The DC Traveler

Believe it or not, there’s a club called the HighPointers Club, who’s mission is to encourage people to climb to the highest point in every state in America. Additionally, the club aids in the preservation and conservation of all 50 highpoints across the nation and educating the public about preserving these landmarks.

Last year, the District of Columbia Association of Land Surveyors formally surveyed Washington, DC’s highpoint, located at Fort Reno, and discovered the marker was not positioned at the correct location. In April, a rededication ceremony placed the marker at the exact high point in Washington, DC, at an elevation of 411 feet, not 409 feet as is listed on the marker. 

You can find the high point from Fessenden Street in the Tenleytown neighborhood of DC.  Don’t be confused by the highest looking peak near the reservoir area, as it’s not the official high point. To be considered a true high point, the spot must be the highest natural elevation in the state, not a man-made location.

The official high point in Virginia is Mount Rogers at 5,729 ft / 1,746 meters.  

Backbone Mountain (3,360 ft. / 1,024 meters) is just a short walk from the West Virginia border and is Maryland’s highest elevation. 

Think you know your high points?  Try this High Point Trivia Quiz (answers below).

1. Name the state with the lowest high point?
2. Which state has the highest high point”
3. Which state has the higher high point - Colorado or California?
4. Between Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, and Nebraska, which state has the highest high point?
5. After Florida, which state has the second lowest high point in the nation - Delaware, Louisiana or Minnesota?
6. The high points in Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah are (higher or lower) than the highest peak in Hawaii?

Click here for a list of the high points in all 50 states.

Fort Reno is the only location within the city limits of Washington, DC directly involved in a Civil War battle.  In July of 1864, The Battle of Fort Stevens took place when General Robert E. Lee sent 22,000 of his Confederates soldiers of the Army of Northern Virginia, against Ulysses S. Grant’s 9,000 Union troops which were deployed to defend Washington.  Lookouts from Fort Reno were the first to notice Confederate troop movements near Rockville Maryland.

After the war, Fort Stevens became a “Freetown” for freed slaves and later a reservoir for Washington, DC’s drinking water.

Fort Reno Park had been the location of a free annual summer music concert series, featuring area bands, but the National Park Service recently closed the park to the public due to high levels of arsenic in the soil in the Spring. The park was recently reopened and the first of 16 free summer concerts is tonight.

Washington, DC’s High Point Marker
Fort Reno Park
Slightly southwest of the corner of Fessenden and 39th St., NW.
Washington, DC (map it)

Dates and Times - The park is closed until further notice. Normally open daily, 9:00 a.m. until 5: go to 00 p.m.

Nearest Metro Subway Station - Tenleytown Metro - Red line, then a 2/3 mile walk.

Parking - Free street parking is available in the area.

Answers:

1. Florida, just 345 feet above sea level.
2. Alaska’s Mount McKinley at 20,320 feet.
3. California’s Mount Whitney is 57 feet higher than Colorado’s   Mount Elbert. 
4. Nebraska’s Panorama Point is over 3,700 feet higher than the highest point in any of the other three states.
5. Delaware is the second lowest, at just 448 feet.
6. At 13,796 ft / 4205 m, Hawaii’s Mauna Kea is more than 250 feet taller than the highest points in Nevada, New Mexico and Utah.

Images - High Point Marker, High Point hill,

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