Arlington County Highpoint Trip Report

Date: May 15, 2004
Author: Don Desrosiers

The official height of the HP, according to Arlington County, is 464 feet. Officially it is on the side lawn of 6325 36th Street on the Rockingham side. How do I know this?

A long time ago, before HP'ing and CoHP'ing became popular, I was trying to find out the highest points in the various counties around DC. I found out the person I needed to speak with in Arlington County and called her.

(them) "County Office of ___. May I help you?"

(me) "May I speak with Karen, please."

"Karen is on vacation this week. Could I help you?"

"Thanks, I appreciate your offer. I'm trying to find the highest point in Arlington County."

"It's 454 feet. We have that in our Yearbook." (I roughly knew that, having seen a copy of the yearbook while waiting in traffic court.)

"Wonderful. Where is it?"

[long pause on the other end.]

"You're going to have to talk with Karen."

So the nice person on the other end of the phone takes my name and number and I go away. About a week later I get another call.

[Social preliminaries between Karen and myself.]

"I checked on the location of the 454 foot point and discovered that the real highest point is actually 464 feet. Our book has been wrong all these years. It is right near the curb at 6325 36th."

Then, as things later turned out, I worked with the owner of the property in question. She generally knew that her property was the highest thing in the area but hadn't thought about the fact that it was the highest thing in the county, this being before the sign had been erected down near Williamsburg Boulevard.

As for the trip to the HP, we drove over from the Alexandria HP and did a touch and go. Otherwise uneventful. Other directions or Mapquest will get you there.