Monroe County High Point Trip Report
Date: November 3, 2001
Author: Bob Schwab
There are two distinct areas to be investigated which are located west of the city of Bloomington (home to
the main campus of Indiana University). According to my NGS data sheets, the northern site includes BM
McGuire (994 feet), and the southern area BM Leonard (991 feet).
To approach the southern area, drive southwest on Indiana Route 45 for 2.3 miles from the Route 37 -
Route 45 intersection. Find a road going off to the left (south) and proceed another 1.5 miles to a four-way
intersection. Turn left (east) and drive up Tower Road (not on topo maps) all the way to a radio transmitter
on top of the hill. I found BM 2 Leonard along the south side of Tower Road about 50 feet from the top,
but I only found a hole in the ground (in the woods just west of the tower) where I thought BM Leonard
was supposed to be. I suspect that BM Leonard was disturbed when the tower was constructed.
I wandered around on all the likely high spots in the woods and satisfied myself with my GPS that I was in the
correct location.
To approach the northern area, return to the west side of Bloomington where Route 48 leaves Routes 37/45.
Drive west 2 miles on Route 48 to the Crossroads Church and an intersection with Hartstraight Road.
Turn right (north) on Hartstraight and drive exactly 1.2 miles to what appears to be a driveway on the right that
doubles back severely to run parallel with the main road. This road is somewhat beyond the crest of the hill,
and is actually called Majestic Woods Drive. Turn right on this road and follow it as it bends sharply left,
then right, then left again, and ends at a small circle in front of a nice house (5952 Majestic Woods Drive).
Keith and Lia Argabright live here, and I received permission from Lia to park on their circle and enter the
woods behind their home. Enter the woods from the eastern side of their house, and bushwhack directly up
to the ridge. You will find a faint trace of a path that runs along in an east-west direction, and BM McGuire,
and BM 1 and BM 2 are all pretty easy to find (when the leaves are off the trees) just to the east. I noticed a
curious thing, there are no other rocks in the woods here, and the squirrels have found the BM markers to
be a good place to crack nuts. Both markers were absolutely covered with heaping fragments of nut casings.
I had to sweep off the debris to read them.
If the NGS data pages are to be believed, BM McGuire (994 feet) is 3 feet higher than BM Leonard (991 feet)
and I didn't see anything in either area to make me believe that higher spots exist within each contour.
Thus, I think the northern area is higher, but since the southern area is more accessible, future visitors should
visit both to either confirm or correct my current impressions.