Below the plot is a dense woodland of Pinus rigida / Pinus virginiana / Smilax rotundifolia. It is dense and nearly inpenetrable. The cliff continues up NW towards the summit of New Creek Mountain ca. 0.25 miles and SE ca. 0.25 miles is Rt 28. To the S ca 0.25 miles is the North Fork of the South Branch of the Potomac. Across the river is a similar cliff on North Fork Mountain.;Steep SW facing (Tuscarora?) Sandstone cliff. The cliff is mostly open with Umblicaria mamulata and Lasallia pensylvanica. However there are several ledges dominated by Betula lenta / Ilex montana - Smilax rotundifolia with some Pinus rigida scattered throughout. Below the cliff there is abundant fire sign. Little if any anthropologic disturbance.
Representativeness
Large lichen covered cliff face in a natural water gap. Similar to cliffs sampled on North Fork Mountain and Greenland Gap. This is the first low sample o this type of cliff. All the other plots were done from the top.
