Sussex County High Point Trip Report

4 unnamed areas (75+ ft)

Date: July 7, 1998
Author: Fred Lobdell

There are four areas shown on the Pittsville quad as being surrounded by a 75-foot contour. In addition, there is a small 80-foot contour on the Cape Henlopen quad and an obviously manmade square 145-foot contour on the Trap Pond quad. Glenn Bock reconnoitered the last-named area and found it to be a covered landfill, although he was denied entry.

I visited the 80-foot contour on the Cape Henlopen quad on May 20, 1999. The topo shows this to be a military reservation, but the whole area is now part of Cape Henlopen State Park. The feature in question is known as the Great Dune, and has been in existence for as far back as there are records, from the first settlement of this area by Europeans. A sign informs us that, "During World War II, the Army added sand to hide a newly constructed bunker, raising the Great Dune to its present height. The Army planted grass, trees, and shrubs to stabilize the sand." Thus, this no longer constitutes a natural surface. Therefore, one of the four 75-foot contours on the Pittsville quad stands as the true county high point.

Those wishing to explore the Great Dune may follow a trail in the state park to the "Great Dune overlook", a platform from which to view the nearby dune. The platform is separated from the dune/bunker by a wooden rail fence and a chain link fence. The wooden fence is easily surmounted, and the chain link fence has a small tear in it which is, however, large enough for almost anybody to squeeze through if they wished to walk around on top of the dune.

So, for the four 75-foot high areas, go east from the intersection of US 13 and DE 54 on the DE/MD state line about 5 miles. The largest of the four areas is in posted woods, but the woods are adjacent to a state game preserve that permits hiking. (At least, the sign read, "No Vehicles Beyond this Point".) Walk into this area and go to your left (west or northwest) more or less along the border of the woods and the cleared area. At some point you have to enter the woods and start casting about for the highest area. It looked as if the woods had been logged perhaps 50 or so years ago and the debris piled up by bulldozer in long strips, but after about 45 minutes of wandering in the wilderness, I found what looked to be the highest natural area. It helped to find the small pond (reservoir) shown on the map west of the HP, as I was a bit uncertain by that time exactly where I was.

The other three areas are all close by each other, about 1.2 miles east of the first area. Here having the topographic map, rather than just a photocopy, really helped. The map, a 1992 edition, showed the boundary between woods and field exactly as it was on the ground. I walked up a dirt road into a farm field and said to the man on the tractor that, while it might sound crazy, I was looking for the highest point in Sussex County. He said that I was probably pretty close, and when I asked if I could walk into the field to pass over the two high areas there, he said, "He'p yourself." (I don't know if he was the owner or an employee; when you've been given permission, you don't ask questions like that.) The third area was off in the woods just beyond the edge of the field.