Parker County Highpoint Trip Report
Slipdown Mtn and Slipdown Bluff (1,368 ft)
Date: August 16, 2002
Author: Daniel Smith
Owner Contact and Access: see below
The drive out to this HP is one of the best parts of the Parker County experience, in my opinion; the road
gets fairly twisty at certain times and you can really cruise on it! But this is supposed to be about
highpointing not driving! I digress.
The Slipdown Bluff, where the 1,368-foot BM is located, is fairly easy to find from the Slip Down Ranch house.
When walking down the road leading to their house, you will probably be barked at by several dogs
that live in kennels halfway between the house and Slip Down Road. Rest assured that they are fenced it though,
if you have a fear of dogs. You may notice, if you come near dusk (as I did when I first scouted out
the place on the previous day), that there are a great many toads jumping around the area. Apparently the
owners realize this too, as frogs (painted and otherwise) decorate the exterior of the house.
After asking for permission, you can hike directly up the hillside where you have one of two options.
You can either A) hike up the rocky area just to your left when facing the house and proceed
to wander around the summit area until you find the highest point (usually involves quite a bit of cedar bashing)
or B) walk about 100 feet down the road leading behind the house (past a shed) to another.
The second HP that I approached, Slipdown Mountain, should be done so with caution. A sign on the gate
promises a $500 reward to anyone with information regarding the vandalism that recently took place on the
owners' property. Be aware that if you are caught here, they have had bad prior experiences with
trespassers and will likely not be too understanding. That being said, there is a phone number on the sign
that you can call to ask for permission; I have never seen their gate open even when they are home, and I
wouldn't want to chance just walking in and hoping for the best. There are two feasible approaches.
First, you can pass by their house and just continue uphill to the highest point or you could jump the barbed wire
fence slightly down on Slip Top Road, with permission of course, and hike/climb up to the summit. There is
a considerable gully here with limestone walls that don't yield themselves to being climbed very easily, thus
the best approach would probably be to skirt the edge.
The third and fourth points are fairly straightforward, although I was never able to make contact with the
residents of either house that I thought to visit. I plan on refining all of my contact information in the future
so that others can visit the Parker County highpoints without too much trouble. There was one interesting
fact about point 1,361 (the southeast one). On the way there, I found a female Corn Snake (a Coral Snake
mimic though the similarity isn't that close in my opinion) sunning herself in the middle of the road. In true
Animal Planet watcher fashion, I hopped out of my car and moved her off of the road to prevent her from
being killed by another motorist. A word to the wise: do not handle any wild animal unless you have
training and the knowledge to do so. Even then, you probably shouldn't do it. The highpoint of Corn Snake
Heights is about as close to the unpaved road as is the front door of the abandoned-looking house, though
both times I saw cars. You may notice that I listed both Slipdown Mountain and Slipdown Bluff as the
highpoint at the top of this report. My altimeter reflected the same reading at both points and they do
appear to be pretty close in elevation. I am a bit biased, though. I want Slipdown Mountain to be higher
just because the view is so great and its much more fun to reach. If anyone else climbs these highpoints with
a level or some other instrument to better find the elevations, please contact me and let me know!
Driving Directions
Beginning in Fort Worth, TX - Go west on I-30 toward Weatherford. After entering
Weatherford city limits, bear slightly right (west) onto US 180. Continue to the Parker County Courthouse
and turn right (north) on the traffic circle. Take the first right turn (north) onto FM 51 / Main Street and
continue north. Turn left (west) on Fourth Street / FM 920 and continue through Peaster. After leaving
Peaster, turn left (west) onto West Dry Creek Road. Turn right (north) onto Red Top Road. Follow Red
Top Road until it becomes Perkins Road at a forced left (west). Shortly afterward, turn right (north) onto
Pine Road. Continue north to the intersection where Slip Down Road comes in from the left (west).
This intersection is central to all 4 HPs. The two areas to the west are the highest (roughly tied at 1,368 ft).
Each area is on a different person's property, so expect to do a lot of talking to complete this county.
Note to the Report Author from the Landowner Regarding Access*1
Hello Daniel,
My wife and I own the property you wrote about in Parker County.
Here is additional information for your trip report. All of Slip Down Mountain/Bluff north of Slip Down RD is posted.
However permission will be granted to people to enter our property provided they ask.
Some background related to access. There are two owners of the area north of the road.
My property has the canyon on it and can be reconized by a new pipe fence.
The actual highpoint is on my neighbor's land. It is his gate right at the corner where you saw the reward sign.
We have both experienced some vandalism in the last few years so try to keep an eye on who is on our land.
My neighbor has livestock so you will never see his gate open.
He is a nice guy and no one will be shot coming up to his house to ask permission.
Just be certain that you close the gate so his longhorns and burrows don't scatter.
I can be contacted at 214-676-8304 or 214-739-3358. My neighbor's number is 817-599-3330.
Please do not list our names in your report as that is how we know if some one really has contacted us.
My neighbor is retired and lives on his property full time now.
I don't live on my property but do spend a lot of time out there and we do look out for each other.
People of good intentions are welcome as long as they ask.
Regards,
John Q. Smith
rfgary@att.net
*1Wordsmithed to eliminate names.