NS7P activation of Timber Butte on May 17, 2016

Timber Butte is a 2 point, 3650' asl summit about 19 miles north of Lowell, OR.  It is crowned by a converted lookout tower. This converted structure is available as a rental cabin, which is available for rent on a daily basis from mid May through mid September.A gate blocks the road up to the cabin/summit.  The walk up is about a mile and rises about 350'. The renters will usually lock the gate while they are at the cabin.  You may be able to negotiate with them to activate at the cabin or down the hill a bit in the activation zone.  Then again, maybe not.  Another possibility is activation between the time one renter checks out and the next one checks in.  It could be iffy.  Maybe I was just lucky, but I had the summit to myself for several hours.If you are able to activate there, you will enjoy the nexperience.  The catwalk wraps around the whole cabin and provides views from Three Fingered Jack south to Diamond Peak. There is also a small bench on the catwalk for comfort.  Ample trees exist for antennas, or a pole could be lashed to the catwalk. Here is a link to the cabin web site:http://www.recreation.gov/camping/timber-butte-cabin/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=NRSO&parkId=72017 The directions to the summit are reproduced here:Total mileage from Lowell to Timber Butte Cabin is 19 miles.
From Interstate 5 (I-5), take Highway 58 East (Exit 188) and travel for 13 miles toward Oakridge. Turn left off of Highway 58 at the Lowell covered bridge and proceed toward the town of Lowell. At the 4-way junction in Lowell, turn left onto Boundary Road. Take the next right (Moss Street) for 2 miles to the crossroads of Unity, where you'll see another covered bridge. Do not cross it. Rather, turn right (east) onto Big Fall Creek Road and proceed for 0.5 mile. Turn right onto Winberry Road and drive for 12.8 miles. Turn left onto Forest Service Road (FSR) 1821 and continue 1.3 miles. Turn left onto FSR 1821168 and proceed 1 mile. Turn right onto FSR 1816175 and proceed 100 yards. Turn left onto FSR 1816131 (gated entrance road to the cabin).

Cabin parking is located about 1 mile up FSR 1816131, adjacent to the outhouse. A high-clearance vehicle is recommended.