Gallia County High Point Trip Report
five areas (1,040+ ft)
Date: May 4, 2003
Author: Bob Schwab
From the intersection of Ohio Routes 775 and 790 in Lecta, go east on Route 790 for 3 miles to an
intersection with Saundersville Road (dirt). Turn south and go 0.35 mile to where Johns Creek Road
intersects from the east. You are on a ridge here, and the main road goes down the hill to your right (west).
Note the cabled gate to the south. I believe one could park here and hike south on the remnants on an ATV trail
(staying on the ridge) to the highpoint roughly 0.2 mile to the south. I continued on the main road,
dropped down to the right (west) to another intersection where I turned south and went over a crest. As
you descend on the south side of this crest, you can see the highpoint (area 1) off to the east, which sits on
the top of a grassy slope, right at the edge of some trees. I parked here along the road and hiked east 0.2
mile up the grassy slope. Several roads don't seem to conform to the topo map because this area has been
extensively strip mined and restored. Nice views from the top, where I saw an ATV trail running
north-south on the ridge.
To visit the other four areas, return to the intersection of Route 790 and Saundersville Road.
Continue north on Route 790 for 0.4 mile to Martt Road. Go left and take Martt Road north for 0.6 mile to an
obvious grassy mound (area 2) just north of a farmhouse on the right. The dogs were pretty unfriendly here,
so I continued north another 0.15 mile and parked in a pull-off on the crest of the ridge where the road
swings west. Hike east on the ridge to the site of the old Fairview Lookout Tower (area 3). You can still
see the foundation blocks just east of the new radio tower, but there's no sign of the BM. I did a hand level
check of area 2 to the south and confirmed that the grassy mound is indeed lower than the old look-out site.
The topo map indicates something called the "Houck Eccentric" nearby, but I did not spot any unusual
boulders on the ridge or anything. Perhaps future visitors can report what this phenomenon is all about.
Continue north on Martt Road another 0.8 mile as the road makes a clockwise swing. Park on the edge of
the road right where the road seems to bend to the left on the shoulder of a hill. Climb the bank, cross the
fence and hike (south) to the fourth area in the woods. You might want to try parking 400 feet earlier
where there's a bit more room to park on the edge of the road, and follow a path that seems to parallel the
road as it ascends up the hill. It's a bit brushy and you'll still have to negotiate the fence, but the path aims
more directly toward the highpoint.
Continue north, staying to the left at the next three intersections. In about 1 mile, you will come to an
obvious knob with an unfinished house sitting on top of it to your right (area 5). There is a large blue water
tank just beyond and to your left. I knocked at the door, but no one was home except a noisy little dog.
They have a very nice view and the house basically sits on the highpoint.