High Points of the Mid-Atlantic States


I was off to get some training in the Philadelphia area so I figured I might as well go early and check out some of the state highpoints in the Mid Atlantic state… some might claim these are actually low points but they are still the highest these history rich states have to offer. I was also hoping that the foliage would be going through its autumn color change.

I got into Philadelphia rather late on the 3rd and drove to Aberdeen Maryland where I stopped for the night. The next morning I was up early and drove through Baltimore and Washington DC. I quickly learned that if you want to change lanes to the right you should turn on you left turn signal. The driving in this part of the country seems to be the worst.

After getting out of the DC area I headed west and drove through the north most portion of Shenandoah National Park before driving to the top of Spruce Knob, West Virginia. At 4,861’ this is the highest point in West Virginia.

The observation tower on Spuce Knob, WV

View from Spruce Knob, WV

After my fill of Spruce Knob I headed north toward Maryland and located an old road that was the beginning of the “scramble” route up Backbone Mountain, the highest point in Maryland but you don’t actually start in Maryland. For that matter you don’t scramble either although there is a bit of bushwhacking under a power line to gain the ridge. Once on the ridge there are giant red dots painted on trees to show you the way… in case you can’t follow a ridge. There is an old roadway just below the crest that makes travel easier. I reached the standard route and followed the trail past the Maryland-West Virginia border monument then to the actual highpoint on Backbone Mountain, Hoye Crest (3,360)’.

Following the blazes on Backbone Mountain, MD

On the summit of Backbone Mountain, MD

Now I was off to Pennsylvania ...this is Amish country. I passed a large congregation of Amish gathered outside a barn with all their horses and buggies not far from Mount Davis, PA (3,213’). There is a state park on the top of Mount Davis and a tall lookout tower. The colors there were about the best I would see on this trip.

Fall colors from the summit of Mount Davis, PA

Welcome to Amish Country

After spending the night in Breezewood, PA (not recommended) I was on my way to New Jersey which is, perhaps, one of the most interesting state highpoints. They built a 220 foot tall monument on the summit that you can see from miles away but the best name they could come up with for the highpoint is “High Point.” I had to get back to the Philadelphia area for class the next day but this is a scenic area that I would have liked to explore a bit more.

High Point State Park, NJ

The monument on High Point, NJ

All this and the best name they could come up with is "High Point?"

After class was over on the 6th I was on my way to one final highpoint ...this is one you might call a low point. At 448’, this is the 2nd lowest state high point just 103 feet higher than Britton Hill, FL. Ebright Azimuth is not the truly the highest point but it is the highest surveyed point in Delaware. The actual high is located somewhere in the nearby a trailer park...

Ebright Azimuth... near the highest point in Delaware

National Memorial Arch, Valley Forge National Historical Park

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