Highpointing - Highpointing Guidelines

Highpointing Guidelines

Rules for this pursuit are few, and ascents are generally defined by the individuals themselves. Highpointing has no formal governing body. The organizational body for state highpointing in the U.S. is The Highpointers Club. However, many Highpoint Guides and Books hold to these general principles:

• Any route to the top - walking, climbing, driving an automobile, etc. - is considered a valid means of attaining the high point. Each individual must decide what constitutes good sport. Many will prefer reaching the high point under their own locomotion, or to climb a certain amount of vertical feet en route, but the means of ascent is a personal choice.
• The goal is to attain the highest "natural point." In other words, regardless of what man-made structures have been placed on top, the goal is to stand atop the highest "natural point."
• If the natural high point is covered with a structure and that structure is accessible, even on a limited basis, entering the structure and standing over the presumed high point is the goal. If the structure is completely and permanently inaccessible—e.g. a military base or private telecommunications tower - the goal is to reach the highest accessible natural point.
• Some highpoints are open on certain dates only and the Club expects all members to abide by these dates.
• If the highest point in a state, county, etc. is located along a boundary, they must be visited. The highest summit within an area, being lower, does not count under such circumstances. The most prominent example of this is found in the state of Connecticut, where the highest point is on the slope of a mountain whose summit is actually in Massachusetts.