Brian Manchen.com

Highpointing can best be described as a desire to reach the highest natural elevations in every state. It may seem like a strange hobby but I must confess, there is a unique sense of adventure that makes me keep going back for more. If nothing else, state highpoints have become a welcomed rest stop during my numerous 1000+ mile road trips to and from school. They take me to parts of the country I would never see otherwise. The following are the summits I’ve conquered so far…

PENNSYLVANIA, Mount Davis, 3213 ft.
My first Highpoint! Located in the southeastern part of the state near Somerset. Nice short hike up followed by a climb up this old rusted tower on the summit. I reccomend the hike but you might want to stay away from the tower.

TEXAS, Gudalupe Peak, 8749 ft. Located in west texas near Carlsbad, NM. Pretty difficult climb taking a whole day but well worth it! (see Elliott there is something worth seeing in west Texas! haha) The mountain is part of a national park now that offers a lot of pristine wildlife.

OHIO, Campbell Hill, 1550 ft.
I wasnt expecting much when I drove out to this highpoint (its in ohio afterall), and there really wasnt much to see. Its located in the western part of the state on the campus of a vocational school. Most of the people I talked to in the area didnt even seem to know it was there. I guess the only redeeming quality was that the sun was out! Imagine that!!.

ALABAMA, Cheaha Mountain, 2407 ft.
This was a surprizingly nice highpoint, a little out of the way but well worth it! Its located in the middle of a mountain resort with awesome views. It was so nice I might even consider staying there someday.

TENNESSEE, Clingmans Dome, 6643 ft.
Located in the heart of the Smoky Mountains, its a great drive up to and though the cloud-line. Unfortunatly the tower on top was closed at the time so this has to do. And yeah, I was clearly feeling alittle disgruntled after all that driving as you can see.

SOUTH CAROLINA, Sassafras Mountain, 3560 ft.
Funny name, not very impressive highpoint! The road up was incredibly steep and poorly paved and It was wet from rain. Not to mention the parking lot at the top was covered in shotgun shells. Not much to see at the summit except this small piece of concrete I'm standing on.

NORTH CAROLINA, Mount Mitchell, 6684 ft.
Highest mountain in the eastern United States! As you can see, I had the misfortune of climbing this highpoint in the middle of a storm cloud. I mean literally IN the storm cloud! It was clearly insane but well worth it! This mountain is so tall, the summit is actually higher in elevation then Denver Colorado!

LOUISIANA, Driskill Mountain, 535 ft.
I'm not gonna lie, I was really surprised there was a highpoint in Louisiana! As it turns out, this is the only place in the whole state that breaks 500 ft! Its a short drive from Arcadia off I-20 (with plenty of confederate flags along the way) followed by a half-hour hike to the summit.

GEORGIA, Brasstown Bald, 4784 ft.
Located right in the heart of "Deliverance country"! Despite the hollywood connotations, I can honestly say northern Georgia is the most beautiful section of all the Appalachian Mountains. The drive up was intense and my car almost died a few times but the views at the top were worth it. Overall a pretty nice highpoint!

NEW JERSEY, High Point, 1803 ft.
(What a creative name) Its located near the Deleware River in the northern-most corner of the state. I camped with a friend that night in "High Point State Park" (yes you CAN camp in New Jersey!) and we reached the summit that night. Theres a big war memoria on top from 1930 that offers some awesome views.

RHODE ISLAND, Jerimoth Hill, 812 ft.
Believe it or not, even though this small hill is only a short hike from route 101 in northwest RI, it used to be one of the most inaccessible highpoints in the United States! (apparently the asshole who owned the property would chase people away with a gun) But now its under new ownership and is finally open to the public. It's well worth a visit!

NEW HAMPSHIRE, Mount Washington, 6288 ft.
Located in the beautiful White Mountains, Mount Washington is the highest mountain in the northeast! Me and a friend drove up the winding road (which had no guardrails) and literally almost drive off the edge several times. The summit is known for having some of the worst weather in the world but we were fortunate enough to have only a few clouds. (in all seriousness, if you are afraid of heights or bad driving conditions DO NOT attempt to drive this!!)

MISSISSIPPI, Woodall Mountain, 806 ft.
Although not very impressive, Mississippi's highest point does have the destinction of being the site of a Civil War battle. To get to the summit you have to drive on a gravel road through someone's back yard which is kindof sketchy but its nowhere near as bad as South Carolina.

MASSACHUSETTS, Mount Greylock, 3491 ft.
I was in Stockbridge for a friend's wedding and I decided to take a day to bag Greylock and Frissell. Greylock was a moderate drive up (you can hike it, but remember I still had to hike Frissell in the same day so I opted to drive). The summit offers great views and is topped by, of all things, a lighthouse!

CONNECTICUT, Mount Frissell, 2454 ft.
This was a bit of an adventure. Its located in the extreme northwest corner of the state in an area with dirt roads, mountainous terrain and (at last for me) no phone coverage. I assumed Connecticut was completely cosmopolitan but I was wrong! In fact if I hadnt had my Delorme Atlas with me, I doubt I would have found the trail at all. The hike itself wasnt too bad, although there were some steep climbs. Not much to see at the summit but I kept hiking a little further and was rewarded with a stunning vista of the Hudson Valley.

DELAWARE, Ebright Azimuth, 448 ft.
Driving to a remote location and going on a hike is often what makes highpointing fun, but sometimes a state is either too flat or too small to offer any of that. Enter Delaware. After exiting the interstate in Wilmington, it was a short drive to the highpoint. Not much to see but this marker, and apparently the actual highpoint is somewhere else in the vicinity. I think I heard it was in a trailer park across the street.

MARYLAND, Backbone Mountain, 3,360 ft.
First of all, I just want to say western Maryland rocks; its absolutely beautiful. It may be a bit difficult to get to but once you see the rustic mountain scenery and rolling fields you'll be glad you made the drive. Its interesting to note that the highpoint is accessible only through West Virginia (its in that little part of Maryland that extends farthest west) and everything just seems nicer in MD. The roads, the scenery... well you get the picture. I guess Maryland is just cool like that. The highpoint itself is a short hike on a well marked trail. I was a bit frightened when I saw a pile of deer carcasses at the trailhead, but then again the trailhead was in West Virginia.