Qualla: Hoye-Crest

Hoye-Crest: Introduction

Sun, 31 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Brian M. Powell (user Bitmapped on en.wikipedia), CC BY-SA 3.0. To reach the highest point in Maryland, you start in West Virginia. The Maryland High Point Trail begins along U.S. Route 219 just south of Silver Lake, West Virginia, and climbs Backbone Mountain on an old logging road through Monongahela National Forest land. About a mile in, the trail crosses the state line. From there it heads north along the border to Hoye-Crest - a 3,360-foot summit on the Maryland side of the line that is the highest natural point in the state. The peak is unmarked by infrastructure. There is no parking lot. No vehicular access. Just a historical marker placed in September 1952 by the Maryland Historical Society, recognizing the spot that almost no Marylanders would ever otherwise notice.

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Image: Brian M. Powell (user Bitmapped on en.wikipedia) | CC BY-SA 3.0

Hoye-Crest: The Captain and His Crest

Sun, 31 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0. Hoye-Crest takes its name from Captain Charles E. Hoye, who lived from 1876 to 1951 and founded the Garrett County Historical Society. Hoye spent his career documenting and preserving the history of western Maryland - the rugged Allegheny country that the rest of the state often ...

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Image: Famartin | CC BY-SA 4.0

Hoye-Crest: The High Point Quest

Sun, 31 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Geographer (talk · contribs), CC BY 1.0. Hoye-Crest is part of an unusual American hobby: highpointing. Enthusiasts attempt to summit the highest point in each of the 50 states. Some are major mountaineering challenges - Denali in Alaska, Mount Rainier in Washington. Others are easy drives - Iowa's Hawkeye Point, Florid...

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Image: Geographer (talk · contribs) | CC BY 1.0

Hoye-Crest: Private Land, Public Access

Sun, 31 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Stacy Hall, CC BY-SA 4.0. Hoye-Crest sits on private property owned by Western Pocahontas Properties. The owner allows public access for hiking. The arrangement is informal but reliable - the trail is maintained, the markers are in place, and visitors are welcome to make the climb. The trail itself crosse...

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Image: Stacy Hall | CC BY-SA 4.0

Hoye-Crest: Backbone, the Range

Sun, 31 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Public domain. Backbone Mountain itself stretches about 35 miles along the West Virginia-Maryland border, running roughly northeast-southwest. The ridge holds elevations consistently above 3,000 feet for much of its length, making it one of the longer high ridges in the central Appalachians. Th...

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Image: Public domain