This summit had been activated in 2018. It has also been reported as summited in PeakBagger several times. When I went to attempt it, there were fire danger signs and "No Public Access" signs posted at the bottom gate. There appeared to be active logging operations and it was forecast to be extremely hot and dry weather, so these signs may be temporary. But as of now, no access. I will remove this post, if another activator posts that it is again opened up.
Blogs
6001 (no name), OR from Bennett Pass Rd | June 2021
Well, we made it back alive. Bennett Pass Rd/NF-3550 is a single lane (which serves both directions) dirt track.
We had spent the night at Rock Creek CG and thus driving up NF-4860 to the turn at the intersection with NF-3550. There are, however, only 1 or 2 places to turn around after that. We had to digg (a 4-letter word) through 2 snow banks to gain passage and only saw one other vehicle (a Jeep) on the route. High clearance 4x4 vehicle required on NF-3550.
Monumental Mountain, WA | June 2021
https://summits.sota.org.uk/summit/W7W/ST-011
Easy drive-up 6-pointer on good roads. I give this summit 4 out of 5 Priuses for easy access. Park at the gate where the spur road to the towers leaves Monumental Mountain Road. You could also MTB / Gravel Bike from Orin-Rice road, about 4 miles to the top. Nice views on the way up but I chose to set up in the shade a few yards below the towers at the top.
5060 Full Quieting, WA | Jun 2021
Full Quieting Mountain was instead fully quiet at least on 2m FM. Maybe it should be called Evil Step Sister as it lurks unattractively above Sleeping Beauty. (Did fine on HF)
Looks like there may be a shorter bushwhack from the north when examining the map. However, I was invited to hike Sleeping Beauty by some friends. Answering the question why isn’t Sleeping Beauty a SOTA summit leads you to Peak 5060, which has the required promonance.
So I started from the official Sleeping Beauty trailhead:
Round Mountain, British Columbia, June 21, 2021
Trail access to Round Mountain is good, but the last 100 meters or so of vertical is not. Cell service at the parking lot and on the summit is present, but spotty in between. I heard good strong signals for APRS on the summit. A comfortable skill set with crampons and ice axle will certainly make the last 100 meters or so pleasant. I have summited twice, once in winter on skis, and once late spring. Lots of snow still in June hence my recommendation to use crampons and ice axe. Not totally necessary, but certainly easier and easier on the vegatation.
Brundage Mountain, Idaho | June 2021
Brundage Mountain is short, but punchy. Don't let the distance to summit fool you. It goes from a road to a double track that fades into the brush. We mostly followed the gps track from K7MK. His track yields a good spot to cross the creek and keeps you out of the thickest brush. Where we deviated was on dealing with the block below the summit. We opted for climbers right on the ascent and climbers left on the descent. The right side is more rocky and feels like a stairmaster. The left side is more dirt, so more slipping. Pick your poison I suppose, both are steep.
Cuddy Mountain, Idaho | June 2021
Cuddy Mountain, W7I/SR-055, is ALMOST a drive up summit, if your vehicle can handle it. The road to Cuddy and Summers requires careful driving, high clearance, and 4WD certainly helps. I was glad we gave an extra day for the snow to melt out because there were a couple spots that would've been more difficult to get through in the Explorer if it had been deeper. A couple mud pits looked suspect, but be made it through okay. The roads up here are frequented by off road enthusists and you'll likely see some UTVs, ATVs, and dirt bikers.
Indian Spring Butte, OR | June 2021
Indian Spring Butte is very near Strawberry Mountain (W7O/NE-018) and it is possible to summit both in a single day. It is 0.8 miles one way and 600 feet of gain. There is no defined trail, but the access is straightforward because of minimal undergrowth under the tree canopy and it is an easy ridgeline to follow.
McKinley Mountain, CA June 2021
Mckinley Mountain was my 3rd summit up on the Scott Bar ridge for the day. I was coming from the west and there is some very rough and narrow sections of road with steep banks, no shoulder, worst was driving around Deadwood Baldy Peak (not a SOTA). If you come up from Deadwood Creek Rd this may be avoidable, I'm not sure. Either way, this country is not meant for passenger cars and make sure you have good tires and a spare. The hike is about .8mi up a inpassable road from RD 45N28, with about 650' gain.
Indian Creek Baldy, CA June 2021
Indian Creek Baldy, I found out after reaching the top and reading the notepad in a jar, is the highest point of the Scott Bar Mountains. It is an amazing 360 view of the Northern California area, including Shasta, Scott Valley, Marble Mountains and more. It is a short but difficult climb up.