Montgomery County High Point Trip Report

seven areas (1,300+ ft)

Date: March 14, 2004
Author: Bob Schwab

four areas in sections 1/2-73N-39W

From the intersection of US 59 and H-12, drive east on H-12 for about 6 miles to E Avenue. Now turn around and head west (backtrack) on H-12 for 0.25 mile. There is field access on the 1/4 section line where you can park. This is an easy stroll north (in the right season) into a bermed bean field where area 1 can be found.

Return to the intersection with E Avenue and drive north for about 0.65 mile, passing a gas pipeline station on the left. Stop along the road where area 2 is bisected by the road. The roadbed is as high as the cornfields on the east and west.

Continue north to 100th Street and turn right. Go east, just beyond the first house, to a gate on the south that enters a large bean field. Area 3 is a spillover from the north and can easily be investigated through this gate.

Continue east another 0.4 mile to a house #47586 on the north. The fourth area is just a "touch" into Montgomery County, on the south side of this driveway.

one area in sections 1/2-73N-37W

Return to the intersection of Route H-12 and E Avenue. From here, drive a total of 12 miles straight east (3 miles on H-12, 5 miles on Rte 48, and 4 miles on H-14). Turn left on Q Avenue, drive north about 0.25 mile and park on the side of the road, well short of the house in the woods. Area 5 reaches into the corn and bean fields to your east and west. You can explore from here, or if you don’t like crossing fences, you can find the field access which is just west of the intersection of Q Avenue and H-14. From here, walk northeast into the cornfield.

one area in section 3-73N-37W

Drive west 2 miles to the intersection of H-14 and O Avenue. Turn north on O Avenue, and in 1 mile turn right onto 100th Street. Drive east for 0.5 mile to the Lowman Cemetery (it has trees along the road). Park here and hike south along the 1/2 section line about 0.3 mile to the high ground (area 6).

one large area in sections 9/10/16-73N-37W

From the intersection of H-14 and O Avenue, drive south on Route M-63 (O Avenue) about 0.75 mile to high ground where the road makes a slight bend. There are pull offs on both sides of the road, so you can park and wander the bean fields in this northern section of area 7.

Farther down the road, drive west on 120th Street (not well-maintained) to where the road crosses the ridge for more views of this large area.

Finally, 0.75 mile south of the intersection of M-63 with 120th Street, park at the Pilot Grove Methodist Church (and cemetery) and hike northwest into the corn field to explore the southern arm of this contour.