CONFLUENCE, PENNSYLVANIA
Mount Davis, the tallest peak in Pennsylvania, is in Somerset County, which is where my parents have lived for most of 33 years. I have never been there. I decided today that I would bike up it.
When I mentioned it to my parents, my dad asked if I would ride from Confluence, so I thought that might be the logical place to start. I didn’t know the local roads.
I mapped out a route that would take me up Fort Hill Road to Green Road to High Point to Mt. Davis Road. When I reached Green Road, I found first that it was descending and second that it was a dirt road – not just a dirt road but a dirt gravel mix and a bit of ungraded forest floor – much like Imgrund Mountain Road. I decided it was not worth the risk and took another route.
I found Pumpkin Center Road climbed so I kept going up – until the bottom just dropped away. That’s what makes climbing hard in this section of Pennsylvania, because most of these roads do not have a continual climb, but it seems for every two feet of gain, you lose one. It also means on the descent, there is some climbing too.
I made my way to Mt. Davis Road and was unsure where to go. Finding no one to ask, I turned on the phone and found a map – I was headed in the right direction. Then it was just a matter of making it to the top.
The ride back down was nice, but Pumpkin Center Road had a 12% grade, which kicked up to 20-22%. Ouch. Why do they do that on my descent?
I need to come back and try this from the Meyersdale direction. But cross Pennsylvania off my list of states I’ve cycled to the highest point (along with New Hampshire). Seriously – I don’t know where I’ve been, although I’ve also ridden up Mt. Evans, Colorado, which is the highest paved road in Colorado. Anyhow, it’s not a goal, just a fun thing to do.1
- EPILOGUE: Certainly, some of the highest peaks are accessible only by hiking, but I have climbed (by bike) Mount Mitchell, NC; Clingmans Dome, TN; and Mount Washington, NH – all the highest peaks in their respective states. ↩︎
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