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-31 Oct)
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 1-15
2.20"
2026 Total: 15.61" (M)
(January 1 to April 15 Period)
**Lowest winter total on record.
Below average snowfall was observed again during Winter 2025-26 across the High Knob highcountry to continue the now decade-plus snow drought (an average of 80.0" of snowfall occurred during this winter and last winter).
Big Cherry Lake Basin
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
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
This is the wettest terrain in Virginia.
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).
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
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
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
Downstream of Big Cherry Lake Dam
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
This section is under construction. Please check back.
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