For many years the exact location of the high point of Indian Rock was subject to debate. The highest labeled point on the USGS map is the 5823-foot "Benchmark" at the south end of the large 5800-foot contour. However, by 2003 most trip reports agreed that there was an "Outcrop" about 500 feet ENE of the Benchmark that was higher. The large and impressive "Pinnacle" that appears to be labeled with a 5819-foot elevation was often climbed as a side trip for its impressive views, but the elevation on the map seemed to indicate it was a few feet lower than the points to the south.
On October 11th, 2009, Edward Earl, Eric Noel, and Greg Slayden used a hose level and determined that the Outcrop is indeed 6 feet higher than the highest rocks at the Benchmark.
A week later, on October 18th, 2009, Bob Bolton, Don Nelsen, and Ardith Bowman visited the area with a large sighting level and telescoping pipe segments. They concluded that the 5819 elevation near the Pinnacle is for a boundary marker, not the top of the Pinnacle. They measured the top of the Pinnacle to be about 5850 feet and clearly the highest point in the area.
Finally, on October 8th, 2010, Ken Jones and Ken Russell visited the area with a professional surveyor’s level and confirmed the previous survey, putting the Pinnacle at 5845 feet and, again, clearly showing it to be the highest point on the mountain.
The "Little Indian" summit to the north is a gently mound with no large outcrops or rocks, so it not more that a foot or two higher than the reported 5822-foot elevation.
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