Montcalm County Highpoint Trip Report
one area with radio tower in southeast 1/4 of southwest 1/4 - section 25-11N-7W (1,120+ ft)
Date: May 3, 2007
Author: Andy Hatzos
Reaching the highpoint of Montcalm County led me to the following conclusion:
They don't get much easier than this! The best news to report is that, as for now,
the access issues mentioned in previous trip reports are a thing of the past.
This is a must-do for fans of Martinizing.
I started from the intersection of M-46 and M-66 just west of Edmore, having
recently completed the Gratiot County high points. I took M-66 south until
reaching Klees Road, which is one mile north of Stanton. From M-66, the high
point and radio tower are clearly visible for miles.
I headed west on Klees Road for about a half mile, finding the trail marked on
the topo map at the boundary between a field and a wooded area. The trail was
in decent shape and did not give me any problems in my passenger car.
Previous trip reports indicated that this road was gated and posted for no trespassing.
I looked carefully and could not find any signs and there was no gate at all -
not even an open gate. As such, I kept on driving and would continue to drive
until parking right at the summit. Be warned that after the sharp turn to the west,
the road inclines steeply; judging from the topo, it’s around 60 feet of
gain in 350 feet of horizontal distance (a slope of 17 degrees).
At the top, I found the radio tower site with a fenced-off area to the side of
the summit. I walked around for a few minutes as a technicality but probably
could have just claimed the county the moment I stepped my foot out of the car.
Through the barren trees, there were some decent views to the west -- especially
down a cleared area to the northwest, where power lines run to the top.
report with links to photos