Maryland boasts a high point rising 3,360ft above sea level named Hoye-Crest on Backbone Mountain. Named after Captain Charles Hoye, founder of a local historical society, the summit sits along a beautiful ridge complete with cairn, historical marker, picnic table, photography pedestal, and nice views in the winter.
Our Trip:
Back on the road from the PA high point (Mt. David report), we drove up a winding road and pulled off on a shoulder near a “Maryland High Point” road sign.
I pulled back on my long johns and we walked across the road to the trail head. About 100 yards into the trail, we were met by a hunter wearing a neon orange fleece who said that he was out to hunt rabbit, albeit he claimed they were “extinct” since he hadn’t seen any after several excursions. We had a short conversation and he mentioned that the path up the mountain becomes extremely muddy due to logging companies recently felling trees the previous week. We said our goodbyes and parted ways…in the same direction. About 30 feet behind us, we could unnervingly hear the hunter loading and racking his shotgun.
After a few hundred yards of making deliberate steps from one stone to the next to avoid being completely submerged in mud, we decided to take a side path through the woods to get around the muddy road. Covered in thorn bushes and fallen trees/branches for roughly a quarter mile, we made it to a rockier pathway and proceeded up the mountain. This path had “HP” markings (which we assumed meant High Point) on nearly every other tree in colors ranging from red to purple to orange to pink. It was this path that began the ascent to the high point.
After about a mile of hiking, the path turned into a gorgeous ridgeline hike. Even with overcast clouds on either side of us, the not-too-dense brush and small trees made the hike very pleasurable. The path veered from the MD/WV marker and proceeded up the mountain.
At the top of Hoye Crest, the forestry society had done a splendid job of setting benches, picnic tables, and an information placard. This spot would have been an excellent place to have lunch if it hadn’t been for the weather. We proceeded to set up our tripod (Tripod Review) and Bluetooth camera trigger to take the obligatory pictures of us on the top of Maryland’s high point.
On the way back down, our boots had been washed free of mud only to be covered once again. About 100 yards from the car, we found a recently deceased rabbit who managed to avoid local hunters, but still met its demise to natural causes.
Be sure to check out the self-proclaimed smallest church in 48 states. While this might be dubious as several other locations make a similar claim, it's worth the very short excursion from the highway to drive past and marvel at the roadside attraction. We made the “blue blaze” on a side quest to see the church and it is, in fact, tiny. A large Ford F250 was sitting next to the church, nearly blocking view of the entire building itself. The church claims that there are 12 members of the congregation and as we were leaving, a taller gentleman walked by the church creating an illusion of gigantism.
