STATE HIGHPOINTING

Cheaha Mountain is located in Cheaha State Park in the Talladega National Forest in Cleburne County, about ten miles south of Anniston. The summit is 2407 feet above sea level, and is a "drive-up," easily reached in your family car from AL-281.

View A -- The summit area of Cheaha Mountain is intensively developed, with an observation tower, restaurant, store, and accommodations. At the summit itself there is a handsome stone observation tower.
View B -- There is a fine scenic view from the tower, even in winter.
View C -- As with many state high points, Cheaha Mountain also hosts an array of communications towers.

Mount Magazine, the summit of which is called Signal Hill, is located in Mount Magazine State Park in Logan County in northwestern Arkansas. The summit is 2753 feet above sea level. The scenic access road is reached via AR-309 through the Ozark National Forest.

View A -- Here is the trailhead for the path to the high point. The route is fairly steep, but it's not very far, about half a mile.
View B -- At the summit there was a wooden sign and a bench. I understand that the summit area has been greatly enhanced since my visit.
View C -- Here's a closer view of the wooden sign at the summit.

Ebright Azimuth is located in suburban Wilmington very near the Pennsylania state line, at the intersection of Ebright Road and Ramblewood Street. The "summit" is just 448 feet above sea level, making it the next-to-lowest of the 50 state highpoints.

View A -- Here is the sign that is recognized as the high point. Development in the area makes it difficult to determine the true "natural" highest point.
View B -- Here is a wider view of the sign placement. While many state high points are "drive-ups," this one is more of a "drive-by"! The major danger here is not from falling rocks, but from speeding cars.
View C -- While I was there, the lady who lives in the house on the corner came out and had me sign a logbook, told me all about the high point and its history, and offered to take a snapshot of me at the sign. Be sure to wait for her to come out when you visit Ebright Azimuth.
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Lakewood Park, also known as Britton Hill, is located in Walton County in Florida's "panhandle," not far from Florala, Alabama. The lowest of the 50 state highpoints, it is 345 feet above sea level. It is on a county road southeast of Florala, but there is a directional sign on northbound US-331 near Paxton to point you in the right direction.

View A -- Lakewood Park is a county park with plenty of parking and picnic tables.
View B -- A monument has been placed at the approximate high point.
View C -- Here is a closer view of the monument.

Brasstown Bald is located in Towns County in northeastern Georgia. The summit is 4784 feet above sea level. Access by car is via GA-180 and GA-180-SPUR to reach the recreation area and summit trail.

View A -- Here is the huge parking lot at the recreation area near the summit. It was almost deserted on this mid-week day in early May. Note the low-lying clouds!
View B -- Here is the trailhead to the summit. The trail is fairly steep, but it is paved. There is a paved road to the summit, and during the tourist season a bus is available to take tourists to top.
View C -- As you near the summit you reach a commemorative sign and can see the large visitors' center and its tower.
View D -- The observation tower and visitors' center were closed for maintenance during my visit, but there would have been no scenic view in any case due to the dense cloud cover.

Charles Mound is located near the town of Scales Mound in Daviess County in northwestern Illinois, very close to the Illinois/Wisconsin state line. It is 1235 feet above sea level. The site is on private property, and access is restricted. See the Highpointers Club webpage for details.

View A -- Here is the parking area for Charles Mound. The summit is a short hike up the road.
View B -- The view from the summit is toward Wisconsin, but there wasn't much to see on this hazy/foggy summer morning.

Hoosier Hill is located in Wayne County about ten miles north of Richmond and four miles west of the Indiana/Ohio state line. The summit is 1257 feet above sea level. Access is via a county-maintained gravel road.

View A -- To get to Hoosier Hill, park along side the gravel road and walk west along a tractor trail between the corn field and the trees.
View B -- Soon you will come to a stile that crosses a fence line. The high point is on private land, and access is a courtesy, not a right. Just beyond the stile is the summit area.
View C -- At the summit there is a rock cairn, but no scenic view.

Hawkeye Point is on the Sterler Farm in Osceola County, about three miles north-northeast of Sibley. The summit is 1670 feet above sea level. The site is just east of IA-60 on a county gravel road. A sign on IA-60 points the way. However, when I visited, construction on IA-60 (a dual carriageway is being added) prevented direct access, so I had to circle around on the section-line roads and approach the site from the east.

View A -- Nothing says Iowa like cornfields and silos. The highpoint is near the silo on the left.
View B -- Hawkeye Point is at the south end of a long-dormant hog trough.
View C -- There is a metal box at the high point, containing a visitors' register and souvenir keychains.
View D -- Here is the view looking southwest from the summit.

"Mount" Sunflower (elevation 4039 feet) is located in Wallace County, about ten miles north of Weskan near the border with Colorado. In fact it is just a slight bump on the gradual rise of the Great Plains from the Missouri River to the Rocky Mountains. The site is, to be sure, a drive-up.

View A -- Since the "summit" itself is so unspectacular, those irrepressible Kansans have added a few whimsical touches to their highpoint, making it actually a fun place to visit.
View B -- Here's another view of the top of Kansas.

Black Mountain is located in Harlan County, very close to the Kentucky/Virginia state line. The summit is 4145 feet above sea level. Access is from a blacktopped road that turns south off of VA-160 right at the state line. There is a short hike of just a hundred yards or so from where you can park your vehicle to the summit.

View A -- You can walk up a gated access road to the communications complex located at the summit.
View B -- The old fire lookout tower at the summit is no longer accessible, so there is no scenic view.
View C -- the USGS benchmark is located near one of the bases of the old fire lookout tower.

Driskill "Mountain" is located near state secondary road 507 in Bienville Parish. The summit is 535 feet above sea level.

View A -- Driskill Mountain is located behind the Mount Zion Independent Presbyterian Church. The summit looms in the left background of this snapshot.
View B -- A short hike takes you to the modest summit area, marked by a stone cairn and a marker containing a metal box with a sign-in register.

Backbone Mountain is located in Garrett County in far western Maryland. In fact, when you park your car at the trailhead on US-219, you are in West Virginia. The summit of Backbone Mountain, called Hoye Crest, is 3360 feet above sea level. The climb to the summit from the trailhead is fairly strenuous, but it is well-marked and not technical in nature.

View A -- As you near the summit you can take a short alternative trail to the monument that marks the Maryland/West Virginia state line.
View B -- At the summit there is a commemorative marker and a stone cairn. There is also a box where you can sign a register and obtain a souvenir certificate of your accomplishment!
View C -- I was there on a hot and humid summer morning, and the haze prevented any kind of a scenic view.

Woodall Mountain is located in Tishomingo County just south of Iuka in the northeastern corner of Mississippi. The summit is 806 feet above sea level. To get there, take MS-25 south from Iuka and then follow the signs.

View A -- From southbound MS-25, turn right (west) at the roller rink/bingo parlor.
View B -- Then turn left on a local road.
View C -- Soon you will see Woodall Mountain on the other side of the rural housing subdivision.
View D -- There is not much to see at the summit except your car and a communications facility.
View E -- During the winter there is something of a view from the summit.

Taum Sauk is located in Taum Sauk Mountain State Park in Iron County near Arcadia. The summit is 1772 feet above sea level. Take State Highway CC west from MO-21 to reach the access road. There is a parking area near the summit, from which a paved path leads to the actual high point.

View A -- Here is the paved path as it approaches the high point, which is the granite boulder in the center of the snapshot.
View B -- At the high point there is an engraved granite marker.
View C -- The summit of Taum Sauk is flat and forested, so there is no view, but there is a nice view from the observation tower about a half mile away.

Panorama Point is in Kimball County on the far western edge of Nebraska, within a mile or two of the Nebraska/Colorado/Wyoming tri-point. Panorama Point is 5424 feet above sea level. Access is from county gravel roads south from I-80 at Bushnell. The highpoint is on private land, so be prepared to make a small donation when you enter the summit road.

View A -- That's the highest point in Nebraska just ahead about half a mile on the right. As you can see, it's part of that gradual rise of the great plains as you head west toward the Rocky Mountains.
View B -- Here is the summit area, complete with a metal stand where you can sign the register.
View C -- Here is a close-up view of the summit monument. It's a good thing they put it there, for otherwise you really wouldn't know.

High Point is located in Sussex County in far northwestern New Jersey, not far from the New Jersey/New York/Pennsylvania tri-corner. The summit is 1803 feet above sea level. It is in High Point State Park (a fee area), accessible from NJ-23.

View A -- New Jersey's highest point is marked by an impressive 220-foot tower, which, unfortunately, was closed for repairs at the time of my visit.
View B -- Here I am at the base of the tower, reading the informative plaque.
View C -- Even without being able to ascend the tower, there was a beautiful view of the surrounding area.

Mount Mitchell, the highest elevation east of the Mississippi River, is in Vance County. The summit is 6684 feet above sea level. Automobile access is from the Blue Ridge Parkway via NC-28. There is a large parking area near the summit area, with a short hike required to reach the observation tower at the summit.

View A -- Here is the view from the observation tower at the summit.

White Butte is in Slope County, near Amidon, in southwestern North Dakota. The summit is 3506 feet above sea level. You can drive to about a mile from the summit, where a foot path then goes to the top.

View A -- If you're driving a standard passenger sedan, here's where you will begin your hike to the summit of White Butte.
View B -- After you've been climbing for 15 or 20 minutes the summit promontory comes into view.
View C -- At the summit there is a rock cairn, a metal box containing a registration notebook, and a small memorial to former owner Leon Buzalzky.
View D -- There is a nice view from the summit. This is looking north, with the access road in the right center of the picture and the former owner's farmhouse in the upper center.

Campbell Hill is in Logan County in northwestern Ohio. The summit is 1550 feet above sea level. It is inconspicuously located on the campus of a vocational-technical school on OH-540 on the east side of Bellefontaine.

View A -- There is a high point commemorative marker placed in the concrete outside one of the campus buildings.
View B -- This view is looking to the north from the high point.
View C -- Here is a view of Campbell Hill from below.

Black Mesa is in Cimarron County at the far western edge of Oklahoma's "Panhandle." The summit, at 4,973 feet, is just a few hundred yards from New Mexico. A paved road from Kenton, Okla., leads to a trailhead parking area, from which it is a 4.2 mile hike to the summit monument.

View A -- Here is a view of the trailhead.
View B -- After about three miles of skirting the north face of the mesa, the trail makes an abrupt ascent (about 400-500 vertical feet) of the north face to the top of the mesa.
View C -- After reaching the top of the mesa, it's about a mile's walk to the handsome summit monument, which contains interesting information and a registration tablet.

Mount Davis is in Somerset County in southwestern Pennsylvania, about ten miles from the Mason and Dixon Line that divides Pennsylvania and Maryland. The summit is 3213 feet above sea level. The approach is a drive up, with just a short walk from the parking area to the high point and observation tower.

View A -- At the summit there is a commemorative marker and an observation tower.
View B -- Also at the summit there is an interesting exhibit that describes the geology and history of the high point.
View C -- The view from the observation tower was hazy on this hot and humid summer day.

Sassafras Mountain is located in Pickens County, almost adjacent to the South Carolina/North Carolina state line. The summit is 3560 feet above sea level. Access is via a paved road that leaves US-178 at Rocky Bottom. The access road stops just short of the summit, and there is a commodious parking area.

View A -- There's not much to see at the summit area, and there is no scenic view due to the trees.
View B -- There is a message board at the high point.
View C -- The message board contains a map and a box for a registration tablet.

Clingman's Dome is in Sevier County in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The summit is 6643 feet above sea level. Access is via a paved road off US-441, the main route through the National Park. There is a large paved parking area, from which the summit observation tower is just a short walk.

View A -- My visit to Clingman's Dome was on a family vacation road trip in the summer of 1961. We probably took some snapshots while we were there, but I haven't found them, yet. In the meantime, here is an aerial postcard view that shows the distinctive observation tower.

Guadalupe Peak is in Guadalupe Mountains National Park in western Texas. The summit is 8749 feet above sea level. Access is via a trailhead at the Pine Springs Campground, near the Park's Visitors Center.

View A -- Guadalupe Mountains National Park is fairly remote, but not very far from the more renowned Carlsbard Caverns National Park in New Mexico.
View B -- Here is the trailhead. From here it is 4.25 miles to the summit, but with a 3000+ foot vertical gain.
View C -- The trail is well-maintained, but it is fairly steep, especially the first two miles and the last half mile.
View D -- After about three miles you come to a wooden bridge that connects two cliffside sections of the trail that have considerable downside exposure.
View E -- Not far after crossing the bridge and passing a spur trail to a primitive camground, you can see the summit pinnacle. Hmmmmm, it's still a long way up there!
View F -- The last half mile to the summit is very steep!
View G -- You won't see the curious aluminum pyramid on the summit until you're almost there. Congratulations! The pyramid, or pylon, was placed on the summit fifty years ago by American Airlines, to commemorate the Butterfield Stage route that passed by the base of the mountain.
View H -- There is an excellent view from the summit, including El Capitan, the most obvious prominence when approaching on US-62 from El Paso.
View I -- Yours truly on the summit. About a half dozen hikers arrived soon after I did.
View J -- On the descent you notice the downside exposure a lot more than you do on the ascent! This was certainly the most difficult (and highest) of my 26 state highpoints to date. The climb was three hours, I spent half an hour on the summit, and the descent was 2.5 hours.

Spruce Knob is located in eastern West Virginia near Judy Gap. The summit is 4863 feet above sea level. This highpoint is essentially a drive-up, with just a short hike required from the parking area to the observation tower at the summit.

View A -- This is the sign at the top of Spruce Knob, where the summit road enters the parking area.
View B -- At the summit there is an observation tower that enables one to get above the trees for a panoramic view.
View C -- This view from the observation platform shows the summit road winding its way to the top. Unfortunately, the road is in very poor repair, with many potholes.
View D -- Here is a beautiful view from the observation tower. Spruce Knob is located in the Monongahela National Forest, and there is little development in the area. On this day it was a wonderful +73F at the summit, while the lowlands were sweltering in a +95F heat wave.

Timms Hill is located in north-central Wisconsin near Ogema. The summit is 1951 feet above sea level. This highpoint is essentially a drive-up, with just a short uphill hike required from the parking area to the summit.

View A -- There is an informative sign between the parking lot and the trailhead.
View B -- Here is a close-up view of the sign, showing the trail system.
View C -- Here is the trailhead.
View D -- After a short distance on the trail the summit towers are visible.
View E -- At the summit there are a wooden public observation tower and a taller metal communications tower, which in this view is largely hidden behind the wooden tower.
View F -- This is a telephoto view of the nearby lodge from the top of the observation tower.
View G -- This is a panoramic view from the observation tower. It was still leaf-off on May first in north-central Wisconsin. Without the tower there would not be much of a view due to the trees at the summit.
View H -- Here is a view of the communications tower from the observation tower. It's difficult to tell here, but there was actually a man inside the compartment at the top of the communications tower on this Saturday noon.
View I -- This is the USGS benchmark at the base of the observation tower.

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