Sioux County Highpoint Trip Report

Date: May 22, 2004
Author: Scott Surgent

Used John Mitchler's report and drove to where Klondyke Road veers north from Pleasant Ridge Road, just north of the HP hill. From here it would be a half-mile one way hike in open range land to the HP hill. While there I met Mr. Dunn, the rancher who owns much of the land here, tending his cattle. He had no problem with me hiking across his land but explained that the HP hill is not on his land. He gave me the landowner's name and where to find him. I eventually tracked him down and got the okay. The landowner's name is Jim Koch (pronounced "Cook") and he lives near the Dunn lands along Pleasant Ridge Road, and works in town in Harrison at Herren Lumber. I would suggest any interested visitors seek him out for permission as he is quite nice and amenable (as was Mr. Dunn).

In Harrison, the county seat, go south on NE-29 a tiny bit past the court house and turn right at a small grocery store. Herren Lumber is just the next building over on the south side of the road. Harrison is small enough that everything is easy to find. If he's not there, his residence is along the road to the HP, so try him there.

Here's a road log that differs slightly from John's.

Zero the odometer at the junction of NE-29 and US-20. Go north on Monroe Canyon Road. Turn left at Pleasant Ridge Road at 3.2 miles. Don't re-zero the odometer. Jim Koch's residence is at 8.9 miles, marked by a large barn and buildings of white with dark trim. At 9.5 miles, turn right (north) at a bend in the road. At 10.3 miles note a gate on the left (west), directly across from a gate on the east side of the road. With Jim's permission drive in about a mile west and park where the road tracks seem to peter out. I parked just south of the eastern HP areas and made a circuitous walk up and down anything that looked high, eventually reaching the benchmark hill and the relic buildings there (no towers), then back south and east to my vehicle.

The Dunn residence is just a few hundred feet further on the right of the road. It would appear that one would not need to go this far.