Walworth County High Point Trip Report
Date: May 6, 2002
Author: Ken Oeser
Area 1: From Java on SD271, go east 0.5 mile to where SD271 turns left (north), and go straight (east)
onto a gravel road and drive 5 miles, the road curves left, and go 1 mile. Turn left here onto a grass/dirt
road (west). I drove 0.5 mile to its crest and parked, unsure about the softness of the dirt. It turned out OK,
and I could have driven the other 0.5 mile to its intersection with a north/south grass road (alternate route).
From this intersection, marked by a 'park and walk' hunting sign, cross a fence and hike southwest
to the high area, marked by 2 large rock piles. There are a couple of granite boulders half buried in the dirt
that seem natural, and these are likely the true high ground.
Area 2: Return to Java and take SD271 south 4 miles to US12. Turn right and go 2 miles, then turn left
onto a gravel road and drive south 4 miles. Turn right onto another gravel road, drive about 0.2 mile and
park along the road or at a gate. The highpoint is marked by a dark blue water tank. Cross the unposted
fence and walk around the tank. A communication tower is just north of the tank, but is slightly lower, and
is confirmed as lower by its location to the house just northeast of the highpoint. Hand-leveling also matched.
There are some large granite rocks nearby on the ridge that may be the true highest ground now.