W7O/NC-113 (“good ‘ol 1783” as they say) is a small coastal peak in USFS Siuslaw Forest land. From Hwy 101 take the turnout at (45.065829, -123.948579) — Google calls it “Cascade Head Trail - North Trailhead” as it’s the road that leads to the trailhead. This is forest road NF-1861 and is nicely graveled and easy to drive with a passenger vehicle.
Note: this road is closed by the USFS from Jan 1st to July 15th, effectively making this summit inaccessible during that time.
If you choose to take a direct approach: after driving approximately 2 miles, (45.06392, -123.97409) is a good spot to pull off and start an ascent. From here the summit is only about 500’ away with 150’ elevation to cover. There are various hints of trails but they’re hard to follow all the way up and not really necessary anyway. The forest is old and open with a high canopy and very little in the way of undergrowth plants, but various downed and rotting trees are scattered about. Boots would be a good idea on this route as the forest floor is sometimes soft and peat-like. I often sunk a foot in, almost like walking in unpacked snow. However the ocean mist or fog in the area makes most of the ground cover wet, so you might end up with soaked feet. Ask me how I know.
Next time I summit here, I’ll explore the potential “North approach”. NF-1861 forks to NF-122, which winds around the west/north side of the summit. This appears to lead to a former trail that starts at (45.067386, -123.978345). On the summit, there’s evidence of this north trail that is only partially overgrown and might be a much more gentle approach. There’s a clearing in the activation zone at the end of that trail, and the ground there felt secure and packed compared to the stuff I hiked through. Perhaps a former lookout tower location.
Despite Portland topping out in the mid-80s during my activation, it was cool and borderline chilly between the canopy blocking the sun, and the constant cloud of ocean mist. Next time I'll bring a windbreaker or light rain jacket even in the middle of the summer.
This is not a glamorous peak, but I think the north approach trail would make it a fairly easy one, and I'll definitely be back next year out of convenience. This was also my first CW summit, so it's certainly one I'll rememer and return to with some fondness.
