GEM Trail wrote:We were very recently at the high points of ND and Ne, yet I don't recall the details. There was either one or two boxes by the little parking spot accessing White Btte, however there were no signs or instructions AT ALL. We thought about going to the green building that seemed to be where the owners lived, however that seemed intrusive so we simply climbed it.

From the parking area, I believe the owner lives 1 mile east, then 1 mile south, then 2 miles east, and then 0.5 mile south.

Here is a travel recommendation for all who go to North Dakota to climb White Butte. An hour away is the most ridiculous, over-the-top, huge, and inspiring display of roadside Americana I have ever seen, or even heard of. As soon as we heard about it, it became a must see for our trip. And it exceeded our expectations!

It is called the Enchanted Highway. It is a 30 mile stretch of road that starts at I 94 and goes south to some little dying farm town (Regent) on the Plains. What makes it incredible and special is a citizen of that town decided to launch a one-man campaign to make this nothing town into a tourist destination. So he built a series of gigantic metal sculptures, starting at the Interstate and leading to the town. There is also a hotel there called the Enchanted Castle.

At the Interstate exit is a 80 foot high sculpture of flying geese. A few miles down the road is an even bigger sculpture of deer running and leaping. And so on every few miles until you arrive at the town, which has the last sculpture and a gift shop.

The art is generally very involved, well thought out, and well done. And did I mention huge? There are places with one giant sculpture, bt this is a whole series, and they are all really good.

Personally I love kitschy Americana if it is done well, and this is by FAR the best I have ever seen.

That combined with the unexpectedly great little hike up White Butte makes North Dakota (a bleak and empty state if ever there was one) the best surprise of any high point I can remember!

Along these lines, anyone visiting Timm's Hill, Wisconsin is encouraged to check out the Wisconsin Concrete Park in nearby Phillips. In two words, "bizarre" and "fascinating".

Just got back from a great trip where we hit up Sassafras (SC), Brasstown (GA), Rogers (VA), and Spruce (WV). Lots of smoke in the area prevented us from doing the hike ups in SC and GA, and in fact, we drove right underneath an active fire just to the east of Sassafras (in Caesers Head State Park I want to say). Nonetheless, awesome trip and great area of the country to explore. Rogers was a nice way to stretch the legs amidst the long drive. We bivyed on the Observation Tower atop Spruce and woke to an epic sunrise.

Bark Eater, I wish we had checked out that concrete museum. We had the worst travel experiences in that state. It has actually become the butt of jokes, how much we hated Wisconsin and how horrible it was there.

I do remember from the top of the tower, through the woods and across the lake was a very cool looking house, which turned out to be a cafe on the main road. Sadly it was closed when we went by- it looked really cool!

I also remember the original Indian name for Timm's is Spirit Mountain. I don't know about you, but I think Wisconsin is throwing a lot of money away here. A lot more people would go travel to climb Sprit Mountain (mystical high point of the crappiest state in the US), than Timm's Hill. Spirit Mountain sounds a million times cooler!

I bagged Guadalupe Peak on December 28, 2016. My 16 y.o. son and 11 y.o. daughter joined me for this hike. This was my 12th high point and the 11th and 7th for my son and daughter respectively. It is my favorite so far. The hike and the views were amazing. We stopped by Carlsbad Caverns NP on our way home. That was also amazing.

GEM Trail wrote:Bark Eater, I wish we had checked out that concrete museum. We had the worst travel experiences in that state. It has actually become the butt of jokes, how much we hated Wisconsin and how horrible it was there.

I do remember from the top of the tower, through the woods and across the lake was a very cool looking house, which turned out to be a cafe on the main road. Sadly it was closed when we went by- it looked really cool!

I also remember the original Indian name for Timm's is Spirit Mountain. I don't know about you, but I think Wisconsin is throwing a lot of money away here. A lot more people would go travel to climb Sprit Mountain (mystical high point of the crappiest state in the US), than Timm's Hill. Spirit Mountain sounds a million times cooler!

I am so sorry your Wisconsin experience was poor. We lived there for two years in the 80's and have fond memories. It's a wonderful place with great people. We stayed in a cabin (actually summer home) at the cafe, which was VERY nice.

Happy 2017 everyone! what are everyone's highpointing goals this year?

My first was to write a trip report for my SD/ND trip from this past summer. That's complete link below

http://www.summitpost.org/dakota-delights/991077

As for the actual climbing of mountains I plan on entering the Whitney Lottery for this summer and combine that with Nevada for a nice weekend. of course if any other opportunity's arise I'll take those as well, happy hiking all.

Happy 2017, fellow State HPers! Best of luck to everyone on their sojourns. Travelling throughout this wonderful country and seeing the most remote corners, along with ascending a few majestic peaks, is a fantastic adventure. Time for my son and I to start seriously pushing on the Third Lap before I am too old for the technical peaks. Gotta climb them all!

Jow wrote:Happy 2017 everyone! what are everyone's highpointing goals this year?

My first was to write a trip report for my SD/ND trip from this past summer. That's complete link below

http://www.summitpost.org/dakota-delights/991077

As for the actual climbing of mountains I plan on entering the Whitney Lottery for this summer and combine that with Nevada for a nice weekend. of course if any other opportunity's arise I'll take those as well, happy hiking all.

Happy New Year, guys. Rainier in July (3rd time hopefully a charm), Mauna Kea in November, for 46 and 47! Jow, good luck on Whitney and Boundary. I did them together too. Great pair!

Good luck on Rainier, Bark Eater. It can be a 50/50 proposition when you go guided since bad weather or anything else can kill a summit bid. That beast and Gannett are truly the crown jewels of the lower 48 HPs.

spiderman wrote:Good luck on Rainier, Bark Eater. It can be a 50/50 proposition when you go guided since bad weather or anything else can kill a summit bid. That beast and Gannett are truly the crown jewels of the lower 48 HPs.

Thanks. The first two times I went private and was unsuccessful for a myriad of reasons. Changing the approach to hopefully increase my probability of success. Last time was mostly weather, which you are correct the guides wouldn't play a factor in. Avy danger was so high on the mountain that even the Army Ranger team turned around.

My plans for 2017 include WV, MD, PA and DE (Highpoints 46, 47, 48, 49) in March and then HI (Highpoint 50) in April. Getting close ... Luckily I work for a company that has unwittingly sent me traveling to some obscure states and regions where I could tack on a day or two on my itinerary and grab a couple highpoints!

June plans for Elbert. Got a 4wd quad cab Ford truck - Is there room at south trail trailhead to turn around in it to go back down?