Hoye-Crest: The Roof of Maryland

Somewhere on the long spine of Backbone Mountain, in the far southern reach of Garrett County, is the single highest natural point in the entire state of Maryland. It is called Hoye Crest, and it rises to three thousand three hundred sixty feet above sea level. That may sound modest next to western peaks, but everything about this county is shaped by that altitude.

Garrett County is among the highest and coldest places in Maryland, a place that gets buried under some of the deepest snows on the East Coast while the rest of the state barely sees a flurry. The summit takes its name from Captain Charles Hoye, who lived from eighteen seventy six to nineteen fifty one and founded the Garrett County Historical Society, working to preserve the mountain stories that were fading even in his lifetime. A historical marker was carried up and dedicated at the top in September of nineteen fifty two, the year after he died.

Backbone Mountain earns its name honestly. It is a rugged ridge that helps divide the waters, sending some streams toward the Atlantic and others toward the Gulf, the literal high ground of Maryland.