Brasstown Bald—Georgia’s highest point—was my 17th state high point, rising to 4,784 feet above sea level and ranking #25 among U.S. State High Points. After a full morning of hiking at Cloudland Canyon State Park, I decided to see if I could still make it to Brasstown Bald and reach the summit before dark.
Some might call that crazy. I call it seizing the moment.
Woodall Mountain is the highest natural point in the U.S. state of Mississippi at 806 feet and ranks #47 in State High Points. It is located just off Mississippi Highway 25, south of Iuka in Tishomingo County in the northeast part of the state. I also happened to combine this trip with my visit to Tishomingo State Park (on my list of Best State Parks), which I will blog about at a later date.
At 4,145 feet above sea level, Black Mountain is the highest point in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, ranking #27 among U.S. state high points and sitting quietly along the Kentucky–Virginia border. This was my 14th state high point, and while the hike itself turned out to be fairly uneventful, the experience surrounding it was anything but.
Mount Rogers sits within the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area and rises to 5,729 feet above sea level, ranking #19 among U.S. state high points. It also marked my 11th summit on this high-pointing journey.
The Mount Rogers National Recreation Area is expansive, with four designated wilderness areas, more than 400 miles of trails, eleven campgrounds, and scenic drives like the Mount Rogers Scenic Byway and the road to Whitetop Mountain. It’s also home to 60 miles of the Appalachian Trail and 18 miles of the Virginia Creeper Trail. This corner of southwest Virginia is truly one of my favorite parts of the country.
At 409 feet, Point Reno is the highest point in the District of Columbia. It ranks #50 among U.S. state and district high points (with Florida at #51) and was my 12th overall.
It still feels a little funny checking off a “high point” in Washington, D.C.—especially coming on the heels of Mount Washington and Mount Katahdin—but it’s on the list, so off I went to the nation’s capital.
Mount Washington is New Hampshire’s highest point at 6,288 feet above sea level, ranking #18 among U.S. state high points and marking my 11th summit on this journey. It’s also one of those places where the mountain itself is only part of the story.
Before getting into Mount Washington, I should acknowledge the long pause in writing. There’s been a lot to catch up on—and if I’m being honest, I think I was procrastinating a bit. I knew this post carried more weight than most, both personally and historically, and I wanted to take the time to get it right.
I’ve been hesitant to write this post. Not because I didn’t want to relive the experience—but because I’m not sure I fully recovered from it.
Climbing Mount Katahdin took more out of me—physically and emotionally—than any hike I had done up to that point. And yet, it gave me more in return.
The contrast alone was striking. Just days earlier, I had stood on Jerimoth Hill in Rhode Island, a gentle walk to a high point barely rising above the surrounding trees. Now I was staring up at Katahdin—the “Great Mountain”—rising to 5,268 feet above sea level, ranked #22 among U.S. state high points, and marking my 10th high point overall.
Katahdin didn’t just challenge me.
It exposed me.
And I loved it.
At 812 feet, Jerimoth Hill is the highest point in Rhode Island. It ranks #46 among all U.S. state high points and was my 9th on the journey to visit the high point of every state.
Located in Foster, Rhode Island, near the Connecticut border, Jerimoth Hill is about 30 minutes west of downtown Providence. Named after early settler Jerimoth Brown (1783–1830), it’s one of the most accessible high points in the country—and also one of the easiest to overlook if you’re not paying attention.
Hoosier Hill stands at 1,257 feet above sea level and ranks #44 among U.S. state high points, just behind Campbell Hill in Ohio. This marked my eighth state high point, and thanks to their close proximity—and the lack of any real hiking—it’s easy to pair the two together in a single trip.
If you’re picturing a big hike or dramatic summit views, Campbell Hill will definitely surprise you. Ohio’s highest point—#7 on my state high-point journey—is tucked inside a career technical high school in Bellefontaine, about 50 miles northwest of Columbus. It’s low-key, easy to visit, and way more interesting than I expected.
At 1,549 feet above sea level, Campbell Hill ranks #43 among U.S. state high points, which explains why it feels more like a quick stop than a full-blown adventure. Park, walk a few steps, take a few photos, and you’re done.
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