Mount Davis Pennsylvania Highpoint Trailhead — Attraction in Elk Lick Township

Mount Davis, PA is the highest point in the state at 3213 feet. Hiking it is easy as elevation gain is pretty negligible, and the shortest route is the high point trail about a mile in and a mile back out from the picnic area. BUT, if you want to make it a worthy trip, I suggest connecting some trails : High Point Trail, Tub Mill Run trail, Timberslide Trail, shelter Rock Road, Shelter Rock Trail, Mt. Davis Trail to Mt Davis tower for about 5 miles Then, the trip back to the car at the picnic area is via the High Point Trail for a mere mile. I found the best resource for connecting these trails was from the book "50 Hikes" in Western Pennsylvania" by Tom Thwaites. And, it pained me as a book lover, but I did tear out those pages to have with me on my trek. They were invaluable. All along every trail are Rhododendron. This would be a glorious hike when they are in bloom. As it was, my trek was late April under sunny skies and 80 degree weather. It was a very pretty hike with a bit of babbling streams and even a natural hot spring. I went on a Monday and didn't see a single soul. Solitude and nature...

10/31 hike - trail is muddy and wet from recent weather. Lots of ground leaves, makes it a bit slick in places. From the parking lot, we took the trail to the observation tower approx. 1 mile. If your only purpose is to see the observation tower and be at the highest point - round trip this is a very easy hike; most would be able to accomplish it in the right pair of shoes. Not handicap accessible. However if you are looking to get in some mileage and do the loop we continued the trail from the tower and trail is about the same. Most areas are nice and packed but there are areas of mud and water puddles. We were the only people on the trail, saw a nice size Buck, no other wildlife. If you want to do the loop first and stop at the observation tower last, you will want to take a left on the trail marked Mount Davis and that's where you're going to get the most mileage in before you reach the...

It's around a mile walk to the high point. The trail starts just west of the parking, and is easy going, with mild gradients up and down. The latter half of the trail almost turns into a little brook, and you need to stay off to the edge to keep out of the mud. The tower at the high point offers great views all around, though you can't see the lake. It's usually windy...