Black Mountain (Kentucky)

Black Mountain is the highest point in the state of Kentucky, USA, with a summit elevation of 4145 feet (1263 meters) above mean sea level. It is located at 36° 54' 51′′N, 82° 53' 38′′W in Harlan County near the border with Virginia.

The mountain is located just off of state highway 160 east of Lynch, Kentucky. The summit is reached by a narrow road that leads past a FAA radar dome. The summit is marked with an abandoned metal lookout tower, National Geodetic Survey benchmark and multiple radio towers.

Black Mountain's history is intimately tied to the coal mining of the surrounding region. Lynch, Kentucky, was at one time 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 individuals protested this action due to the peak's status as the state highpoint. In 1999, the state of Kentucky purchased mineral and timber rights to the summit and prevented any future large scale mining from being realized. Coal companies have also alleged that mined coal veins converge underneath the summit of Black Mountain and that the summit itself is prone to collapse.

Ownership of the summit is by a coal company named Penn Virginia Corporation of Radnor, Pennsylvania, but public access is allowed.

See also

• List of tallest mountains of U.S. states