Cumberland Mountains

Wooded Appalachian ridges rise west of the Shenandoah Valley, forming the eastern edge of the Allegheny mountain country. Shenandoah Mountain extends in a long, narrow line along part of the valley's western margin, with steep slopes and sandstone along its crest. East of these heights, the Shenandoah River flows north toward the Potomac. For travellers moving along the valley, the mountains frame a corridor between the higher ridges on either side.