Owsley County Highpoint Trip Report
Date: November 18, 2004
Author: Estus Hibbard
Failed Attempt
Today I attempted to take the virginity of this county HP and now I fully understand exactly why this county
remains a virgin as of this writing.
I parked at the next to last house on Otter Branch Road, in Clay County, and walked down the road to a
small yellow house. I asked to see if it was okay to go across the road and up the hill to the HP. I got the
okay and I didn't make it very far up the draw that goes almost to the jackpot. It was like a jungle of briars
and scrub as far as anyone could see by my attempted route. I tried several routes and, to beat it all, the
batteries in my GPS quit! From the yellow house, I'm absolutely certain you could see the HP in question
but just couldn't get there from that location.
I got back onto KY 1482 and drove about a mile east and passed the Panco Community Center (at the
intersection of KY 1482 and KY 484). Just before I passed it, on the left I saw a cemetery with a white
brick wall around it. I'm thinking that the key to this HP may lay with walking behind the cemetery and
heading straight north to it. I don't believe there is an easier route on the Owsley County side of the ridge.
I'm gonna try this one again in the near future by the cemetery route.
Cherry Tree Knob (also on the Clay County line and about 3 miles northwest of the Owsley County HP) has
a fire tower on top of it and is about 20 feet shorter in elevation than the HP. My belief is that it truly
deserves to be the HP of Owsley County. Not only does it have the tower but it also has a road going to it
from Clay County and the views are rather spectacular up there. I was told, however, that recently some
people with 4-wheelers were given tickets for going to the tower.