Ascent of Horn Mountain on 2020-03-11| Others in Party: | Rose
----Only Party on Mountain | | Date: | Wednesday, March 11, 2020 | | Ascent Type: | Successful Summit Attained | | Motorized Transport to Trailhead: | Car | | Peak: | Horn Mountain | | Location: | USA-Arkansas | | Elevation: | 2203 ft / 671 m |
Ascent Trip ReportAllow 3 1/2 hours for the return trip from Mount Judea ... a tough driveup to 2 areas with short whacks.
The detailed Hans Haustein TR, this time, gave me some extra research work prior to coming here, found that road number shave changed, and I was not able to plot my route on a map. Also I was not sure what to expect for my van when Hans writes. "......... A jeep trail continues on from this point which can be driven with 4WD. ........".
These concerns were relieved by Dennis Stewart's TR, where he writes, "............ I started walking the jeep trail. I quickly determined that this road was not much worse than the road I had been driving on already, so I got back in my car and drove the "jeep trail" in my 1991 Ford Festiva all the way .......". Thank you Dennis.
In spite of all my extra work, Rose and I still made wrong turns at 2 places. This TR attempts to make things easier for others. One must read Hans and Dennis for additional information.
Rose and I found our way to Hans' starting point at the village of Mount Judea, JCT Hwy #123/74 and zeroed our odo. We had huge rains with lightning this morning and actually started our drive under a light rain, ending shortly there after - to be driving on rough/narrow/slick mountain roads was not an intelligent decision. The skies would clear later in the morning.
00.00M ... JCT Hwy#123/74 we went eastbound on the mountainous/winding/paved #74.
05.28M ... T-JCT, turned right on NC4840, and passed through the community of Bass. We were later told that a left at this JCT will also take you up to Horn Mountain.
06.40M ... end of pavement and start of good dirt road, still NC4840 (heading southwest).
07.02M ... 4-Way-JCT (35.88911,-93.00634), stayed straight on NC5070 as it crosses Cave Creek on a low water bridge heading southeast. We erred twice in this area with the worst being, taking a right at this 4-WAY and going the wrong way for a good distance. We met up with, Kevin, a County Maintenance worker here. He confirmed that my planned route to Horn Mountain was good but wasn't sure if the van would make it. "Heavy rains like we had last night have a way of drastically changing conditions."
08.01M ... JCT, turned right on road signed 5070 (35.8720,-92.99555). Ignore road 4850 to the right just before. From here the very good/wide road climbs/winds steeply southerly up the mountain.
11.30M ... Sharp Fork (35.84216,-92.99491) stayed left on a good but lesser road. Just before this Fork passed signed NC5201 on right followed by a farm house.
12.67M ... passed driveway on the left with 7 Mailboxes.
12.92M ... JCT (35.84740, 92.97607), signed 5080 on right, we stayed left on signed 5083 northbound. From here on roads are narrow/not-in-the-best-of-shape/pot-holes as they climb/descend/wind their way north, and with yesterdays rains very slick - it wouldn't take much to slip-off the road (muddy roads are like a skating rink). There were a few very risky sections, mostly cause of the rains. Extreme care was required, but overall our van had no problem what so ever. Actually the roads were a lot better than I expected.
14.47M ... passed reddish cabin on right. At approx this area the maps shows the road as a "Jeep Trail" which is not the case.
15.34M ... sharp switchback to the left (35.87252,-92.96226). NB: from here on my Mile Markers are only approx as I lost my field data papers.
15.90M ... ICELEDO MOUNTAIN with the HP just to the right. Just ahead at 150 yds is a great place to stop for gorgeous views to the north (at a Turkey Feed Station). See photo in this TR
Going forward the road descends northerly to Lawyers Gap then climbs heads northeast before turning north.
18.10M ... Fork, stayed right with large green sign "Gene Rush WMA" as the road makes its final climb north to Horn Mountain.
18.56M ... parked for HORN MOUNTAIN, AREA 1 - HP to the left at 140 yds. The road continues right-of-north mostly on the flat.
19.35M ... parked for HORN MOUNTAIN, AREA 2 - HP to the left at 110 yds.
Both areas are at obvious high ground in easy open woods with little underbrush. After the long/tough driveup the hiking was an anti-climax destination - there are no rewards here.
The 19.35 mile return drive to Mount Judea took one hour.
"STUPID IS STUPID DOES and THERE'S NO FOOL LIKE AN OLD FOOL" ....... applies here.
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Looking north from the Iceledo summit area - best view of the driveup to Horn Mountain (2020-03-11). Photo by Ben Lostracco.
Click here for larger-size photo. | | Summary Total Data | | Total Elevation Gain: | 53 ft / 16 m | | Extra Gain: | 20 ft / 6 m | | Round-Trip Distance: | 0.3 mi / 0.5 km | | Route: | whack wb to 2 areas from mtn rd | | Trailhead: | mountain road 2190 ft / 667 m | | Route Conditions: | Bushwhack |
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