Located
in Elk Lick Township in southwestern Somerset County, the highest
point in Pennsylvania is marked atop a rock on Negro Mountain at 3,213
feet above sea level by the U.S. Geological Survey. Negro Mountain
is part of the Appalachian Mountains. The rock is surrounded by 581
acres known as the Mt. Davis Natural Area, which offers trails to
hikers, a picnic area, and an observation tower.
From
atop the tower, parts of Maryland as well as the town of Salisbury
can be seen on a clear day. The tower is accessible from State Road
55008 at the top of the summit and is located about a mile south of
the state road.
The high point watersheds into the Mississippi River, via Tub Mill
Run, a tributary to the Casselman River. The elevation of the lowest
point in the natural area is 2,823 feet.
An interesting geologic feature of the area is the scattering of small
concentric stone rings caused by localized frost heaving. Each ring
surrounds a spot in the soil which is a little softer and looser than
the adjacent ground. Under the action of frost, these soft spots rise
up as slight humps. Surface rocks on the humps tend to slide off,
and over thousands of years, the sliding progresses enough to deposit
the rocks in ring-like formations at the bases of the humps.
Geology and history of the area are explained on rock-like displays
with plaques in the shadow of the observation tower. A plaque is also
on the top of the tower for interpretation of the surroundings.
The shelter pictured above was built by the Civilian Conservation
Corps during the 1930s, but it no longer stands.
During
the winter months, the tower and the high point are sometimes inaccessible
to motorized vehicles, because the local road is not plowed on a regular
basis. Cross-country skiers and snowmobilers then use the road.
High Point Lake, a manmade fishing lake, is located nearby and is
maintained by the PA Fish and Boat Commission. Lucky anglers catch
pike, muskellunge, blue gills, and crappies. Ice fishing is permitted,
and boats are restricted to those with electric motors.
The high point is part of the Forbes State Forest, which is comprised
of more than 20 separate tracts of state forest land in Fayette, Somerset,
and Westmoreland Counties. The total acreage is over 50,000 acres,
with most of it lying along the Laurel Ridge.
It was named in honor of General John Forbes, who in 1757, ordered
the construction of a road from Bedford to Fort Pitt for the movement
of an expeditionary Army.
Headquarters for the Forbes State Forest is in Laughlintown, at the
base of the Laurel Mountain Summit along Route 30 in Westmoreland
County. Contact information: District Forester, P.O. Box 519, Laughlintown,
PA 15655, Phone (724) 238-1200, Forbes
State Forest Website, E-mail.
Forbes
State Forest Map
See how Mt. Davis compares with the highest points in the other 49
states at Peakware.
Meyersdale, PA
