After an all-night drive from the sunset ascent of Magazine Mountain (Delaware state high point) several hours prior, Alanna and I were ready to step out of the car and stretch our weary legs around the recognized high point of Mississippi - Woodall Mountain.

Located in the northeastern corner of the state, Woodall Mountain was named for a local Sherriff who owned the land in the late 1800’s. Access to Woodall Mountain is found within an inconspicuous residential district, with commercial properties nearby. Turning from County Road 176 onto County Road 185, streetlights lit up the roadway as we began heading northward.

*Highpointer’s plaque atop Woodall Mountain*

Alternatively, some hikers prefer to trek Woodall Mountain entirely on foot; this can be accomplished from the south, by the route we chose, or from the north, hiking from a gated forest road whose terminus is found along County Road 233. As we approached from the south, we could not report on the status, nor condition of any paths from this direction.

Onto a dark, gravel road we veered; without finding an obvious spot to park our car (as it was 4:09am, and there is a residential house directly on the corner of Woodall Mountain’s access road), we continued driving County Road 185 as it slowly began to ascend toward the state high point.

According to prior hiking reports for Woodall Mountain, it is possible to stash a vehicle roadside, and trek on foot, the remaining 1.0-mile to reach the mountaintop. We ended up driving the entire length of road, which could become treacherous for some smaller, lighter, front-wheel drive vehicles; we had relatively low clearance, but all-wheel drive certainly aided in navigating atop the loose gravel.

As the gravel road circumnavigates counterclockwise around an eastern sub-peak of Woodall Mountain, we soon encountered the first of three fenced-in radio and communication towers with infrastructure stations. Immediately, we glanced at each other simultaneously as our headlights illuminated a small sign warning visitors of excessive hazardous radiation found near the transmitter equipment - this detail hastened our stay atop Mississippi’s high point somewhat.

The summit of Woodall Mountain featured a wooden observation platform until around 1998, at which point it had deteriorated past saving, and was removed to keep high point visitors safe. But it sure would have been nice to stand above the forest canopy and view the surrounding city lights.

Now, the summit area of Woodall Mountain is a cul-de-sac of sorts, a circular turn-around at the top of the mountain; a Highpointer’s Club sitting bench has been added for the comfort and enjoyment of guests, as well as one of their matte black mailboxes which generally contains a summit register notebook that ascensionists can sign into, leaving brief tales of their climbs, or time spent at the peak, for subsequent visitors.

A small plaque has been placed in a mountaintop boulder explaining the history of the low mountain, also placed by the Highpointer’s Club in 2010. While strolling along the broad summit of Woodall Mountain, several other fenced-in towers and stations are observed, more importantly, however, is a small, US Geodetic Survey benchmark disc - interestingly, this one atop Woodall Mountain’s 806’ summit reads “Knob”.

After roaming around the summit with the aid of headlamps, and having signed the summit register notebook, we were glad to have paid a visit to this low knob, which is Mississippi’s state high point. On a fair-weather day, the 1.0-mile trek from the base of the mountain would certainly improve this visit. Interestingly, however, this would not be our last nighttime ascent of a state high point!

Overall stats for the day:
0.15-miles (roamed around the summit)
10 minutes
0’ elevation gain

Woodall Mountain - 806’

Woodall Mountain (Mississippi HP)

Mount Elbert (Colorado HP)

Province Road State Forest Hill