York).

Climate normals

Months averaging 50–80 °F: Apr–Oct.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg °F303239515967716963524234

1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Lost RVR, 7 mi away.

Where this comes from

Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.

OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidata

OpenStreetMap element node/1402607026

More peaks in West Virginia

Drive to it

Byway plans a real route around stops like this one.

Private beta · Free to join

Take the scenic way to Big Schloss.

Byway plans around your taste, verified places, real weather and opening hours — then opens every leg in Google Maps with one tap.

Private beta · Free to join · No card · Invite when a spot opens