Mt. Davis - Pennsylvania's High Point

Order of Visit: High Point #33

Date Visited: March 27, 2021

Route Taken: High Point Trail from the Mt. Davis Picnic Area – 1.9 miles roundtrip

Type of Terrain: Flat, forested area with several hiking trails and a metal lookout tower

Elevation: 3,213 feet

Ancestral Lands: Osage, Massawomeck

What’s in a name

Prior to the 20th century, the people of Pennsylvania thought the highest peak in their state was Blue Knob, the northernmost 3,000-footer in the Allegheny Mountains.

However, in 1921, geologist Harold A. Bean discovered that a mountain in the Davis Plateau, sitting down near the border with Maryland, had a peak nearly 80 feet higher – at 3,213 feet above sea level.

After this discovery, the state’s unnamed high point was named in honor of John Nelson Davis (1835-1913), a local community leader who once owned the land where the peak is located. In additional to being an avid naturalist, Davis was also a local community leader in Somerset County who worked as a land surveyor, farmer, shook maker (i.e., woodworker who specialized in making oak slats used in shipping barrels), teacher, school superintendent, and ordained minister.

During the Civil War, Davis served in the Union Army, becoming the First Sergeant for Company K, 171st Pennsylvania Volunteers until he was discharged in August 1963. He was also one of the last remaining Civil War veterans in the area, and was 78 years old when he died in 1913.

Unfortunately, Davis died eight years before his mountain’s significance was realized. The local Alpine Club briefly suggested naming the peak Mount Freedom, but Somerset County officials settled on naming it in Davis’s honor instead, as he was widely known to be fascinated by the mountain’s flora and fauna when he owned it.

The minor squabble between the Alpine Club and the county over the state high point’s name pales in comparison to the bigger issue. Namely, the conflict over whether to change the name the 30-mile long ridge Mt. Davis belongs to because of its outdated and offensive racial moniker – Negro Mountain.

Advocates for keeping the old name intact argue that it relates to a story about the bravery and valor of a free black frontiersman who was mortally wounded in 1756 during a skirmish on the mountain. He was fighting alongside the American forces in the French and Indian War, was buried on the mountain, and was rumored to be named Nemesis.

Meanwhile, other backers claim the ridge’s name isn’t racially charged at all. Instead they assert the title originated from the 15th or 16th century Spanish explorers who used the Spanish word negro (meaning “black”) to the describe the black shadow the mountain casts when observed from adjacent ridges.

Despite multiple attempts to rename Pennsylvania’s Negro Mountain throughout the 20th and 21st century, each effort has fallen short. Interestingly, two of the alternative names that have been proposed include: Mt. Nemesis or Black Hero Mountain (to honor Nemesis and 13 other African-Americans from Pennsylvania and Maryland who received the Congressional Medal of Honor).

TRIP SUMMARY

This was my second attempt to nab Pennsylvania’s high point. Four months earlier, I was visiting family in New Jersey over the Christmas holidays and hoping to take a quick trip west to grab Pennsylvania’s, Maryland’s, and West Virginia’s high points in rapid succession.

Unfortunately, the winter weather didn’t work in my favor. The only days I had free to make the trip just happened to coincide with a big snow and ice storm. I knew these three state high points would require driving on some curvy, rural roads that had little chance of being fully plowed. So I reluctantly abandoned my highpointing plans that December in favor of my safety. The mountains weren’t going anywhere.

Fast forward to the end of March 2021, and we were on our long spring break road trip from Kansas City to the East Coast for Easter. Pennsylvania’s high point wasn’t really “on the way” to central New Jersey, but it was only a little more than an hour south of I-70, so I talked Keith into making the detour.

After a short drive toward toward the southern border of the state (Mt. Davis is less than 5 miles from the Pennsylvania-Maryland border), we turned off the small state highway and headed west on Mt. Davis Road.

We had the option to driving almost the entire way to the the summit, but after visiting the last three “drive-up” high points in Missouri, Indiana, and Ohio, we really wanted to stretch our legs. Consequently, we parked down at the picnic area near Mt. Davis and planned to take the 0.9-mile High Point Trail to the summit instead.

All of us had full bladders when we arrived, so we were grateful to see bathrooms at the far end of the parking lot beckoning us. As I waited my turn, I was even more amused when I discovered the bathrooms had their own street address (Why?!? Who is mailing letters to the bathroom?)

With our bathroom pit stop complete, it was time for us to find the High Point Trail, which was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) back in the 1930s.

I’ve done a fair bit of hiking in Pennsylvania thanks to my Appalachian Trail thru-hike back in 2019. And I remember the northern part of the state being filled with many steep climbs, plus miles upon miles of rocks.

Ironically though, our experience when we visited the highest point in the state included none of these hardships. The mile-long High Point Trail to the summit was super flat and easy. All we had to do was follow the yellow blazes, and 15-20 minutes later we were there!

I was hoping we might see a bit of color on the trees and flowers in bloom, but late March must be a bit too early in the season when you’re above the Mason-Dixon line. All we saw was a forest of brown, bare trees with the tiniest bit of green foliage punctuating the landscape.

When we arrived at the end of the trail, we found a loop trail the encircled Mt. Davis’ flat summit. There were about a half dozen other people already up there milling around who’d clearly parked in the main parking lot and just walked to final 100 yards in.

There were some giant boulders atop the high point, with a series of plaques mounted on them revealing info about the surrounding area and the nearby trails.

There was also an interesting marker nearby dedicated to John Nelson Davis, but it had clearly seen better days and didn’t photograph very well. Yet, the real attraction that everyone seemed to be interested in up here was the 50+ foot tall observation tower that stood nearby.

Once we got our turn to climb the tower, we were met with a brass relief map of the surrounding area in the center of the viewing platform. The surrounding trees were short enough that we could see for miles in every direction, and the absence of foliage meant we could easily spot Deer Lick Lake and High Point lake off to the west.

Back down at the base of the tower, we set off on our scavenger hunt to find the survey monument, which was cleverly hidden in plain sight. It was set into the top edge of one of the tall boulders on the summit, and I had to climb up about 6 feet into the air to get a decent angle for my photo.

Before heading back to down the High Point Trail to return to the car, we did a complete loop around the summit trail. That’s when we finally spotted the main sign announcing the peak. Had we’d parked up top like everyone else, this sign would have been the first thing we’d encountered. But, why do anything the normal way??

All told, our trip up to the top of Pennsylvania was a nice, relaxed journey. Our hike gave us the chance to make it a little more challenging than our past three high points. And that brief time outdoors made it feel a bit more like a destination to us.

DETAILS

When to Visit: This hike is open year-round.

Getting There: Mt. Davis is located in Forbes State Forest approximately 85 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It’s possible to drive up to the observation tower near the summit of Mt. Davis, and then it’s just a short 100-yard trek into the woods to find the high point marker. Or, if you’d like to hike to the summit like we did, you can park at the Mt. Davis Picnic Area and take the High Point Trial to the summit.

Entrance Fees: None.

Parking: The summit parking area is large enough for approximately a dozen cars. Additionally, parking is available at the picnic area on Mt. Davis Road. This alternate parking area is similar in size and has vault toilets at the far end of the parking lot.

Accessibility: Easy for all ages. The yellow-blazed High Point Trail has a mere 124 feet of elevation gain from the picnic area to the summit.

Bonus: Pennsylvania’s high point is within a two hour drive of two other state high points, Backbone Mountain (Maryland) and Spruce Knob (West Virginia). As such, many highpointers nab these three summits in a single trip.