Pennsylvania Invests $986,000 in Mount Davis
State funds road, tower and visitor-facility upgrades at the Forbes State Forest summit in the Laurel Highlands.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in National Parks
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Pennsylvania has invested $986,000 in improvements at Mount Davis, including resurfaced entrance roads and parking, drainage work, accessible parking spaces, and the first major refurbishment of the Mount Davis Observation Tower in years. Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn visited the site to highlight the work.
Why it matters
The project is part of more than $246 million the Shapiro administration has committed to state parks and forests, and it is intended to support tourism in the Laurel Highlands. For Pennsylvanians and visitors, it means better access and updated facilities at one of the state's higher-elevation viewpoints.
The $986,000 investment is one part of a $246 million statewide commitment by the Shapiro administration to state parks and forests. Mount Davis rises 3,213 feet within Forbes State Forest, and the source does not specify any remaining phases of work at the site.
The players
Cindy Adams Dunn
Cindy Adams Dunn is the Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, which manages the state's parks and forests.
Josh Shapiro
Josh Shapiro is the Governor of Pennsylvania, whose administration has committed more than $246 million to state parks and forests.
The details
Crews resurfaced the entrance road and parking lots near South Wolf Rock Road and Mount Davis Road and completed drainage improvements. Contractors partially dismantled the observation tower's steel structure to remove corrosion and deteriorated paint, then performed abrasive blasting, repainting, and reinstallation of platforms and stairs, with a containment system managing debris. More than 30 interpretive displays and directional signs were replaced or updated, and a new information kiosk provides guidance about the summit area.
Timeline
Monday, Nov. 2: Secretary Dunn visited the Mount Davis site to highlight the improvements.
Nov. 4, 2026: Coverage of the Mount Davis infrastructure investment was published.
Season Trajectory
The Mount Davis investment sits within the Shapiro administration's $246 million commitment to state parks and forests, a statewide effort that funds individual site upgrades. The improvements are explicitly tied to strengthening Laurel Highlands tourism, which depends on outdoor recreation as part of the regional economy.
Visitors heading to Mount Davis can expect resurfaced entrance roads, newly established accessible parking spaces, and an updated information kiosk at the summit area. Because the observation tower work involved partial dismantling and repainting, the source does not indicate whether any portion of the tower is closed during the project.
The takeaway
State-managed summits like Mount Davis are maintained through targeted capital projects, so checking a park's recent improvements can help set expectations before a visit. Accessible parking and updated signage are practical details worth confirming when planning a trip to higher-elevation sites.
Further reading
Explore more on National Parks to see how state-managed sites like Forbes State Forest fit into the wider outdoor destinations landscape.
Source note: This article includes information reported by MyChesCo.
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