One State, Two Summits
Most people know the Monongahela National Forest is home to Spruce Knob, West Virginia’s highest point at nearly 5,000 feet. However, fewer folks know that the Mountain State also holds the key to reaching the Maryland Highpoint – Hoye Crest!
Heading north from our Mon Forest Towns of Thomas and Davis into southern Preston County, you’ll find the trailhead of the northernmost hike in the Monongahela National Forest. At 3,360 feet above sea level, this summit along Backbone Mountain sits just inside Garrett County, Maryland – but the only practical way to reach it is from West Virginia.
Maryland HighPoint Trail
Monongahela National Forest
The Maryland High Point Trail begins along U.S. Route 219 just north of Thomas, West Virginia, where two small roadside parking areas near the trailhead can each accommodate roughly three to five vehicles. From there, the trail follows an old rocky road up Backbone Mountain through the Monongahela National Forest. It’s no Denali, but don’t let the short distance fool you; the trail climbs nearly 700 feet in about a mile and is consistently steep the entire way up. Sturdy hiking boots with good ankle support are strongly recommended. I learned that the hard way after enjoying the sunset a little too long, losing track of time, and wandering back down by flashlight. No permits or fees are required, and the trail is best hiked from late spring through early fall.
About halfway up, the trail bears right and transitions into a more traditional hiking path, shaded beneath the forest canopy. Clear red signs mark the route the entire way. Near the top, you’ll pass through a small boulder field where a stone boundary marker sits at the West Virginia–Maryland state line. From there, it’s a short walk north along the ridge to the summit of Hoye Crest.
At the top, a cleared area offers views east across the North Branch Potomac River valley into Maryland’s Allegheny Highlands. There’s a picnic table, a bench, and a small trail register — a mailbox where hikers can sign their names and record their visit. It’s become a tradition among the growing community of “highpointers” who travel the country ticking off each state’s highest point, and Hoye Crest is one of the more accessible summits on the list. Expect the round trip to take one to two hours, leaving plenty of time to soak in the views.
Note that e-bikes and motorized vehicles are not permitted on Monongahela National Forest trails. While mountain biking and horseback riding on the Maryland Highpoint Trail is permitted, the trail corridor is rocky, steep, and not maintained for access outside hiking.
Who is Hoye
The peak is named for Captain Charles E. Hoye (1876–1951), a Garrett County native who led a remarkable life far from these mountains before returning to dedicate his later years to preserving their history. Born and raised in western Maryland, Hoye became a local schoolteacher before leaving home in 1898 to serve in the Spanish-American War. Deployed to the Philippines at 22, he remained in Manila after his discharge and spent the next 25 years as an educator, eventually rising to Superintendent of Schools for the Philippine Bureau of Education.
During World War I, Hoye was recalled to military service with the 7th Regiment of the Philippine Guard, where he earned the rank of Captain. He later returned to the United States and eventually settled back in Garrett County, where he founded the Garrett County Historical Society and its quarterly publication, the Glades Star.
In September 1952, a year after Hoye’s death, the society dedicated the historical marker that still stands at the summit. Governor Theodore McKeldin named the peak Hoye Crest in his honor. By accounts of those who knew him, Hoye was too modest to have wanted his name on a mountaintop, but it’s hard to think of a more fitting tribute to a man who spent his final decades ensuring the history of these mountains wouldn’t be forgotten.
Fairfax Stone
West Virginia State Parks
If one historic boundary marker isn’t enough for the day, another awaits just a short drive away. Fairfax Stone State Park sits about six miles north of Thomas along U.S. Route 219, making it an easy pairing with the Hoye Crest hike.
At just four acres, Fairfax Stone is West Virginia’s smallest state park, but its historical significance is outsized. The site marks the headwaters of the North Branch of the Potomac River, the modest spring where a trickle begins its 383-mile journey to the Chesapeake Bay. More importantly, it’s the location of one of the oldest surveyors’ markers in the United States.
The original stone was placed here in 1746 by Thomas Lewis and Colonel Peter Jefferson (father of Thomas Jefferson) to settle a boundary dispute over the vast Northern Neck Land Grant held by Thomas, Lord Fairfax. The stone defined the western extent of Fairfax’s lands and, by extension, the boundary between the colonies of Maryland and Virginia. Two years later, a young George Washington surveyed the area again to confirm the marker’s placement.
That boundary line would remain contested for over 150 years. It wasn’t until 1910 that the U.S. Supreme Court finally ruled in Maryland v. West Virginia, confirming the North Branch as the Potomac’s main stem and settling the state line for good. The original stone was lost to vandals around that same time, and the current six-ton monument, complete with a bronze plaque, was dedicated in 1957 when the Western Maryland Railroad donated the surrounding land to the state. The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.
There’s no hiking or camping at Fairfax Stone, but there are picnic tables and interpretive signage. It’s a quiet, reflective stop — the kind of place where you can stand at the headspring of one of America’s most historically significant rivers and appreciate how a single stone helped shape the borders of two states.