US High Points
My journey to the highest point in every state
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On Top of South Dakota (again): Black Elk Peak
When I decided to commit to my highpointing goal, I had no intention of repeating any of these destinations. Of course, this assertion was made under the naïve assumption that I would never encounter any obstacles during my highpointing attempts. It didn’t take long for Mother Nature to laugh in the face of my naivete.… Continue reading
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On top of Iowa: Hawkeye Point
The one upside to our Black Hills trip falling apart – though truthfully, calling any part of this trip an upside doesn’t feel right – was the unexpected drive past the highest point in Iowa on our way back to Colorado. And when I say we drove past the highest point in Iowa, I mean… Continue reading
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On top of Arkansas: Mount Magazine
The thing I love so much about this highpointing goal is that it encourages me to travel to places I’d never visit otherwise. Case in point: Mount Magazine, the highest point in Arkansas. Sure, there’s a state park here, and some trails and a river and other scenery. But it’s a big world full of… Continue reading
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On top of Rhode Island: Jerimoth Hill
Despite living in the northeastern US for six years, I only managed to check off three of the nine state high points. It wasn’t for a lack of trying. We had plans to summit the highest point in New York before we moved away, but a late spring snowstorm thwarted that one. We also intended… Continue reading
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On Top of Utah: Kings Peak
Alternate post title: Finally. After being forced to cancel this trip at the last minute due to weather on two previous Labor Day weekends, I was approaching this year’s trip with the expectation of having to cancel again. But, as they say, third time is the charm! Kings Peak – elevation 13,528 ft (4123 m)… Continue reading
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On top of Minnesota: Eagle Mountain
Back in April, fellow blogger The Travel Architect contacted me with an invitation to join her and The Husband on a trip to northern Minnesota to summit the state’s highest point. Initially it seemed like a long shot, but as the logistics of our summer came into focus, I realized we might actually be able… Continue reading
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On top of Wisconsin: Timm’s Hill
As our travel plans for 2023 took shape, it was beginning to seem as though it would be another year in which I maybe, possibly, hopefully squeezed in one single state high point. After only managing one high point in 2022 as well this was a little disappointing. But I had so many other things… Continue reading
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On Top of Colorado (and Colorado 14ers #8): Mount Elbert via Black Cloud Trail
In September, two of my travel goals collided when I summited my eighth Colorado 14er… which also happens to be the highest point in Colorado! A few days later, as I sit down to begin writing this post, I’m conflicted about whether to title it ‘Colorado 14ers’ to match my other 14ers posts or ‘On… Continue reading
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On Top of New Mexico: Wheeler Peak
Summer out here in the west has become very unpredictable. Afternoon thunderstorms used to be the main concern, but in the last couple years forest fires and air quality have become the two main factors that influence our travel plans. Colorado was lucky this year to receive adequate rain and avoid a repeat of our… Continue reading
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On Top of South Dakota: Black Elk Peak
After summiting the North Dakota high point the day before, Chelsea and I set out to stand on the highest point of South Dakota. Our hotel was only about 30 minutes from the trailhead, so this one involved much less driving. The hike, however, was a little more substantial. The highest point in South Dakota… Continue reading
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On Top of North Dakota: White Butte
Chelsea and I both have the goal to summit as many US state high points as possible. Up to this point, we’d both stood on a few of them… separately. This time, we decided we’d visit a couple together! The states? North and South Dakota. And so we set off for a long weekend in… Continue reading
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On Top of Oklahoma: Black Mesa
When we told people we were heading to Oklahoma for the weekend, the typical response was a raised eyebrow followed by a confused “why?” In their defense, it’s not exactly a hopping travel destination, especially the panhandle region. But aside from the fact that I had the entire soundtrack of Oklahoma! stuck in my head… Continue reading
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On Top of Kansas: Mount Sunflower
In late April, we set out for our first camping trip of the season. Our ultimate destination was the Oklahoma panhandle to climb the state high point. As it turns out, though, when one drives from Colorado to Oklahoma there’s quite a lot to see along the way. So naturally, we stopped to see as… Continue reading
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On Top of Nebraska: Panorama Point
The highest point in Nebraska, Panorama Point, is located just across the border from both Colorado and Wyoming in the middle of basically nowhere. The elevation at Panorama Point is 5424 feet (1653 m) – higher than I would have expected for a plains state. But one thing differentiates this high point from most of… Continue reading
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On Top of: Tennessee & North Carolina
During the course of our two days in the Smoky Mountains – in addition to all the hikes I talked about in last week’s post – I managed to check two more state high points off my list. Admittedly, not in the “proper” way. After all, to be a high pointer don’t you have to… Continue reading
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On Top of New England: Mount Washington, New Hampshire
In my quest to summit all the state high points of the northeast, Mount Washington long seemed so out of reach. It was too long a drive for a day trip. It was even really too long for a normal weekend trip, considering it takes a whole day to summit the mountain. Plus, weekends there… Continue reading
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On Top of Vermont: Mount Mansfield
Labor Day weekend was finally upon us, and we had an exciting goal to accomplish: summiting the highest point in Vermont. The weather forecast was solid and we’d climbed the highest mountain in Massachusetts the weekend before in preparation. We were ready for this! Mount Mansfield rises to an elevation of 4393 feet (1339 m)… Continue reading
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On Top of Massachusetts: Mount Greylock
Today, we return to the “On Top of” series I began a while back as I recount our hike up the highest point in Massachusetts: Mount Greylock! With an elevation of 3491 feet (1064 m), Mount Greylock is much taller than either of the previous state high points we’d visited. It has a prominence of… Continue reading
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On Top of Connecticut: Bear Mountain
I haven’t decided yet if I’m a High-Pointer – that is, a person who sets the goal of standing atop the highest point in each state. The part of me that’s drawn to superlatives (the tallest, oldest, etc.) loves the idea. The part of me that enjoys making lists and crossing things off of lists… Continue reading