Mount Porte Crayon

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Mount Porte Crayon is a 4,770 foot mountain located in the Monongahela National Forest in the extreme northeastern corner of Randolph County, West Virginia.

The mountain is named for David Hunter Strother, also known as Porte Crayon, who painted landscapes in the Hudson Valley style capturing a wide array of West Virginia landscapes in his work. Mount Porte Crayon is the fifth highest point in the state of West Virginia and the northernmost of the top ten state highpoints. It is also the highest point on the Roaring Plains, a natural extension of the Dolly Sods Wilderness. The summit area is presently set aside as an 8.11 acre prescribed management area, and is a Research Natural Area, for a native mountaintop red spruce forest that is home to endangered Northern Flying Squirrel and endangered Cheat Mountain Salamander. Mount Porte Crayon is the remote headwaters to three drainages and is the highest point on the Eastern Continental Divide in West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania.

Mount Porte Crayon is notorious for its inclement weather and strong winds. The prevailing westerly winds are so severe, they have deformed the red spruce trees, causing branches to grow on only one side. The summit itself is very isolated and difficult to access. Even the best routes require a two day hike. The last half-mile to the summit is a bushwack. Mount Porte Crayon is for experienced hikers only and should not be underestimated.

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