Keyes Gap
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| Keyes Gap | |
|---|---|
| Elevation | 895ft (273m) |
| Location | Virginia West Virginia  United States |
| Range | Blue Ridge Mountains |
| Traversed by |  Virginia Route 9/ West Virginia State Route 9 |
Keyes Gap or Keye's Gap is a wind gap in the Blue Ridge Mountain on the border of Loudoun County, Virginia and Jefferson County, West Virginia. The gap is traversed by Virginia State Route 9/West Virginia State Route 9. The Appalachian Trail also crossed the gap.
Originally known as Vestal's Gap, the 895ft (273m) gap is one of the lowest crossings of the Blue Ridge in Virginia. During the colonial period the main road between Alexandria and Winchester ran through the gap. As such part of General Edward Braddock's army under George Washington crossed through the gap on their way to Fort Duquesne during the French and Indian War. By 1820, the main route west became the newly completed Leesburg and Snickers Gap turnpike which crossed the Blue Ridge at the gap of its namesake and Keyes Gap lost its prominence. Despite this the gap was still of strategic importance during the American Civil War as it provided a back route from Virginia to Harpers Ferry.
