Covington City High Point Trip Report

one area 1/2 mile south of Fairlawn - with BM Nettleton (1,680+ ft)

Date: September 13, 2001
Author: Michael Schwartz

This visit is apt testimony to the utility of Andy Martin's book. On my way home from Monroe County WV to NJ, I passed through Covington, checked the book, and saw that the there was a single high point with a bench mark, which bespoke of a summit, rather than the typical independent city "liner" high point. As I came into town, I saw a prominent hill with a radio tower on it, and decided to check it out. I had no map, but knowing there was a BM, and following Fred Lobdells' rule of "keep going uphill," I found the summit and BM Nettleton. My approach was slightly different from that in Fred's trip report, and it may be that I was on streets not shown on the map.

After going underneath the I-64 underpass on VA 18, continue south on 18 to a left turn onto Asbury Road. This goes very steeply uphill 0.1 mile past houses to a crest. Turn left at the "T" onto unsigned S. Carpenter Drive (shown on mailboxes) and proceed to the decrepit communications shack mentioned by Fred. From here, I angled up to the power lines as mentioned by Fred. Follow the right of way uphill to where it starts leveling off, and maybe 100 feet before a huge lone tree, look for the grassy farm road entering the woods to the left. This was now well mowed and not overgrown. Follow the road to the flat summit, where the blue surveyor's ribbon mentioned by Fred still festoons a tree along the road. Just as I was ready to give up, I spotted BM Nettleton, dated 1957, in the thick grass below the tree. It's set in a square concrete marker, almost flush with the ground, and hard to spot, even knowing it's right there. Allow 10-15 minutes from your car.