Suwannee County Highpoint Trip Report

Date: February 9, 2005
Author: Bill Jacobs

Suwanee has five areas centered around the town of Wellborn and a phantom sixth area in the town.

The phantom area shown in the third city block east of State Route 137 and adjacent to the railroad tracks does not exist. The block is mostly an open field and as flat as a pancake with no evidence of there ever being a protrusion. Folks nearby have lived there a short while and could offer no historical perspective.

From the intersection of SR 137 and US 90, just south of Wellborn, take US 90 west 1.6 miles to 49th Road on the left side. Follow 49th south 0.6 mile to 124th Street and turn right (west). At 0.5 mile, 124th turns to the south - a good place to park the car. One small area is immediately to the west on the other side of the fence. A much larger area is to the southeast. The green shown on the topo has given way to open pasture. The highest surface appears to be in the southern portion of the area, around a pond and probably manmade. A small finger of the area crosses 124th to the north but does not seem to be higher.

The large area south of Wellborn is circular, almost two-thirds of a mile in diameter, and mostly covered by forests. While I can't account for the entire area, I did find passages through all the major sections of the area and could not determine any significant rise from one region to another. The various routes are:

From the US 90 and SR 137 intersection proceed south on SR 137 about 0.3 mile following the dirt road straight ahead where the main highway bends to the right. Take the dirt road until forced to turn left (east), noting that it passes over the western sector of the area. At the left turn, go to the end where, as best I can remember, you are blocked by a fence and must either turn right following the main dirt road or left into an open pasture with a home to the northeast. No one was home in the house to the northeast so I drove up the pasture to the north as far as I could go. I then continued afoot next to a barb-wired fence dividing two pastures. At the tree line, cross the fence and, after a short bushwhack, an ATV trail appears heading due north. From here you can travel north to some ponds which I took to be the sub-200 foot contour in the middle of the main contour. Back at the start of ATV trail a bushwhack to the northeast comes out to US 90.

For the eastern sector of the large area, head southeast from the intersection of US 90 and SR 137. About 0.6 mile, look to the left for a faint road crossing a ditch and leading to a gated road. Park here and trudge down the dirt road. Eventually, it splits with one leg continuing to the northeast and a second leg heading due east. The western leg breaks out into the open fields of the easternmost part of the area.

For the final two areas, continue down US 90. Before the highway bends left, on the left side is a small, indiscernible area amid some homes and the Bethel Missionary Church. For the final area, continue down US 90 and take the first left - shamefully, I failed to record the road name. Head up the road (north) and find the small rise in a farmer's field to the left.