Richland County Highpoint Trip Report

Date: May 29, 2005
Author: Adam Helman

Note: All NAD27 UTM coordinates are in zone 13T.

This effort was part of a larger journey in late May through early June 2005.

The four highpoints of Richland County are liners on the south county line. They are accessed via the one mile square county road grid to the south as described here.

Exit Montana 254 at (505725 E, 5270223 N) immediately northwest of a prominent road bend, or exit 1 1/2 road miles to the northwest thereof - so getting onto the east-west county road one mile farther north.

Regardless, you want to get to a point exactly one mile south of the easternmost of the four points, as found on the existing road grid, at (511280 E, 5271798 N). The road north of this point should be walked to the first highpoint area as it is a mere dirt track between two plowed fields.

I did not drive that far due to problems with my rental vehicle's clearance. Instead I parked one-half mile west near a farm house with tall trees, as the easternmost extent of where the east-west county road turns from good dirt and gravel to a grassy track. I knocked on the door but found nobody at home on this Memorial Day weekend. Thus I parked at the center of the southern edge of township area "1" on the USGS topo chart.

Note a second, more distant farm house one mile west of your hiking route north to the first highpoint area. The house, and adjacent structures, was passed on the driving approach, eastbound, from MT254, and is accessed by a private driveway some one-third mile long, heading north from the county grid.

While you hike to the three more western ares, note that it is not needed to walk over the highest point of each hill. Such an exercise takes you back, across a fence, into the adjacent county. Rather, visit the fence, on its north side (so as to be INSIDE Richland County), whenever it comes to a local maximum in its elevation.

The fourth, most westerly highpoint area is a bit north of the county line as an obvious hill.

My hike was perhaps 4 1/3 miles in length. Parking at (511280 E, 5271798 N), one-half mile east of where I did, will shorten that distance by one mile.