Maryland

Backbone Mountain Cumberland, Maryland County = Garrett Elevation = 3,360 ft. Rank = 32rd

Pictures From Our Trip
These are pictures from our trip on October 7th, 2000. Click on the
thumbnail to see a larger version of the picture

Our Trip Report
After summiting Mt. Davis in Pennsylvania and grabbing some Mickey D's for lunch, we headed south to Backbone Mountain in Maryland. The weather that was supposed to be so lousy was actually quite excellent if you don't mind it being a little chilly. The further south we traveled, the more colorful the fall colors became. As we neared the highpoint, we came upon the smallest church in the contiguous U.S. and right behind it, the smallest mailing office in the U.S. We stopped for a few minutes to see these attractions and continued up the road toward the highpoint trail. Of the three highpoints we were to see that day, Maryland's Backbone Mountain was the only one that was inaccessible by car. So we were able to take a much-needed break from the monotony of the car and hike up a stretch of a forest trail that ran a little over a mile from the road to the summit. Near the summit, we saw a concrete column marking the border of Maryland and West Virginia. Not much further up the trail was Hoye Crest, the highpoint of Maryland. Owned by a coal company and maintained by the Elliotts, who live nearby, the highpoint provided a spectacular view of the nearby hillsparticularly on the day we hiked it. The visibility was seemingly limitless. Across the valley that lies adjacent to the highpoint, there is a power plant that is about 20 miles away. It could be seen as clear as day. Truly, we have been lucky with the weather we have had on our trips thus far. While on the summit, a group of people walked by a couple times, and after talking with them, we learned that one of the men lived in the vicinity. We assumed that he was one of the Elliotts who kindly maintain the trail and the highpoint itself. If you didn't know what you were looking for, the trail would be easy to miss. There is a small white sign high on a tree on the side of the road. Beneath that sign is a small parking area big enough for only five or six cars. The trail is slightly difficult, but definitely climbable for anyone in reasonably good shape. In fact, if you have a four-wheel-drive vehicle, you can drive to within 100 yards or so of the summit. On our way down, we were actually passed by a Jeep Cherokee on its way up the trail. But we recommend the hike. The Jeep seemed to really struggle up the makeshift road and besides, the hike was invigorating and well worth the effort. The trail itself is marked every couple hundred yards by the letters "HP" painted on trees. Even without the markers, the trail is an easy one to follow and with the leaves turning, it was a scenic one as well. After we hiked down the trail, we headed to our third highpoint of the day in West Virginia. Eight down, forty-two to go!

Map

See some other Maryland Highpointer's Sites The Highpointer's Club Maryland 2001 Convention Page America's Roof Maryland Page Matthew DiBiase's Maryland Highpoint Page Unknown Maryland Highpointer's Page Maryland County Highpoints Maryland's Geological Survey

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