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

Before the 1920s, most Pennsylvanians believed that the highest peak in their state was Blue Knob, the northernmost 3,000-foot mountain in the Allegheny Mountains. Today, this rounded peak, located about 20 miles south of Altoona, is mainly recognized as a popular ski resort rather than the second-highest mountain in the state.

Blue Knob was knocked off the podium in 1921 when a geologist named Harold A. Bean discovered an unnamed mountain about 50 miles to the southeast that stood 67 feet taller. This taller mountain was located in the Davis Plateau down near the state’s southern border with Maryland.

Following this discovery, the state’s new high point was named in honor of John Nelson Davis (1835-1913), a local community leader who once owned 26,000 acres of the land on which the peak is located. In addition to being an avid naturalist, Davis was a community leader in Somerset County, working as a land surveyor, farmer, shook maker (a woodworker who specialized in crafting oak slats for shipping barrels), teacher, school superintendent, and ordained minister.

During the Civil War, Davis served in the Union Army as the First Sergeant for Company K, 171st Pennsylvania Volunteers, until his discharge in August 1863. He was also one of the last Civil War veterans in the area. He was 78 years old when he passed away in 1913, eight years before anyone recognized the mountain’s geographic significance.

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 the peak and its surrounding land.

This minor conflict between the Alpine Club and Somerset County over the name of the new state high point pales in comparison to the larger controversy. Specifically, the debate about whether to change the name of the 30-mile ridge that Mt. Davis belongs to, which holds the outdated racial term – Negro Mountain.

Advocates for preserving the original name argue that it relates to the story of a brave and valiant free black frontiersman who was mortally wounded in 1756 during a skirmish on the mountain. He is said to have fought alongside American forces in the French and Indian War, was buried on the mountain, and was rumored to be named Nemesis.

Other defenders of Negro Mountain’s name argue that the ridge’s name has no racial connection. Instead, they assert that the name originated with 15th or 16th century Spanish explorers who used the word negro (the Spanish word for “black”) to describe the dark shadow cast by the mountain when viewed from nearby ridges.

Regardless of which version one believes, numerous attempts to rename Pennsylvania’s Negro Mountain occurred throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Each effort fell, but two of the more popular and interesting proposals 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 capture Pennsylvania’s high point. Four months earlier, I was visiting family in New Jersey over the holidays and hoping to take a quick trip west to capture Pennsylvania, Maryland, and West Virginia’s high points in rapid succession.

Unfortunately, the winter weather didn’t work in my favor. A big snow and ice storm coincided with my highpointing plans. These three state high points would require driving on curvy, rural roads with little chance of being fully plowed after the storm. So, I reluctantly abandoned my December highpointing plans 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 out of our way, so I talked Keith into making the detour.

After a short drive toward the state’s southern border (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 could have driven nearly the entire way to Mt. Davis’s summit. But after visiting the last three “drive-up” high points in Missouri, Indiana, and Ohio, we really wanted to stretch our legs. So, we parked at the picnic area off the highway and planned to take the 0.9-mile High Point Trail to the summit instead.

We all had full bladders when we arrived, and 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, built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the 1930s.

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

Our experience visiting the state’s highest point included none of these hardships, though. 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 also hoped we might see some trees and flowers in bloom – maybe even enjoy some mountain laurel (the state flower). 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 trail’s end, we found a loop trail that encircled Mt. Davis’ flat summit. About a half dozen other people were already up there milling around. They probably just parked in the main parking lot and walked to the final 100 yards.

Some giant boulders were atop the high point, with a series of plaques that revealed 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 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 tower’s base, we set off on our scavenger hunt to find the survey monument, which was cleverly hidden in plain sight. It was set on 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 returning down the High Point Trail to where we’d park 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 parked up top like everyone else, this sign would have been the first thing we’d encountered. But why do anything the normal way??

Our trip up to the top of Pennsylvania was a nice, relaxed journey. The hike allowed us to make it a little more challenging than our past three high points. And that brief time outdoors made it feel 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 Mt. Davis’s summit, and then it’s just a short 100-yard trek into the woods to find the high point marker. Alternatively, visitors can park at the Mt. Davis Picnic Area and take the High Point Trial to the summit (like we did).

Entrance Fees: None.

Parking: The summit parking area is large enough for approximately a dozen cars. The overflow parking lot by the picnic area on Mt. Davis Road is similarly sized and has vault toilets available.

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.