Sideling Hill - BLInspirations

Sideling Hill is a narrow mountain ridge in the Allegheny Mountains (part of the Appalachian Mountains) extending from Pennsylvania, through western Maryland, and into West Virginia. Sideling Hill is a syncline mountain, in a region of downward-folded (synclinal) rock strata between two upfolded anticlines.

Interstate 68 cuts through Sideling Hill about 7 miles west of Hancock and is one of the best examples of a syncline mountain exposure. More than 800 feet of strata in a tightly folded syncline are exposed in this road cut. At Sideling Hill, there are rest stops on the eastern side of the hill, on both the east and westbound lanes of I68, connected by a pedestrian bridge, with observation areas to view the geological formation exposed. There had been an Exhibit Center which included a geological museum in the Welcome Center on the westbound lanes, which was closed in 2009 in a budget cutting effort. Many of the geological exhibits from the former Exhibit Center are now displayed at the Hancock Museum in nearby Hancock, Maryland.

We initially discovered Sideling Hill by accident when we made a wrong turn onto I68, and were impressed with the unusual shape and detail of the rock strata. We wanted to get back someday to take pictures of the rock formation. Recently we returned from western Pennsylvania on I68 and stopped for these photos. In the images below, notice the nearly vertical alternating layers of hard and soft rock in images Sideling Hill 4 and Sideling Hill 3.

More details on the geology of Sideling Hill can be found at http://www.mgs.md.gov/geology/geology_tour/sideling_hill_detail.html and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sideling_Hill.