3 Mountain Peaks to Explore in Loudoun County

Furnace Mountain is the tallest peak of Catoctin Mountain in Loudoun County, Virginia. It rises steeply from the southern banks of the Potomac River across from Point of Rocks, Maryland. Its name arises from the iron furnaces located at its base, which operated from the 1790s to the 1870s. The furnaces were used to process iron ore mined from the mountain.

Raven Rocks are a spur of Blue Ridge Mountain. It is formed by the drainage gorges of Rocky Branch Creek to the north and Raven Rocks Creek to the south on the mountains western watershed. The formation is often referred to as the rollercoaster by Appalachian Trail hikers as the trail undulates between these spurs and hollows along the western face of the mountain along this stretch of the ridge.

Snickers Gap is a wind gap in the Blue Ridge Mountain on the border of Loudoun County and Clarke County in Virginia. During the autumn bird migration, the gap is a favoured spot for birdwatchers to count and study the many raptors that follow the ridge on their way south.