Clinton County High Point Trip Report

Date: April 26, 2003
Author: Bob Schwab

From the intersection of Ohio Routes 73 and 28 in New Vienna, head north on Route 73 for 2.4 miles to an intersection with Route 350. Go left (west) on Route 350 for 0.7 mile to Clark Road. Turn right (north) on Clark and proceed for about 0.5 mile to a farmhouse sitting on a rise on the left (west) side of the road (area 1). Dave Nunn lives here and was quite friendly when I visited. The highest ground appears to be southwest of his house out in the lawn and garden.

Return to the intersection of Routes 73 and 350. Drive south on Route 73 for 0.7 mile to Leeka Road which turns off to the left (east). Take this road a very short distance to another left at Levo Road. Drive up Levo Road roughly 025 mile to a gate on your right that enters an old hunting preserve. When I visited, I met some people in the parking area who regularly use this property, and they gave me permission to wander around. They have mowed paths, some nice ponds and several ATV trails that wander around on the property which is a mix of overgrown fields and woods. Watch for the pheasants and deer (I saw five of each while I was there).

To visit all four areas on this property, take the grassy path to the right of the old shed. The path will skirt a pond and head up toward a wooded area before bending sharply to the right. As the path parallels the woods, you will cross the edge of the largest contour (area 2) but keep going because we will return to the highest portion of this area later in the hike. The path will bend to the right again to get around a protrusion of trees, will then bend left, cross a low muddy spot, and then bend left, then right as it follows along the edge of a field. You will be more or less walking toward an old barn off to the southeast. Follow the path around the edge of the field to a spot at the edge of the woods where three other ATV trails come together. Area 3 is the low rise that you are standing on near the edge of the woods. From this confluence of trails, take the grassy path (on the right after you enter the woods) and follow it to an intersection with another ATV trail that seems to run parallel to the back boundary of the woods. Turn left on the ATV trail and in a short distance you will encounter another small contour in the woods (area 4).

From here, you can either try to crash through the remaining woods (and fence) into the field, or you can turn around and hike back on the ATV trail that parallels the woods boundary, pass the grassy path and cross the large mud hole. When the trail turns sharply to the right, bend to the left and exit the woods into a field with a clear view of a large tower. Follow the edge of the field to your left and enter the corn field which is behind (northeast) the woods. You will notice an obvious rise to your left out in the cornfield (area 5).

After visiting area 5, continue following the edge of the woods/field northwest on a path/ATV trail. As the trail approaches the extreme northern corner of the woods, the trail splits three ways. The middle path leads back into the center of the woods and can be used to explore the portion of area 2 that's in the woods. I did wander in here a bit, got scratched and scraped by briars and thorns, but didn't see any ground that was really prominent. Take the ATV path that goes out into the field north of the woods. It will turn left and follows the northern edge of the woods to a crest at the edge of the field. In my opinion, this certainly feels like the highest spot in area 2, and is probably the highest area of the four sites in this preserve. If you estimate where the contours are drawn on your topo map, you'll conclude that this area is at least six or seven feet higher. Continue on the grassy path as it skirts another pretty pond and soon returns you to the parking area, close to the fence and gate.

After leaving the preserve, I drove up Leeka Road and stopped at the big tower to do a quick hand level check of the small contour in the cornfield (area 5). It definitely hand-leveled higher than the ground at the tower, but the reason I mention this is to provide an alternative way to visit the area if the preserve gates are locked. You could park at the tower and hike across the field. I didn't see any fences from this side, but there is a new house that's fairly close to the tower.

To visit the sixth area, drive east from New Vienna on Route 28 for about 1 mile to the county line. Park here along the road, next to a white shop building. Cross the street and hike along the northwestern side of a fence along the edge of a bean field. In about 0.4 mile, you'll encounter a fence corner that sits near the edge of our final contour (area 6). This high ground intrudes from the southeast and the highest area appears to be just east of the fence in a pasture. The fence isn't easy to cross (high mesh fence with poison ivy decorations) and the county line is not marked out in the pasture, but clearly the highest point is somewhere along the county line. I originally tried to approach this area from the east by parking at the crest in the road near the radio tower. I crossed the cornfield in semi-darkness, spooked some cattle, got confused by the fences and the lack of a good reference point, so I decided to try again in daylight.

The following day, I followed the county line (fence) instead and it was a lot less stressful.