Poor Mountain
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Poor Mountain rises to 1,141 m in Virginia. Sinking Creek Mountain stands 1,117 m to the north, 17 miles off. The nearest named place is Lost Mountain, a peak 1.8 miles away. Blue Ridge Parkway passes 4.0 miles off.
The story
Poor Mountain is a ridge of high peaks located in Roanoke County, Virginia and Montgomery County, Virginia. At 3,928 feet, Poor Mountain is the tallest mountain in the immediate area. Poor Mountain has the largest known population, by far, of piratebush (Buckleya distichophylla), a plant which draws nutrients from the roots of Eastern Hemlock trees. Piratebush is found only in limited numbers at a few other locations in Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee. The Poor Mountain Natural Area Preserve has been established to protect this population. Twelve O'clock Knob is located adjacent to Poor Mountain in Roanoke County directly south of Salem, Virginia. The north slope of the ridgeline formed by Poor Mountain and Twelve O'clock Knob marks the southwestern boundary of the Roanoke Valley. Fort Lewis Mountain is located directly across the valley from Poor Mountain.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q7228801, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
What the record says
- Elevation
- 1,141 m
How to reach it
- 4.0 mi off the Blue Ridge Parkway, National
- 28.0 mi off the Farm Heritage Road
Overlooks nearby
- Devil's Backbone Overlook · 11 mi
- Roanoke Mountain Loop Lookout · 12 mi
- Pine Spur Overlook · 12 mi
- Mill Mountain Overlook · 13 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- Lost Mountain: 1.8 mi
- Bent Mountain: 4.3 mi
- Bull Run Knob: 4.3 mi
- Hemppatch Mountain: 4.4 mi
- Twelve O'clock Knob: 5.1 mi
- Wayside Park: 3.7 mi
- Creed Fields Park: 5.1 mi
- Shawsville Historic District: 6.1 mi
- Mowles Spring Park: 6.4 mi
- Otter Park: 7.2 mi
- Eagle Crossing Memorial: 5.7 mi
- Via Field Memorial: 5.9 mi
- Dan Wright Memorial: 9.9 mi
- Agatha Strother Lewis | Col. Elijah McClanahan: 11.4 mi
- Audie Murphy Memorial Monument: 12.2 mi
- Salem Museum: 8.8 mi
- Virginia Museum of Transportation: 12.4 mi
- Caboose: 12.6 mi
- Roanoke Pinball Museum: 12.8 mi
- Taubman Museum of Art: 12.9 mi
- Happy Hollow Gardens Park: 5.0 mi
- Sweet Springs State Natural Area Preserve: 7.4 mi
- Havens Wildlife Management Area: 8.5 mi
- Falls Ridge Preserve: 9.3 mi
- Carvins Cove: 16.0 mi
- The Solar Wind: 8.6 mi
- The Rock: 8.7 mi
- Merrill Gainer Statue: 10.2 mi
- Sculpture Garden: 11.3 mi
- Henrietta Lacks: 12.5 mi
- Dixie Caverns: 4.0 mi
- Norfolk Southern 8661: 12.5 mi
- Jupiter Missile: 12.6 mi
- Roanoke Star: 12.6 mi
- Sapphire Ballroom & Dance Center: 14.9 mi
- Dragon's Tooth: 11.3 mi
- Tinker Cliffs: 18.6 mi
- Cracker Point: 20.5 mi
- Lovers Leap: 21.7 mi
- Bear Cliff: 22.9 mi
- Mountain View Community Garden: 11.4 mi
- Dr. Robert L. A. Keeley Healing Garden: 12.1 mi
- George Washington Carver Community Garden: 12.4 mi
- Piedmont Vegetable Garden: 13.2 mi
- Hahn Horticultural Garden: 15.0 mi
- Bent Mountain Falls: 5.8 mi
- Camp Creek: 5.8 mi
- White Falls: 24.9 mi
- Iranto Rest Area: 4.9 mi
- Radford Safety Rest Area North: 21.6 mi
- Smart View Recreation Area: 18.7 mi
- Haven Heights Picnic Site: 22.1 mi
- Howrytown: 22.1 mi
Other summits around it
The highest named summits within 16.8 miles of Poor Mountain. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sinking Creek Mountain | N 351° | 1,117 m | 16.8 mi |
| Chimney Rock | NNW 348° | 1,108 m | 16.6 mi |
| Cahas Mountain | SE 126° | 1,083 m | 9.3 mi |
| Bruisers Knob | NW 316° | 1,045 m | 15.1 mi |
| Fort Lewis Mountain | N 357° | 998 m | 7.7 mi |
| Bent Mountain | SE 143° | 975 m | 4.3 mi |
| McAfee Knob | NNE 25° | 974 m | 14.9 mi |
| Bull Run Knob | SE 143° | 972 m | 4.3 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:25 | 18:58 | 19:33 |
| June solstice | 06:01 | 20:06 | 20:45 |
| September equinox | 07:09 | 18:45 | 19:19 |
| December solstice | 07:31 | 16:27 | 17:07 |
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 | 31 | 34 | 41 | 51 | 59 | 67 | 71 | 69 | 63 | 53 | 42 | 35 |
| Precip in | 3.6 | 2.9 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 5.1 | 5.4 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 5.4 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 3.6 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Copper Hill, 8 mi away.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikidata- USGS Geographic Names Information System feature 1494256 — Poor Mountain, Roanoke County, Virginia.
OpenStreetMap element node/356582572
Day trips start here
- Roanoke · 13 mi
Take the scenic way to Poor Mountain.
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