Scioto County High Point Trip Report

1 area 1 5/8 miles SE of Mount Joy (1340+ ft)

Date: September 10, 2007
Author: Andy Hatzos

I approached this highpoint from Rarden in northwestern Scioto County. I followed OH-772 north from there. Big Bear Creek Road splits off to the east as OH-772 rounds a big curve in a cleared area at the top of a hill. I followed Big Bear Creek Road until reaching Mount Hope Road, which is also marked with a big sign for Mount Hope Bible Camp. I took Mount Hope Road to the south. There is a cleared area about a mile and a half down the road, which offers a view up to the county high point (and nearby hills) to the east. Crabtree Cemetery Road heads east, just south of the driveway for the bible camp. I drove on this road for about a mile, and then parked at a gate on a leftward fork in the road. The gate was locked, but in the event that it is open, the road is in good enough condition to drive safely in any vehicle.

This road travels mainly north, before bending northeast as it rounds the elongated hill. The road is not terribly steep, and through the trees, there are some decent views of nearby hills and valleys to the southeast. The terrain bounding the road's north side is very steep, and there are remnants of a stone wall along the edge. At the summit, the road makes a sharp hairpin turn back to the west. Here, I found the footers for what was once a lookout tower. One of the footers is engraved with the year "1934." A partial clearing to the east offered some prospects for a great view, but it was rather foggy when I visited, and the growth along the side of the hill made it difficult to see anything below the horizon.

While the main road continues southwest toward a radio tower, the path to the highpoint is a small trail that begins just north of the lookout tower footers. This trail enters through the brush, and travels north for a short distance before making a sharp turn to the left. The trail then makes a steep descent down into a col between the first hill and the true highpoint. The trail ascends the second hill, and leads directly to the summit area. Areas off-trail are covered in briars and thorns, so I had to be careful when trying to find the highest ground. The crest of the trail itself seemed pretty high to me, but there were a few areas to the west of the trail that I covered just to be certain. As this hill is covered thickly in trees, there are no views at all.

Overall, the hike took about 55 minutes, and the total round trip distance was just short of two miles.

PICTURES:
Picture 01 (139 k) - Looking to the northeast from near the intersection of Mount Hope and Crabtree Cemetery Roads. The hill on the right (with the radio tower) is the first hill on the way to the high point, and the hill to its left is the high point itself.
Picture 02 (176 k) - The parking spot, near the gated road off of Crabtree Cemetery Road.
Picture 03 (210 k) - The access road to the top of the first hill. The road ascends more steeply alongside the ridge just beyond this photograph.
Picture 04 (221 k) - The top of the first hill, with an old lookout tower footer in the foreground. The trail to the high point is in the background, through the hole in the brush.
Picture 05 (210 k) - The crest of the final trail near the summit area.

--Part of the September 10, 2007 "Southern Ohio" COHP Trip -- Highland, Scioto, Pike, Ross

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