Gilmer County High Point Trip Report

USGS BM Longshoal 1700 ft SSW of Locust Knob (1,580+ ft)

Date: May 24, 2001
Author: Michael Schwartz

From I-79 take exit 79 and go seven miles northwest on WV 5 to Stouts Mills. Go right (east) onto Sliding Run Road/CR 40 for 3.0 miles to the crest and park in the church lot.

Hike up the track road that goes uphill to the southeast. This is medium-level posted. About 100 feet in, bear right at a storage tank onto an unimpressive grassy track road that soon improves. This is a pipeline right-of-way, not shown on the map, that leads directly to the summit, and the markers serve as excellent trail blazes along the way. The path crosses a gate, then climbs steeply uphill toward Locust Knob, but before the crest veers right to the SSW, bypassing Locust Knob and heading for the high point knob. Follow this all the way to the summit, getting steep only at the very end, and see BM Longshoal immediately to the right of the path. It's mounted on a clay tile pipe filled with concrete. Allow 15-20 minutes to the summit.

On the return drive to Stouts Run, the first house on the left, a mobile home, was signed to a P. Robinson, whose name was on the postings along the track road. I stopped and spoke to some workman, who said the place belonged to Mrs. Robinson, who lives alone and was not home at the time. They thought she would be amenable to hiking on the mountain, but could not speak for her.