Mount Davis () is the highest point in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. Located in the

Forbes State Forest Forbes State Forest is a Pennsylvania state forest in Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry District #4. The main offices are located in Laughlintown in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania in the United States. Mount Davis, the highest peak in Penn ...

near the hamlet of Markleton in Elk Lick Township, Somerset County; it lies on a gentle crest of a ridge line extending from central Somerset County southward into Garrett County, Maryland known as

Negro Mountain Negro Mountain is a long ridge of the Allegheny Mountains in the eastern United States, stretching from Deep Creek Lake in Maryland north to the Casselman River in Pennsylvania. The summit, Mount Davis, is the highest point (3,213 feet) in Pe ...

Description

The high point was named for John Nelson Davis, an early settler,

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

veteran, surveyor, and naturalist known for his studies of the mountain's

flora Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous) native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' gut flora'' or '' skin flora''. E ...

and

fauna Fauna is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is ''flora'', and for fungi, it is '' funga''. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively referred to as '' biota''. Zoo ...

. During the Civil War, Davis served in Company E,

102nd Pennsylvania Infantry The 102nd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 102nd Pennsylvania Infantry was organized at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in August 1861 and mustered in for ...

. The summit of Mt. Davis may be ascended by car or a number of

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

trails. Its surroundings are noted for their patterns of unusual circular stone formed by

periglacial Periglaciation (adjective: "periglacial", also referring to places at the edges of glacial areas) describes geomorphic processes that result from seasonal thawing of snow in areas of permafrost, the runoff from which refreezes in ice wedges and o ...

action. A metal

observation tower An observation tower is a structure used to view events from a long distance and to create a full 360 degree range of vision to conduct long distance observations. Observation towers are usually at least tall and are made from stone, iron, an ...

with a relief map of the region stands near the true high point. Mount Davis ranks 33rd on the list of highest natural points in each U.S. state.

History

In 1921, the

USGS The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, a ...

established that Mount Davis () was the highest peak in Pennsylvania. Previously the highest peak was believed to be Bedford County's

Blue Knob Blue Knob (elevation ) is a summit in the eastern United States with a broad dome that is the northernmost 3,000-footer in the Allegheny Mountains. It is the highest point in Bedford County, Pennsylvania. The mountain is the site of Blue Knob S ...

. On June 18, 1921, the local chamber of commerce held a ceremony to celebrate the newly named highest point in Pennsylvania. In addition to the observation tower, a cabin once stood at the top of Mount Davis. On June 6, 2022, the website listsofjohn reported it had discovered another nearby point as the true state highpoint through the use of

lidar Lidar (, also LIDAR, or LiDAR; sometimes LADAR) is a method for determining ranges (variable distance) by targeting an object or a surface with a laser and measuring the time for the reflected light to return to the receiver. It can also be ...

.listsofjohn.com
Accessed August 19, 2022.

Trails

Trails in the park include: * High Point Trail: * Mt. Davis Trail: * Shelter Rock Trail: * Tub Mill Run Trail: * Timberslide Trail: * Laurel Run Trail: * Wolf Rock Trail: * Shelter Rock Road: * Livengood Trail:

Climate

Climate on the peak is warm in the summer, and cold in the winter. Like much of Pennsylvania, Mount Davis can experience heavy winds, rain, and hail in the summer, with ice storms and blizzards in the winter. Temperature extremes range from , though frosts have been recorded in every month of the year. Summer conditions are generally mild and winters are characterized by a lot of snowfall. Average annual precipitation ranges from . Mount Davis has a humid continental climate that is affected by the high elevation significantly enough that the area feels slightly more like a cooler version of the climate zone during the winter months. Due to its high elevation, the area is colder much of the winter than Altoona, Johnstown, or State College, despite being well south of those locations. During the summer months, the area is a retreat for other Pennsylvanians with high temperatures being cooler on average than Pittsburgh and eastern portions of the state. Mount Davis recorded many impressive record lows and is quite close to the state's all-time coldest temperature.

References

External links