Highpoint #29: Ohio

 

The Highest Point in Ohio!

I haven’t been on a highpointing road trip since August!  The problem is that I have already highpointed most of the states that are relatively near to me in D.C., so topping out in new states takes a bit more of planned effort.  Looking over the map of the U.S., I saw a swath of “unclimbed” states in the northern Midwest that I might be able to reasonably cover in a 5-day trip.  To heighten the difficulty, I decided to go in December just before Christmas.  The plan?  Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa.  Boy, was I in for an adventure…

The highpoint in Ohio is tellingly named:  Campbell Hill.  Indeed, the highest mountain in all of Ohio is just a hill.  It is located near Bellefontaine, about an hour east of the Indiana border and about an hour northwest of Columbus.  Coming in from the east though, I had a nice leisurely drive across the entire state.  Bucolic views abounded, save for a brief stretch through Columbus where I was treated to a modest skyline and an amazing Reuben sandwich (seriously, check out Katzinger’s Deli).  I was fortunate enough to have cool, calm weather most of the day and only a touch of rain.  The roads were great!

Finding the highpoint was pretty straightforward.  After following the main road out of Columbus for a while, I only needed to leave this road for a mile to drive up to the highpoint.  It was well signed making for a minimal detour, all in all. 

On the way to the summit, I passed through the Ohio Hi-Point Career Center, which is apparently collocated there.  I just followed the signs to the highpoint, and I eventually was able to park my car just short of it on top of the hill.  Being a weekday, the gate to the property was open, so I was free to make my way straight to it. 

It is a pretty small affair, really.  There is a sign in the parking lot proclaiming “Highest Point in Ohio” and giving the elevation.  

This is a Well-Signed Highpoint!

There is a brick column with a stone inlay that also says “Highest Point in Ohio”.  

View of the Summit from the Parking Lot.  Note the Stone Inlay in the Column. 

Walking just past the column along the sidewalk will take you to a third sign that says, you guessed it, “The Highest Point in Ohio”.  This third sign (see top photo) actually says quite a bit more giving some of the history of the site including its use in the Cold War.  

A Close-Up View of the Summit.  

Near the sign are two benches, a flagpole, a stone marker in the ground, and, of course, the official U.S.G.S. benchmark marker marking the true highpoint.  

USGS Marker Marking the Highpoint and Giving the Exact Elevation.  

On the way out, I was sure to stop back at the brick column.  Along its side there were two main compartments.  One was for “Visitor Registration”, and the other was for “Points of Interest”.  

Be Sure to Sign the Register!

The former houses the official summit register along with complimentary certificates.  Seriously.  

They Really Go All Out at this Highpoint.  

The latter includes brochures for things to do in the nearby area.   I took one, but really was I hard pressed to keep moving so that I might make the Indiana highpoint before sunset -- no mean feat given the very short days of winter!

The View from the Top!  Note the Presence of Snow.