Pennsylvania's Highest Point
Casselman Wind Project
On the way home from Pittsburgh in July, Jimmy and I decided that we should stop by PA's highest point, and since Ken was in the car with us, he came too. Not long after we got off the turnpike and started taking some of Somerset County's winding roads, we saw some wind turbines in the distance. We agreed that if we came anywhere near them we'd try to find a way to get closer to explore. Fortunately, we ended up driving right past a service road for the Casselman Wind Power Project! And so we had some fun taking photos and admiring the turbines. :) Most of them were spinning, but it seemed that they were powered to slightly spin even if there wasn't much wind. I suppose it uses more energy to start them up again from a dead stop than it does to keep them a little powered all the time. Anyway, here are my photos!
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Mt. Davis
Having had our fill of wind energy, we continued on towards Mt Davis. The elevation change in our drive to the highpoint was very gradual, and we were almost surprised when we saw the "High Point" sign. We pulled over for the obligatory photos, and found a path going back into the woods to what turned out to be Baughman Rocks.We found a really nice deck with some benches, and on the other side of that, the actual rocks. There is also a plaque that shares the creepy story of the family the rocks were named after. And as seems to be the case in most rural areas, the high point sign seems to be a target for shooting practice.
Path to Baughman Rocks
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Baughman Rocks plaque
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Sitting area at Baughman Rocks
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The rocks!
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Jimmy + Mt Davis sign
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Bang bang
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We continued a bit further, turned down what looked like an access road, and found a parking lot. There were a bunch of hiking trails that we opted not to test, as it nearly 100°F, and we were melting. We did climb to the top of the observation tower, and admired the large relief map and the beautiful surroundings. The plaque at the top of the tower even went so far as to explain the optical illusion of other mountains looking higher than the highpoint, when viewed from the tower. I was particularly fond of one tree that we saw towering over the rest of the scenery.
The Mt Davis lookout tower
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Relief map and description
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Highest tree in PA?
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My favorite tree again!
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According to the DCNR brochure:
- "Mt. Davis was named after John Nelson Davis, an early settler and former owner of the site. He was a Civil War veteran, land surveyor, and naturalist. It is said that he could readily identify all the wildlife and wild plants in the region, and was familiar with the various rock formations.
- This area is unique in that the central feature is a rock, 3,213 feet above sea level. This rock is the highest point in Pennsylvania. ..."
Maps and Links
All state high points can be found on a map here, and further information on state high and low points can be found listed here. Of course I need my own map to track my visits, so here is my map of state high points. I promise I'll keep it updated. :)
View US High Points in a larger map
For more information on Mt Davis:
