Mount Davis (Pennsylvania)

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Mount Davis

View from observation tower (looking SE)
Elevation 3,213 feet (979 metres)
Location Forbes State Forest
Somerset County, Pennsylvania,
United States
Range Allegheny Mountains
Coordinates 39°47′9″N, 79°10′36″W
Topo map USGS Markleton and Meyersdale

Mount Davis is the highest mountain in Pennsylvania, located in the 5,685 acre (23.01 km²) Forbes State Forest in Somerset County. The peak is the summit of a 30 mile (50 km) long ridge line known as Negro Mountain which extends from central Somerset County southward into Garrett County, Maryland. The peak was named for John Nelson Davis, an early settler, American Civil War veteran, surveyor and naturalist known for his studies of the mountain's flora and fauna.

The top can be reached by driving or by following one of several hiking trails. There are nine hiking trails in the park, but not all go to the summit. There is a metal observation tower at the summit with a relief map of the region. The summit is noted for its patterns of unusual circular stone formed by periglacial action.

Weather on the peak is characterized by frequent heavy winds and frequent rain and hail and everything in betweenrainfall. Annual temperatures range from -30 to 106°F (-34 to 35 °C) though frosts have been recorded in every month of the year. Summer temperatures are generally mild and winters are characterized by heavy snowfall. Average annual precipitation ranges from 38 to 42 inches (970 to 1070 mm).

Trails in the park include:

  • High Point Trail: 0.8 mi (1,287 m)
  • Mt. Davis Trail: 0.1 mi (160 m)
  • Shelter Rock Trail: 1.0 mi (1,609 m)
  • Tub Mill Run Trail: 2.8 mi (4,506 m)
  • Timberslide Trail: 0.5 mi (805 m)
  • Laurel Run Trail: 1.9 mi (3,058 m)
  • Wolf Rock Trail: 0.8 mi (1,287 m)
  • Shelter Rock Road: 1.6 mi (2,574 m)
  • Livengood Trail: 1.1 mi (1,770 m)

[edit] External links

360° panoramic view from observation tower on Mt. Davis
360° panoramic view from observation tower on Mt. Davis