Mount Jefferson
Mount Jefferson rises to 258 m in Virginia. Bucks Elbow Mountain stands 964 m to the west-northwest, 13 miles off. The nearest named place is Graveyard Site, a historic site 0.3 miles away. Journey Through Hallowed Ground Byway passes 2.4 miles off.
The story
Observatory Hill is a mountain located just outside Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, in Albemarle County. It lies south of Lewis Mountain, and is positioned at the northeastern edge of the Ragged Mountains. It was known formerly as Mount Jefferson. It was named Mount Jefferson in honor of Thomas Jefferson after the establishment of the Leander McCormick Observatory on the summit in 1885. Jefferson had urged the purchase of the mountain for the University of Virginia, in part because of its suitability as a site for an observatory. In addition, he valued it for the water resources and the abundance of timber for construction of the university. Prior to its naming as Mount Jefferson, it had been known as Old Reservoir Mountain and Observatory Mountain (for an observatory which Jefferson directed to be built on the summit). The mountain is traversed by McCormick Road and Edgemont Road (which also runs along a neighboring ridge — Edgemont or Midmont), and is the site of several other University of Virginia buildings including a deactivated nuclear reactor, a linear accelerator and dormitories. It has been preserved in a largely wooded state for the protection of McCormick Observatory from light pollution. It is used by birdwatchers, mountain bikers, hikers, and students and faculty at The Judge Advocate General's Legal Center and School, U.S. Army, for military physical fitness training. The headquarters for the National Radio Astronomy Observatory are also located on Mount Jefferson.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q6921495, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
What the record says
- Elevation
- 258 m
How to reach it
- 2.4 mi off the Journey Through Hallowed Ground Byway, National
- 14.7 mi off the Skyline Drive, National
- 18.2 mi off the Blue Ridge Parkway, National
Overlooks nearby
- Carter Overlook · 3 mi
- Beagle Gap Overlook · 15 mi
- Sawmill Ridge Overlook · 15 mi
- Sawmill Run Overlook · 15 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- Lewis Mountain: 0.6 mi
- Song Mountain: 1.7 mi
- Round Top: 1.8 mi
- Stillhouse Mountain: 2.1 mi
- Britts Mountain: 3.2 mi
- Darden Court: 0.7 mi
- Nameless Field: 0.9 mi
- The Lawn: 1.0 mi
- University of Virginia Historic District: 1.0 mi
- Frys Spring Park: 1.1 mi
- George Welsh: 0.4 mi
- IN-trospection: 0.7 mi
- Thomas Jefferson Statue: 1.0 mi
- Homer: 1.0 mi
- George Washington Statue: 1.0 mi
- Graveyard Site: 0.3 mi
- Lambeth Ruins: 0.8 mi
- The Aviator Statue - James Rogers McConnell: 0.9 mi
- Anatomical Theater Marker: 1.0 mi
- Kitty Foster Cemetery: 1.0 mi
- Student Garden: 0.5 mi
- Jane Heyward Garden: 0.9 mi
- Keunen Garden: 1.4 mi
- Courtnay's Garden: 1.4 mi
- The Tahija Arboretum & Lacross Botanical Gardens: 1.5 mi
- Fralin Museum of Art: 1.1 mi
- Jefferson School African American Heritage Center: 1.9 mi
- Virginia Discovery Museum: 2.4 mi
- Michie Tavern: 3.6 mi
- Monticello: 4.1 mi
- Heyward Community Forest: 1.7 mi
- Ivy Creek Natural Area: 4.4 mi
- Mint Springs Valley Park: 11.9 mi
- Scheier Natural Area: 15.0 mi
- Patricia Ann Byrom Forest Preserve Park: 15.1 mi
- Chris Greene Lake Beach: 10.1 mi
- Lake Monticello Beach 5: 12.7 mi
- Lake Monticello Beach 4: 13.4 mi
- Main Beach (Beach 1): 13.9 mi
- Lake Monticello Beach 3: 13.9 mi
- Jones Run Falls: 16.8 mi
- Lower Doyles River Falls: 16.9 mi
- Upper Doyles River Falls: 17.0 mi
- Upper Shamokin Falls: 23.3 mi
- South River Falls: 24.0 mi
- Dundo Picnic Grounds and Group Campground: 17.6 mi
- Greene County Park Pavillion: 17.6 mi
- Nelson County Wayside: 20.6 mi
- Humpback Rocks Picnic Area: 22.7 mi
- South River Picnic Area: 24.1 mi
- Free Speech Wall: 2.4 mi
- James Monroe's Highland: 5.0 mi
- Apple Cannon: 20.9 mi
- Endless View Farms: 20.9 mi
- Blackrock Springs: 17.4 mi
- Coiner Spring: 22.3 mi
- Laurel Springs Gap: 23.2 mi
- Dripping Rock: 23.4 mi
- Canada: 0.9 mi
Other summits around it
The highest named summits within 13.0 miles of Mount Jefferson. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bucks Elbow Mountain | WNW 293° | 964 m | 13.0 mi |
| Castle Rock | WSW 243° | 722 m | 12.5 mi |
| High Top Mountain | NNW 328° | 695 m | 12.9 mi |
| Mill Mountain | SW 235° | 563 m | 11.8 mi |
| High Top | WSW 244° | 557 m | 11.1 mi |
| Long Arm Mountain | WSW 244° | 553 m | 11.1 mi |
| Dudley Mountain | SW 218° | 490 m | 5.4 mi |
| Carters Mountain | SSE 154° | 477 m | 4.1 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:19 | 18:51 | 19:26 |
| June solstice | 05:52 | 20:01 | 20:41 |
| September equinox | 07:03 | 18:38 | 19:13 |
| December solstice | 07:27 | 16:17 | 16:59 |
Local time (America/New_York).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: Apr–Oct.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 36 | 39 | 46 | 57 | 65 | 74 | 78 | 76 | 69 | 59 | 49 | 40 |
| Precip in | 3.4 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 3.5 | 4.6 | 4.7 | 4.8 | 4.0 | 5.2 | 3.9 | 3.6 | 3.8 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Charlottesville 2W, under a mile away.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidata- USGS Geographic Names Information System feature 1493140 — Mount Jefferson, Albemarle County, Virginia.
OpenStreetMap element node/356581920
Day trips start here
- Charlottesville · 2 mi
Take the scenic way to Mount Jefferson.
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