09 April 2026
High Knob Massif
Big Cherry Lake Basin
Big Cherry Lake Basin
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
This will feature updates on several mountain basins of the High Knob Massif following a recent flight on April 9 and numerous on-the-ground explorations during recent months.
Let's start with a precipitation update.
Precipitation Update
High Knob Massif
(Upper Elevations)
Monthly Total Precipitation
Eagle Knob Peak
(Elevation 4196 feet)
2025
January
9.72"
February
14.90"
Winter 2024-25
(1 Dec-28 Feb)
29.28" (M)
March
7.60"
April
5.64"
May
8.66"
Spring 2025
(1 Mar-31 May)
21.90"
June
4.37"
July
6.55"
August
6.22"
Summer 2025
(1 Jun-31 Aug)
17.14"
September
5.12"
October
7.05"
November
4.86"
Autumn 2025
(1 Sep-30 Nov)
17.03"
December
2.82" (M)
2025 Total: 83.52" (M)
(January 1 to December 31 Period)
M = Indicates missing moisture in frozen precipitation
2026
January
4.18" (M)
February
4.38" (M)
Winter 2025-26
(1 Dec-28 Feb)
11.38" (M)**
March
4.84"
April 1-19
3.59"
2026 Total: 16.99" (M)
(January 1 to April 19 Period)
**Lowest winter total on record.
10 November 2025
Eagle Knob of High Knob Massif
Image courtesy of Cody Blankenbecler
November 2025 Snowfall: 5.0"
Eagle Knob of High Knob Massif
27 January 2025
Image courtesy of Cody Blankenbecler
December 2025 Snowfall: 17.0"
Eagle Knob of High Knob Massif
03 February 2026
Image courtesy of Cody Blankenbecler
January 2026 Snowfall: 23.5"
Eagle Knob of High Knob Massif
05 February 2026
Image courtesy of Cody Blankenbecler
February 2026 Snowfall: 20.0"
Eagle Knob of High Knob Massif
17 March 2026
Image courtesy of Cody Blankenbecler
March 2026 Snowfall: 13.5"
Eagle Knob of High Knob Massif
Image courtesy of Cody Blankenbecler
April 2026 Snowfall: 1.0"
Winter 2025-26 Total: 80.0"
09 April 2026
Below average snowfall was observed again during Winter 2025-26 across the High Knob high country to continue the now decade-plus snow drought.
NOTE: The following is a beauty & beast update.
The beauty is in the extraordinary terrain and biological diversity that naturally exists within the High Knob Massif (the wettest area in Virginia).
The beast is within the ulginess and degradation generated by un-natural disturbance that should have never been allowed in this extraordinary mountain setting.
Please reference:
for a deeper dive into this issue.
Big Cherry Lake Basin
South Fork of Powell River
(Powell River Headwater Basin)
This is the wettest terrain in Virginia.
09 April 2026
Elevation 4223 feet
High Knob Lookout Tower
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
The basin of Big Cherry Lake stretches from
the High Knob Lookout to South Fork Gorge.
Big Stone Gap Water Plant
South Fork of Powell River Gorge
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
Extensive wetlands exist upstream of the lake
in headwaters of the meandering South Fork of Powell River (well documented on this website across many years).
09 April 2026
Big Cherry Lake Basin
Cold Air Pooling Area of Wetland Valley 
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
Some of the coldest night-time temperatures in Virginia and the southern Appalachians occur
here despite modification of outgoing longwave radiation from abundant annual precipitation
and thick vegetation along the basin floor.
09 April 2026
Big Cherry Lake Basin
Middle Portion of Wetland Valley
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
09 April 2026
Big Cherry Lake Basin
Upper Portion of Wetland Valley
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
Summer maximums rarely rise above 80 degrees in woods of the Basin Head, and typically reach low-middle 80s along the more open wetland valley.
08 March 2026
Northern Hardwoods
Head of Big Cherry Lake Basin
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
Beautiful mixed-mesophytic and northern hardwood forests occur where logging has
not created disturbance in recent decades.
08 March 2026
Northern Hardwoods
Head of Big Cherry Lake Basin
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
Woods here are open and very mossy.
08 March 2026
Northern Hardwoods
Head of Big Cherry Lake Basin
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
08 March 2026
Northern Hardwoods
Head of Big Cherry Lake Basin
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
Thick moss species cover many nice
Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) and
Yellow Birch (Betula alleghaniensis)
trees which are prominent in these
upper elevation woods.
08 March 2026
Northern Hardwoods
Head of Big Cherry Lake Basin
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
08 March 2026
Northern Hardwoods
Head of Big Cherry Lake Basin
08 March 2026
Northern Hardwoods
Head of Big Cherry Lake Basin
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
08 March 2026
Northern Hardwoods
Head of Big Cherry Lake Basin
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
08 March 2026
Northern Hardwoods
Head of Big Cherry Lake Basin
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
08 March 2026
Northern Hardwoods
Head of Big Cherry Lake Basin
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
08 March 2026
Northern Hardwoods
Head of Big Cherry Lake Basin
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
08 March 2026
Northern Hardwoods
Head of Big Cherry Lake Basin
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
08 March 2026
Northern Hardwoods
Head of Big Cherry Lake Basin
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
08 March 2026
Northern Hardwoods
Head of Big Cherry Lake Basin
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
08 March 2026
Northern Hardwoods
Head of Big Cherry Lake Basin
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
08 March 2026
Northern Hardwoods
Head of Big Cherry Lake Basin
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
08 March 2026
Northern Hardwoods
Head of Big Cherry Lake Basin
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
08 March 2026
Northern Hardwoods
Head of Big Cherry Lake Basin
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
Dryopteris intermedia is abundant.
08 March 2026
Northern Hardwoods
Head of Big Cherry Lake Basin
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
08 March 2026
Northern Hardwoods
Head of Big Cherry Lake Basin
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
08 March 2026
Northern Hardwoods
Head of Big Cherry Lake Basin
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
08 March 2026
Northern Hardwoods
Head of Big Cherry Lake Basin
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
08 March 2026
Northern Hardwoods
Head of Big Cherry Lake Basin
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
08 March 2026
Northern Hardwoods
Sarcoscypha austriaca
Head of Big Cherry Lake Basin
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
08 March 2026
Northern Hardwoods
Umbilicate Lichen species
Head of Big Cherry Lake Basin
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
03 April 2026
Northern Hardwoods
Head of Big Cherry Lake Basin
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
03 April 2026
Northern Hardwoods
Head of Big Cherry Lake Basin
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
03 April 2026
Northern Hardwoods
Carex plantaginea
Head of Big Cherry Lake Basin
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
03 April 2026
Northern Hardwoods
Heracleum maximum
Head of Big Cherry Lake Basin
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
03 April 2026
Northern Hardwoods
Developing Lilium species
Head of Big Cherry Lake Basin
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
03 April 2026
Northern Hardwoods
Head of Big Cherry Lake Basin
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
03 April 2026
Northern Hardwoods
Prunus serotina are abundant
Head of Big Cherry Lake Basin
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
Black Cherry grow abundantly in upper elevations and are an indicator species of Central Appalachian Northern Hardwoods.
Local residents say that Big Cherry Lake Basin got its name from a huge, 8-foot diameter Black Cherry that once grew here (that would have been both a state and national record for diameter).
03 April 2026
Northern Hardwoods
Head of Big Cherry Lake Basin
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
03 April 2026
Northern Hardwoods
Head of Big Cherry Lake Basin
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
03 April 2026
Northern Hardwoods
Polypodium appalachianum
Head of Big Cherry Lake Basin
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
03 April 2026
Northern Hardwoods
Trillium erectum (red form)
Head of Big Cherry Lake Basin
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
03 April 2026
Northern Hardwoods
(Viburnum cassinoides)
Head of Big Cherry Lake Basin
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
03 April 2026
Northern Hardwoods
Sphagnum Mosss Wetland
Head of Big Cherry Lake Basin
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
09 April 2026
High Knob Massif
Big Cherry Lake Embedded in Massif Crest
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
09 April 2026
High Knob Massif
Big Cherry Lake Embedded in Massif Crest
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
09 April 2026
Huff Rock Peak
Big Cherry Lake Basin
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
09 April 2026
Water Elevation 3120 feet
Big Cherry Lake Dam
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
Big Cherry Dam is the only outlet for the basin.
09 April 2026
Water Elevation 3120 feet
Big Cherry Lake Dam
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
09 April 2026
Upper Gorge of South Fork Powell River
Downstream of Big Cherry Lake Dam
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
09 April 2026
Above Big Stone Gap Water Plant
South Fork Gorge of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
05 May 2024
High Knob Massif
Wetland In Head of Big Cherry Lake Basin
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
05 May 2024
High Knob Massif
Wetland In Head of Big Cherry Lake Basin
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
05 May 2024
High Knob Massif
Wetland In Head of Big Cherry Lake Basin
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
21 June 2025
High Knob Massif
Wetland In Head of Big Cherry Lake Basin
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
21 June 2025
High Knob Massif
Wetland In Head of Big Cherry Lake Basin
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
21 June 2025
High Knob Massif
Wetland In Head of Big Cherry Lake Basin
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
09 April 2026
High Knob Massif
Wetlands In Head of Big Cherry Lake Basin
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
Logging has occurred along the rim of the basin, but not yet in the basin head (High Knob Unit 1).
09 April 2026
Along Rim of Big Cherry Basin
High Knob Salvage Logging_Unit 2
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
09 April 2026
Along Rim of Big Cherry Basin
High Knob Salvage Logging_Unit 2
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
03 April 2026
Along Rim of Big Cherry Basin
High Knob Salvage Logging_Unit 2
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
03 April 2026
Along Rim of Big Cherry Basin
High Knob Salvage Logging_Unit 2
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
03 April 2026
Along Rim of Big Cherry Basin
High Knob Salvage Logging_Unit 2
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
03 April 2026
Along Rim of Big Cherry Basin
High Knob Salvage Logging_Unit 2
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
03 April 2026
Along Rim of Big Cherry Basin
High Knob Salvage Logging_Unit 2
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
High Knob Lake Basin
Mountain Fork of Big Stony Creek
(Clinch River Headwater Basin)
The peak of High Knob sits on the divide between upper elevation basins holding Big Cherry Lake, High Knob Lake, and the Norton Reservoirs.
09 April 2026
Peak of High Knob on Basin Divides
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
High Knob Lake is the centerpiece of the
High Knob Lake Basin & Recreation Area.
09 April 2026
High Knob Massif
High Knob Lake Recreation Area
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
The lake lies within a high elevation cove forest.
09 April 2026
High Knob Lake
High Elevation Cove Forest
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
Continuous temperature recording near the lake shore from November 2016 to September 2020 had only 11 hours and 20 minutes of total time at or above 79.5 (F) degrees.
*Temperature recording was courtesy of a research
grade HOBO temperature sensor/data logger system calibrated using an official National Weather Service Maximum-Minimum Temperature System (MMTS).
27 December 2025
Water Elevation 3504 feet
High Knob Lake Recreation Area
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
The highest temperature observed reached 82 degrees and the lowest -6 degrees below zero (F) during November 2016-September 2020.
27 December 2025
Water Elevation 3504 feet
High Knob Lake Recreation Area
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
27 December 2025
High Knob Lake Dam
High Knob Lake Recreation Area
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
09 April 2026
High Knob Massif
Looking At Tributary to Mountain Fork
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
A bit of the surface of Bark Camp Lake is visible above in the far distance toward the southeastern rim of the High Knob Massif crest.
09 April 2026
Steep Bank Turn Above Mountain Fork
Big Stony Creek Basin of Clinch River
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
27 December 2025
High Knob Massif
High Knob Lake Recreation Area
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
27 December 2025
Majestic Sugar Maple
High Knob Lake Recreation Area
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
USFS logging occurred adjacent
to the recreation area and designated
special biological area.
09 April 2026
High Knob Salvage Unit 3b
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
09 April 2026
High Knob Salvage Unit 3b
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
27 December 2025
High Knob Salvage Unit 3b
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
27 December 2025
High Knob Salvage Unit 3b
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
27 December 2025
High Knob Salvage Unit 3b
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
27 December 2025
High Knob Salvage Unit 3b
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
Many live trees were taken in this salvage only unit.
27 December 2025
High Knob Salvage Unit 3b
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
Big Cherry Lake and High Knob Lake basins (as well as adjoining high basins) are strong holds for bird species possessing northern affinities. This gives any forest disturbance here (especially non-natural activities) greatly enhanced significance.
Northern Bird Species Present
Summer Breeding Bird Species
(Official and Personal Breeding Bird Surveys)
Canada Warbler
(Cardellina canadensis)
Veery
(Catharus fuscescens)
Hermit Thrush
(Catharus guttatus)
Brown Creeper
(Certhia americana)
Least Flycatcher
(Empidonax minimus)
Dark-eyed Junco
(Junco hyemalis)
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
(Pheucticus ludovicianus)
Black-capped Chickadee
(Poecile atricapillus)
Black-throated Blue Warbler
(Setophaga caerulescens)
Blackburnian Warbler
(Setophaga fusca)
Magnolia Warbler
(Setophaga magnolia)
Black-throated Green Warbler
(Setophaga virens)
Chestnut-sided Warbler
(Setophaga pensylvanica)
Red-breasted Nuthatch
(Sitta canadensis)
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
(Sphyrapicus varius)
Winter Wren
(Troglodytes hiemalis)
Blue-headed Vireo
(Vireo solitarius)
Swainson's Thrush (Catharus ustulatus), Alder Flycatcher (Empidonax alnorum) and Mourning Warbler (Geothlypis philadelphia) have been reported in the area during the critical summer breeding season.
Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa) and Saw-whet Owl (Aegolius acadicus) are additional species which could be attracted or present during summer.
Sound Recordings
The following are a few sound recordings that I have made in recent years during official breeding bird surveys and on other survey days.
19 June 2022
These Winter Wrens had an interesting
pause near the end of their extended song
that did not quite reach zero (silence) on
their sonogram.
19 June 2022
The song of this Magnolia Warbler at High Knob Lake was essentially identical to a song recorded by Gregory Budney in New York state. I overlaid the songs together and it was nearly impossible to tell them apart.
A Hooder Warbler also sings throughout this recording, with Dark-eyed Junco, Blue-head Vireo, Black-throated Blue Warbler, and Pileated Woodpecker among other birds that can be heard.
06 June 2022
This song of Brown Creeper can also be heard below, in the much longer recording that contains many different bird species for which I made a guide. These are two creepers counter-calling. The closest bird sounds much louder than the more distant male.
06 June 2022
Note that songs on this guide time-list are some
1-3 seconds different from this online playback.
(Apparently due to the difference between my original
recording and the play-back speed of this online player).
The Magnolia Warbler song recorded in Big Cherry (denoted on list above) is a little different from the
song variation sung at High Knob Lake.
The following is a recording I made of
Hermit Thrush in Big Cherry Lake Basin:
Benges Basin of Powell River
City of Norton Property
(Powell River Headwater Basin)
09 April 2026
City of Norton, Virginia
Northern Base of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
09 April 2026
Flag Rock Recreation Area
Northern Slopes of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
09 April 2026
Pickem Mountain
Northern Slopes of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
29 March 2026
Upper Norton Reservoir
City of Norton Property_High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
29 March 2026
Betula alleghaniensis
Benges Basin of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
29 March 2026
Benges Basin of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
29 March 2026
Betula alleghaniensis
Benges Basin of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
29 March 2026
Betula alleghaniensis
Benges Basin of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
29 March 2026
Benges Basin of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
29 March 2026
Betula alleghaniensis
Benges Basin of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
29 March 2026
Betula alleghaniensis
Benges Basin of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
29 March 2026
Betula alleghaniensis
Benges Basin of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
29 March 2026
Benges Basin of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
29 March 2026
Benges Basin of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
29 March 2026
Benges Basin of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
29 March 2026
Benges Basin of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
29 March 2026
Betula alleghaniensis
Benges Basin of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
29 March 2026
Allium tricoccum
Benges Basin of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
29 March 2026
Allium tricoccum
Benges Basin of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
29 March 2026
Claytonia caroliniana
Benges Basin of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
29 March 2026
Yellow Trout Lily
Benges Basin of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
29 March 2026
Isotrema macrophyllum
Benges Basin of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
29 March 2026
Betula alleghaniensis
Benges Basin of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
29 March 2026
Betula alleghaniensis
Benges Basin of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
29 March 2026
Trillium species
Benges Basin of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
26 October 2026
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
26 October 2026
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
26 October 2026
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
26 October 2026
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
26 October 2026
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
26 October 2026
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
26 October 2026
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
26 October 2026
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
26 October 2026
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
26 October 2026
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
26 October 2026
The Labyrinth
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
26 October 2026
The Labyrinth
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
26 October 2026
The Labyrinth
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
26 October 2026
The Labyrinth
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
26 October 2026
The Labyrinth
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
26 October 2026
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
26 October 2026
The Labyrinth
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
Lost Creek Basin
of Clinch River
(Clinch River Headwater Basin)
09 April 2026
Lost Creek of Pickem Mountain
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
09 April 2026
Lost Creek of Pickem Mountain
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
26 October 2026
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
26 October 2026
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
26 October 2026
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
26 October 2026
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
26 October 2026
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
26 October 2026
The Creature Rock Formation
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
26 October 2026
Creature Rock Formation
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
26 October 2026
Heart of Creature Rock Formation
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
26 October 2026
Heart of Creature Rock Formation
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
01 November 2025
Oxydendrum arboreum
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
01 November 2025
Lower Norton Reservoir
City of Norton_High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
01 November 2025
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
01 November 2025
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
01 November 2025
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
01 November 2025
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
01 November 2025
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
01 November 2025
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
01 November 2025
Downtown Norton
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
01 November 2025
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
01 November 2025
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
01 November 2025
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
01 November 2025
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
01 November 2025
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
01 November 2025
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
01 November 2025
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
01 November 2025
Oxydendrum arboreum
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
Clear Creek Basin
of Clinch River
(Clinch River Headwater Basin)
09 April 2026
High Knob Massif
Eagle Knob Above Clear Creek Basin
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
Eagle Knob of the High Knob Massif possesses
a large vertical rise above Clear Creek Basin and stands on the crest zone divide between the basins of Clear Creek, High Knob Lake, and the dual Norton Reservoirs.
09 April 2026
High Knob Massif
Eagle Knob Above Clear Creek Basin
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
09 April 2026
Eagle Knob Communications Complex
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
02 January 2026
The Balance Rock Formation
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
02 January 2026
The Balance Rock Formation
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
02 January 2026
Huge Oak Burl
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
02 January 2026
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
02 January 2026
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
02 January 2026
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
02 January 2026
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
02 January 2026
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
02 January 2026
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
02 January 2026
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
02 January 2026
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
02 January 2026
Bit of Lingering Snow
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
02 January 2026
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
02 January 2026
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
02 January 2026
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
02 January 2026
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
02 January 2026
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
02 January 2026
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
02 January 2026
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
02 January 2026
Pickem Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
15 May 2025
High Knob Massif
Eastland Creek of Clear Creek Basin
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
15 May 2025
High Knob Massif
Eastland Creek of Clear Creek Basin
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
15 May 2025
High Knob Massif
Eastland Creek of Clear Creek Basin
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
15 May 2025
High Knob Massif
Eastland Creek of Clear Creek Basin
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
15 May 2025
High Knob Massif
Eastland Creek of Clear Creek Basin
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
15 May 2025
High Knob Massif
Eastland Creek of Clear Creek Basin
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
15 May 2025
High Knob Massif
Eastland Creek of Clear Creek Basin
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
15 May 2025
High Knob Massif
Eastland Creek of Clear Creek Basin
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
15 May 2025
High Knob Massif
Eastland Creek of Clear Creek Basin
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
15 May 2025
High Knob Massif
Eastland Creek of Clear Creek Basin
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
15 May 2025
High Knob Massif
Clear Creek Basin
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
15 May 2025
Cow Parsnip
Rich Woods of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
15 May 2025
Rich Woods of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
15 May 2025
Rich Woods of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
15 May 2025
Rich Woods of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
15 May 2025
Rich Woods of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
15 May 2025
Rich Woods of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
15 May 2025
Rich Woods of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
Cove Creek Basin
of Clinch River
(Clinch River Headwater Basin)
12 April 2026
Middle Cove of Cove Creek
Powell Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
Buckeye, Birch, Beech, and Basswood
are all found in this rich biological area.
12 April 2026
Grove of Basswood Trees
Powell Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
12 April 2026
Waterfall on Cove Creek
Powell Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
12 April 2026
Middle Cove of Cove Creek
Powell Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
12 April 2026
Middle Cove of Cove Creek
Powell Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
12 April 2026
Cymophyllus fraserianus
Middle Cove of Cove Creek
Powell Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
12 April 2026
Delphinium tricorne
Middle Cove of Cove Creek
Powell Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
12 April 2026
Dicentra canadensis
Middle Cove of Cove Creek
Powell Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
12 April 2026
Galearis spectabilis
Middle Cove of Cove Creek
Powell Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
12 April 2026
Maianthemum canadense
Middle Cove of Cove Creek
Powell Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
12 April 2026
Micranthes sp.
Middle Cove of Cove Creek
Powell Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
12 April 2026
Middle Cove of Cove Creek
Powell Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
12 April 2026
Ophioglossum sp.
Middle Cove of Cove Creek
Powell Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
12 April 2026
Middle Cove of Cove Creek
Powell Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
12 April 2026
Middle Cove of Cove Creek
Powell Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
12 April 2026
Trillium erectum
Middle Cove of Cove Creek
Powell Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
12 April 2026
Trillium grandiflorum
Middle Cove of Cove Creek
Powell Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
12 April 2026
Trillium undulatum
Middle Cove of Cove Creek
Powell Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
A significant amount of logging has occurred in the rich habitats of this Powell Mountain block of the High Knob Massif.
09 April 2026
Thunderstruck Salvage Unit 1
Powell Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
Unit 1 is adjacent to an upper elevation wetland and possesses rich biological diversity. While supposedly only a salvage unit, on-the-ground survey found many live trees were removed
and the ground deeply cut.
09 April 2026
Thunderstruck Unit 1 and Unit 5
Powell Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
09 April 2026
Thunderstruck Units
Powell Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
09 April 2026
Thunderstruck Units Labeled
Powell Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
09 April 2026
Thunderstruck Units
Powell Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
09 April 2026
Thunderstruck Units Labeled
Powell Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
09 April 2026
Thunderstruck Units
Powell Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
It was very disappointing to see Unit 7 logged. This unit did not have any Helene disturbance and it is the site of a historic (30+ acre) landslide.
Please reference:
for a detailed view and analysis of Unit 7.
Ironically, when calling to ask if the Maple Gap Route 239 was open, the USFS stated that it was closed due to a landslide. Reportedly, according to the USFS receptionist, field personnel witnessed the land sliding (probably not Unit 7, but this is a high precipitation, landslide prone area that will absolutely slide again).
09 April 2026
Thunderstruck Unit 7 with Labels
Powell Mountain of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
This area possesses rich biological diversity
and drains straight downslope to a wetland.
09 April 2026
Downslope of Unit 7
Stock Creek of Clinch River Wetland
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
09 April 2026
Downslope of Unit 7
Stock Creek of Clinch River Wetland
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
Powell River Basin
09 April 2026
Above Head of Powell Valley
Looking to High Knob-Eagle Knob Peaks
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
09 April 2026
Logging on Private Land
Between Norton and Powell Valley
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
12 April 2026
High Knob Massif
South Fork of Powell River Basin
Wayne Browning & Jessica Bier iPhone Photograph
09 April 2026
Powell Valley of High Knob Massif
Wayne Browning Photograph © All Rights Reserved
This section is under construction. Please check back.
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