Black Mountain (Kentucky) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Black Mountain
Katahrin's Mountain
Black Mountain, April 2010
Highest point
Elevation	4,145 ft (1,263 m)
Prominence	1,905 ft (581 m)
Listing	U.S. state high point 27th
Geography
Black Mountain Location in Kentucky
Parent range	Cumberland Mountains
Topo map	USGS Benham
Climbing
First ascent	unknown
Easiest route	Hike

Black Mountain is the highest mountain peak in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, United States, 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 approximately 36°54′51″N 82°53′38″W / 36.91417°N 82.89389°W / 36.91417; -82.89389 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.

Ecology

Black Mountain is one of the few sites in Kentucky supporting a Northern Hardwood Forest at higher elevations. Numerous rare plants and animals are found here, including Black Bear, Red Elderberry and Hobblebush. Like many areas of Northern Hardwood Forest in the Southern Appalachia, fires swept through the mountain after intense logging. Black Mountain has a documented fire that occurred in the fall of 1896.

Images for kids

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  The summit of Black Mountain, August 2013

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  Black Mountain summit plaque