Real County High Point Trip Report

twenty areas (2,400+ ft)

Date: January 17, 2004
Author: Bob Martin

Real county is a real gem. Getting to all the hp areas is a real chore. It can make you real tired. Really.

Topo maps are a must. When combined, you have only 18 areas. So we've eliminated 2 areas already. A GPS is a real help. Also a real help is to be lucky and find someone to open a few key gates.

The most scenic approach is from the south via FM336. It takes off from US83 just north of Leakey. After 20 some miles of scenic, winding mountain-type road, you come to FM3235 on the left. Park a few tenths beyond and walk west through open, unfenced, sometimes rocky, grassland with scattered trees to the southernmost area.

The next area is also on the left a mile up the road.

A third is near the road on beyond.

The key area is the huge one east of the highway. At elevation point 2396, a road leads east. There is a high fence along the highway. The road east is guarded by a large gate with an "L" within a star. Currently this is a construction area. If the gate is opened, you can drive in a mile and a half to an area with several houses. In this area there are other gates. There is walking access to the large area, which is likely to contain the cohp. It takes a lot of walking to cover this territory.

One smaller area is just south of the gate along the highway while several more are along the highway on north.

The highest spot elevations of all the areas are two of 2,405 ft. One of these is a tiny area west of the highway. To walk to it, you go over another of the areas. The map would lead you to believe that the tiny area might be a steep pillar. It turns out to be just a rounded molehill in the trees.

One area is crossed by the highway just north of elevation point 2,398 ft. The road west from 2398 is a route to another area.

Three areas are accessed off of TX41, 1.3 miles west of its junction with FM336. The road south is on the ranch of W. E. and S. W. Dietert. The road in to the ranch house passes very near the top of one of the areas. Two other areas are west of the ranch buildings.

Four areas are accessed from US83. Three are on Love Ranch. There are several access points. One with a sign is 4.5 miles south of TX41. A poor road leads to a building south of a lake. The main ranch entrance is some 7 miles south of TX41. One area has Love BM with an elevation of 2,405 ft. It is near a windmill.

A final area, not the high one, is at Auld BM, 2,401 ft. It is just west of the highway, two miles south of the junction with TX39, in the vicinity of several houses.

Webmaster's comment: Real means "royal" in Spanish. Really.