Quirauk Mountain

Infobox Mountain
Name = Quiruak Mountain
Photo =
Caption =
Elevation = convert|2145|ft|m|0
Location = Washington County, Maryland
Range = South Mountain, Blue Ridge Mountains
First ascent =
Coordinates = latitude 39.69634 N, longitude 77.51271 W [http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=39.69633&lon=-77.51271&s=48&size=l&u=4&datum=nad27&layer=DRG25 USGS Topographic Map, Smithsburg (MD, PA) Quadrangle] ]
Easiest route = drive

Quirauk Mountain is the highest point on South Mountain [ [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9068865/South-Mountain "South Mountain", Encyclopædia Britannica Online] ] . The 2145ft (654m) peak is located in northeastern Washington County, Maryland. It lies just southwest of Fort Ritchie Military Reservation in the village of Cascade and about 1/2 mile southeast of the community of Blue Mountain. The Appalachian Trail and South Mountain State Park are about 1/2 mile to the west of the mountain's summit.

On the summit is a broadcast tower for radio stations WETH-FM and WAYZ-FM (in Hagerstown) [ibid] and "Site C", a radio communication outpost of the Alternate Joint Communications Center, a United States Department of Defense emergency relocation site near Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania [ [http://www.wmrtv.com/hagerstownchambersburg.htm Hagerstown-Chambersburg Area Radio Stations] ] . There is a fenced-in area of the mountaintop that is federal property and thus a restricted area [ [http://coldwar-c4i.net/mt_weather/ The Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center (see section "Telecommunications Links")] ] . Quirauk Mountain's broadcast tower was formerly used by radio stations WJEJ-FM and WWMD-FM [ [http://www.cohp.org/md/Washington_3.html Washington County Highpoint Trip Report ] ] . A fire lookout tower also used to occupy the summit [ [http://creekside.8m.com/sprtv/fmstations.htm 104.7] ] [ [http://www.firelookout.org/towers/md/md.htm Maryland Fire Lookouts] ] .

About 1/2 mile to the west-southwest of the summit is High Rock (on the Appalachian Trail), which provides an excellent view of the surrounding countryside [http://www.sha.state.md.us/exploremd/oed/scenicByways/Catoctin.pdf] [Maryland Scenic Byways, p. 140]

References

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