Union County High Point Trip Report
Date: June 24, 2001
Author: Ken Oeser
We only reached Signal Point on this attempt. The entire hike is a bushwhack, although an animal trail
can be followed along the summit ridge from Rhetts View to Signal Point. By the time I got to the split
below Signal Point and bushwhacked 0.5 mile north along the ridge, it was 4 p.m. with a mile one way left
to the second point. I turned around and proceeded to the Signal Point split and hiked to the top of Signal
Point. There are two witness marks, one pointing to the other witness, and the other pointing to the
benchmark, 'Clinch.' The witness marks are embedded in rock, one possibly on the highest point, while the
benchmark is on the highest ground. Another rock sticks up 60 feet to the west,
but is obviously lower once there.
We had previous permission to park at Sulphur Spring and hike up to the highpoints. Parking is at about
950 feet elevation. The toughest part is working around the spur knob between the road and the mountain
(about 0.7 mile), crossing several large stream beds along the way. We finally made it to the large drainage
between the two, which has an ATV trail along it, crossed it, and climbed the nice ridge below Rhetts View,
then a steep ridge up to the base of Rhetts View (about 0.8 mile from the drainage), then up and along the
summit ridge for a mile to the high ridge spot along a deer trail. We then proceeded west, dropping 50 feet,
then gaining 100 feet to the top of Signal Point.
Our total trip was 5 miles with a gain of 1860 total feet. From the top of Signal Point, hike down 15 feet
elevation south to some rocks at the edge, then around to the right and down another 15 feet and out to
some other rocks without exposure, and get great views from the southeast to the northwest. House
Mountain looms close to the west, and the distinct shape of English Mountain (Jefferson County) looms in
the distance to the southeast. This is a great hike, but the bushwhacking is rough.
Since we have permission to hike on the ridge (the owner owns both points), we plan on returning and
hiking up from a closer road to the second point. One would be closer than I got on the ridge toward it,
but with a 1,000 foot gain.