The Great White-Topped Mountain
Doug Ogle
Whitetop Mountain is a premier tourist attraction in 
Virginia. Originally called Meadow Mountain beacause of a large grassy field on the southwest side, the domed crest is capped by Red Spruce.
The visual aspect of the field from lower elevations is responsible for the name and was a source of confusion because of 
alternate spellings and popularity of similar names.
The mountain has a fascinating human history that complements its physical and biological heritages. With geology 760 million years old, many rare or unusual plants, salamanders, and birds, the mountain is a nature lover's paradise.
The mountain played a prominent role in area history. Documented by Europeans in 1751, it was home and hunting ground for Wilburn Waters, the famous bear hunter.
The mountain attracted many well known people, including 
Elisha Mitchell, Asa Gray, and others. The Whitetop Music Festival, forerunner of most such festivals in the United States, hosted Eleanor Roosevelt, 22,000 other guests, and 5,000 automobiles during the 1933 event.
The area was returned to a natural state after 1972 when the U.S. Forest Service began to manage this special place. Current challenges of management include multiple-use public access along with maintaining the highest elevation motor road in Virginia and one of the most traveled roads in the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area. There is no question that the mountain will continue to gain in popularity.