Adams County High Point Trip Report
eight areas (1,280+ ft)
Date: May 4, 2003
Author: Bob Schwab
From the intersection of Routes 41 and 125 in West Union, drive east on Ohio 125 for 12.5 miles to Blue Creek.
Turn south on Blue Creek Road and proceed for 0.45 mile to Churn Creek Road. Turn left on
Churn Creek Road and drive southeast for 3.5 miles along Churn Creek. Be careful at both the 2 and 3-mile marks,
because the road you need to follow will cross a creek each time to the east side. At 3.5 miles, you
will come to an intersection on your left (east) with Tanager Road (unsigned). Continue southeast on Churn
Creek Road for 0.3 mile, passing a blue-block house and a yellow trailer. Stop at the white farmhouse just
beyond the yellow trailer on the east side of the road to speak with Eugene Evans about getting permission
to hike to the first two areas, which are high on the ridge roughly 1 mile northeast of his house.
Mr. Evans is a long-time resident of the area. He was friendly and gave me permission to hike on his property to
visit the two small highpoints on the ridge. He said I could either hike up the draw and ridge immediately
behind his house, or I could approach from the end of Tanager Road and hike east up the ridge and over the
first knob to the highpoint area. Mr. Evans warned me that it would be a difficult hike, not just because of
the steep terrain, but also because of the damage done by last winter's severe ice storms, which broke
branches and crowns off from most trees and made bushwhacking extremely difficult. He wasn't kidding.
All of the hikes in Adams county turned out to be much worse than expected because of the branches,
shattered trunks and debris entangled in the woods. I decided to backtrack and drive to the end of Tanager Road.
I parked just beyond an old blue trailer, went past the gate and turned right in the grassy area.
After crossing the creek, head up the hollow (on the right side of the valley). Eventually, you have to work your
way up the ridge to your right, go over the top of an obvious knob to a second knob where the two tiny
areas are located.
After visiting all the areas in Adams County, I'm pretty sure these two spots are not the
highest areas in the county, but some purists will want to visit them regardless of the difficulty of navigating
through all the brush/debris, so make sure you talk with Mr. Evans first. His property is posted, and he has
relatives that live up Tanager Road that keep an eye on his property for him.
From the intersection with Tanager Road, continue southeast on Churn Creek Road for 1.4 more miles
(or, 1.1 miles from Mr. Evans' house) to a path and orange gate on your left. Park here and hike up the path to
an earthen dam and Churn Creek Lake. From the top of the dam, go right and ascend up to the ridge crest.
Once you get to the crest, hike east along the ridge. You will go over at least one knob, depending on
where you attain the ridge. Angle to the southeast as you ascend again, and find a tiny highpoint (area 3).
This route also has brush and deadfall to navigate, and is another tough highpoint to visit that may not be
worth your effort, since it clearly does not rise much above the 1,280-foot contour line.
Upon returning to your car at the orange gate, continue south on Churn Creek Road for 0.8 mile to an
intersection where the pavement ends and the road forks. Take the right fork and continue to ascend up the
mountain for 0.2 more mile to an obvious hairpin turn where there is adequate parking for four or five cars.
Keep going up the road for another 0.4 mile and watch for a small pull-off on the right side of the road,
opposite an obvious knob on your left. Park here and ascend up through brush/briars/debris to area 4,
which is located between a few large trees (that are still standing).
Backtrack to the parking area at the hairpin turn and park your car. This is a trailhead for the Buckeye
Trail/North Country Trail, but the ice storm has turned the "trail" into a real obstacle course. I think the
scouts should be asked to come in and clear the path. Hike south just a short distance to the old Twin Creek
lookout site (area 5). I didn't see any trace of BM 1286; and there is nothing left but a dirt mound just left
of the trail.
Look carefully for the trail just beyond the dirt mound. It is not easy to spot, and isn't located where the
topo seems to imply. Continue hiking south on the trail for roughly 0.25 mile to a ridge that extends to the east.
Bushwhack out this ridge for about 0.2 mile, going up and down before getting to area 6. There is no
trail whatsoever here, and the going will be slow.
Once you return to the "trail," continue going south for roughly another 0.6 mile to a large tree that has a
very heavy limb that blocks the road. Note the prominent rise immediately right (west) of the trail.
Scramble up through the debris to the top of area 7.
From the large broken tree at the base of area 7, turn around and begin to go north on the trail. In just a
short distance, notice the ridge and rise coming in from the east. Bushwhack to the east, following this ridge,
but don't climb to the top. In about 0.2 mile, you will ascend up to area 8, which is a broad,
somewhat open area (due to the blow-down).
All eight sites in Adams County were more difficult to visit than one would expect because of the ice storm
damage and extensive debris in the woods. I believe that areas 4, 5, 7 and 8 are the highest spots,
but purists will want to visit all of them. Allow plenty of time and daylight,
because the bushwhacking will be slow.