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Summit

Hardscrabble Knob

Virginia

About

Hardscrabble Knob is a summit of 4,276 feet in Virginia's Ramseys Draft Wilderness, part of the North River Ranger District of the George Washington and Jefferson National Forest. The nearest town is McDowell, about 10 miles away. Summer and early fall are the most comfortable times to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station show July highs around 77°F and September highs near 71°F with lows around 48°F. That station sits well below the summit, so temperatures up top run cooler. The Hardscrabble Trail starts just 0.4 miles away, and Hiner Springs is about half a mile off. For a longer outing, Shenandoah Mountain lies roughly 1.5 miles away. Shaws Fork Horse Camp, about 5 miles out, offers a place to camp.

Summit Facts

Summit elevation

4,276 ft

Elevation from USGS 3D Elevation Program terrain data (about 10 m resolution).

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Location

Hardscrabble Knob

Virginia

Name and location: U.S. Geological Survey, Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). Elevation: USGS 3D Elevation Program. View the GNIS record.

Facts about this place

When to go

Best time to go: Apr–Oct. The mildest months here, with typical highs of 60–77°F and lows of 35–56°F.

Typical monthly averages (not a forecast) from the Bartow 1s, WV weather station, 27 mi away. High / low in °F.

  1. Jan35° high17° low
  2. Feb39° high19° low
  3. Mar47° high26° low
  4. Apr60° high35° low
  5. May68° high45° low
  6. Jun74° high53° low
  7. Jul77° high56° low
  8. Aug76° high55° low
  9. Sep71° high48° low
  10. Oct61° high37° low
  11. Nov49° high28° low
  12. Dec39° high22° low

The station sits about 1,300 ft lower than this spot, so expect it to run cooler up here.

Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020

Where it is

Nearest town
McDowell, Virginia · 10 mi

Source: Wilderness.net boundaries; USFS EDW boundaries; USGS GNIS populated places

Conditions

Active alerts for George Washington and Jefferson National Forest as of Oct 9, 2026:

Source: USFS forest alerts

Nearby

Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)