Seminole County High Point Trip Report

Date: December 11, 2002
Author: Gene Daniell

Seminole County has three possible high point areas with elevations of 130 feet or more. Two are closed contours with spot elevations of 133 and 131, both located in closely-packed middle-class residential developments. The third is a quarter-pie-shaped area cut from the edge of slightly higher ground in Orange County by the corner of the Seminole County line, containing part of the slightly down-at-the-heels-looking village of Piedmont fronted by the business corridor along US 441. They can be done in rapid succession, starting at the northeast (spot elevation 131) area. Thanks to Fred Lobdell, who wrote the original report which I am fine-tuning here - this is a region where change ought to be expected, though the high point areas themselves seem to be at or near the level of maximum development.

(1) From I-4, take the Altamonte Springs exit (now 92; they have renumbered the exits) and go west on FL 436 (Altamonte Avenue) a bit more than 2.5 miles to West Lake Brantley Road, then turn right (north) and follow the latter road about a mile to a traffic light at a crossroads. Turn left (west) and follow Sand Lake (or Sandlake) Road about a mile to another set of lights. (You can also get to these lights by following FL 436 beyond Lake Brantley Road to South Hunt Club Road, then turning right [north] and following South Hunt Club Road to this intersection - however South Hunt Club Road is not shown on the USGS map.) Turn right (north) and follow North Hunt Club Road about a half-mile to another set of lights, where you turn left onto West Wekiva Trail then almost immediately right onto Harrogate Place (not as wide or well-signed, and easily missed). In a short distance you come to the junction on the left with a cul-de-sac road; the spot elevation 131 is shown at this junction. Some of the ground at various houses seems slightly higher, but undoubtedly the ground was reworked somewhat for drainage. Any attempt to grid-walk this area would involve massive trespassing over many people's yards, and it's doubtful that there is any natural land higher than the spot elevation.

(2) For the second area, return to North Hunt Club Road and follow it onto South Hunt Club Road and out to FL 436. Follow FL 436 right to Balmy Beach Road, currently at the next traffic light (note that Balmy Beach Road has changed significantly from the USGS map - it did not go directly to FL 436 when the map was made). Take Balmy Beach Road left (south) about a half-mile to the top of a small hill, then turn right onto East Floral Way into a housing development. Take this road to the junction of East Floral Street and turn left. The 133 spot elevation is either at the intersection on the left with Jasmine and Hibiscus (Fred's interpretation) or at the T intersection a short distance to the west with South Floral. I thought the latter might be a bit higher, but it's very close. Again, some of the ground at various houses seems slightly higher, but undoubtedly the ground was reworked somewhat for drainage. Any attempt to grid-walk this area would involve massive trespassing over many people's yards, and it's doubtful that there is any natural land higher than the spot elevation.

(3) For the third area, return to Balmy Beach Road and continue south, then turn right (west) on Greenacre Road. Follow this into Orange County and on to Piedmont-Wekiva Road (including a bit of a curly section at the end), where you then turn left to a set of lights on US 441. Take US 441 left (southeast) past a new Wal-Mart about 0.7 mile to the Seminole County Line and take the right turn toward Piedmont village just past the defunct-looking flea market (which contributes generously to the seedy appearance of the area). I was hoping that the contour shown inside the acute angle of this diverging road would be a 135-foot contour and make the county high point unambiguous, but it is in fact a small depression - in fact, it's a bit amusing that so small a feature should show on the USGS map. I agree with Fred that the land looks higher on the southwest side of the highway; Fred thought the highest area was near the telephone poles in front of the flea market, while I thought it might be higher at the southwest shoulder of US 441 where it re-crossess the Seminole/Orange County line a short distance to the southeast. Either of these places could be altered land, of course - the sand pile under the telephone poles could easily have been pushed there, and the road grade obviously was constructed and could have been raised. It hardly seems that any natural land could be significantly higher that the 131 spot elevation shown opposite the side road into Piedmont village.

It seems probable to me that the 133 spot elevation (wherever precisely it is) in area #2 is the high point of Seminole County, it being unlikely that any natural land in the other two areas rises 2 feet above their 131 spot elevations.