Washington County High Point Trip Report

Whitetop Mtn (5,520+ ft)

Date: November 15, 2000
Author: Mike Schwartz

I was at the base of this mountain as long ago as April 15, 1965, the day of my first Mt Rogers ascent, but was too cheap to pay the toll on the then privately owned road. So, this one has been on the wish list for over 35 years. The turnoff for the summit road, now in the National Forest, is 1.6 miles north of US 58 via VA 600, or about one mile south of the Appalachian Trail crossing of VA 600 at Elk Garden, the jumping off point for Mt Rogers. Once on the gravel road, bear right for the summit at 2.6 miles, and reach the end of the road at 3.0 miles, at a large fenced-in area containing multiple towers. I walked along the fence line to the right, to the area nearest the large satellite dish, and felt that the highest ground was just outside the fence or just back into the very thick spruce. If one were of a mind to crawl under the fence and survey the summit from the elevated satellite dish platform, this could be verified. However the posting is quite adamant about trespassing and radiation hazards.