The Allegheny Mountains are a part of the Appalachian mountain range located in the eastern United States. They run from northeast to southwest through West Central Pennsylvania, and the western part of Maryland and eastern West Virginia. They begin at the Allegheny Front, which has an elevational change of up to two thousand feet. Absolute elevations reach well over four thousand feet in West Virginia. The highest point in West Virginia, Spruce Knob, is located in the Allegheny Mountains on the Allegheny Front. Other notable highpoints include Thorny Flat, Bald Knob, and Mt. Porte Crayon. The Appalachian Mountains are a system of North American mountains running from Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada to Alabama in the United States, although the northernmost mainland portion ends at the Gaspe Peninsula of Quebec. ... State nickname: The Keystone State Other U.S. States Capital Harrisburg Largest city Philadelphia Governor Ed Rendell (D) Official languages None Area 119,283 km² (33rd)  - Land 116,074 km²  - Water 3,208 km² (2. ... State nickname: Old Line State; Free State Other U.S. States Capital Annapolis Largest city Baltimore Governor Robert L. Ehrlich (R) Official languages English Area 32,160 km² (42nd)  - Land 25,338 km²  - Water 6,968 km² (21%) Population (2000)  - Population 5,296,486 (19th)  - Density 165 /km² (5th) Admission... State nickname: Mountain State Other U.S. States Capital Charleston Largest city Charleston Governor Joe Manchin (D) Official languages English Area 62,809 km² (41st)  - Land 62,436 km²  - Water 376 km² (0. ... The Allegheny Front is an escarpment, or abrupt change in elevation, extending from northern Pennsylvania into southeastern West Virginia. ... Spruce Knob, at 4,863 feet (1482 m), is the highest point in the state of West Virginia, U.S., and the tallest mountain in the Allegheny Mountains. ... Bald Knob, summit in Pocahontas County, WV and part of Cass Scenic Railroad State Park. ...

To the west, the Allegheny Mountains grade down into the dissected Allegheny Plateau and Cumberland Plateau. To the east of the Allegheny Mountains (and east of the Allegheny Front) are the Ridge-and-valley Appalachians. The Allegheny Plateau is a large, dissected plateau area in southern New York, western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and eastern Ohio. ... The Cumberland Plateau includes much of eastern Kentucky and western West Virginia in the United States. ... The Ridge-and-valley Appalachians are a belt within the Appalachian Mountains extending from northern New Jersey westward into Pennsylvania and southward into Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia. ...

Much of the Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia is in the Allegheny Mountains. These mountains also include the Dolly Sods Wilderness, Laurel Fork Wilderness, and Cranberry Wilderness. The Monongahela National Forest is located in West Virginia. ... The Dolly Sods Wilderness is a Federal wilderness area in the Allegheny Mountains in West Virginia, in the Monongahela National Forest. ... The Cranberry Wilderness is a wilderness area in the southern part of the Monongahela National Forest in southeast West Virginia. ...

The bedrock of the Alleghenies is mostly sandstone and metamorphosed sandstone, quartzite, which is extremely resistant to weathering. Prominent beds of resistant conglomerate can be found in some areas, such as the Dolly Sods area. When it weathers, it leaves behind a pure white quartzite gravel. The rock of the Alleghenies were formed during the Alleghenian orogeny. Red Sandstone in Wyoming Sandstone is an arenaceous sedimentary rock composed mainly of feldspar and quartz and varies in colour (in a similar way to sand), through grey, yellow, red, and white. ... Quartzite Quartzite is a hard, metamorphic rock which was originally sandstone. ... A mineral conglomerate In geology, a conglomerate is a rock consisting of other stones that have been cemented together. ... The Appalachian orogeny is a geological event that formed the Appalachian Mountains. ...

Because of intense freeze-thaw cycles in the higher Alleghenies, there is little native bedrock exposed in most areas. The ground surface usually rests on a massive jumble of sandstone rocks, with air space between them, that are gradually moving down-slope. The crest of the Allegheny Front is an exception, where high bluffs are often exposed, exposing an exceptional view.