This was a first-time activation of the summit. There are two summits very close to each other with a shallow saddle. I ignored my GPS and arrived at the false summit and had to scurry over to the actual summit. This was a 400-foot (only 20-foot elevation) mistake.
This was the first activation of Gollaher Mountain. The USGS marker at the summit calls it Gollyer Mountain, though all maps and other information uses Gollaher. Someone has placed a register in a glass bottle under some rocks at the summit. A lot of people have signed it. The drive to the summit is relatively straight forward, though somewhat long and requiring 4wd/high clearance (not Prius friendly/Subaru Outback’s may have issues with the deep ruts).
There is an activation report link from Doug (N7NGO) on the SotaMaps Summit summary that is basically the information for driving access and the summit hike. Since there is not a PNWSota report, I thought I'd add a few notes.
The access road(s) are very well graded and certainly Prius friendly, whether coming to the City of Rocks National Reserve from the east (Almo, Idaho) or from the north (Oakley, Idaho).
This was the first activation of Middle Stack Mountain in Nevada. A huge lesson learned (again) is that map resources conflict when it comes to roads, both roads that do not exist, and roads that do not appear on maps. Even when cross referencing maps with Google Earth you can’t be certain that a geological feature that “looks” like a road actually is one! As a first activation, there was no SOTA summit access information, though there were a couple of Peakbagger trip reports.
I accessed Johnstone Peak via trail 7121 just southeast of Ketchum. The trailhead begins at 6,528 feet and climbs for approximately 3-miles to a saddle at 8,628-feet (2,236-foot ascent – includes some undulating trail terrain). The trail is well maintained and a comfortable climb to the saddle where you leave the trail to begin the .80 mile / 1,337-foot ascent to the summit. This bushwhack climb is not for the faint of heart.
Thatcher Hill is located in the Portneuf Mountain Range just south of Lava Hot Springs. Access is off Hwy 34 south of Thatcher, Idaho. The road to access the summit is extremely difficult. There were deep mud puddles, exposed watermelon sized rocks to negotiate and rock gardens suitable for only 4wd high clearance vehicles. I was mentally exhausted from driving on the road and decided to park the Jeep (42.39139, -111.84305) and hike along the road.
There is no public access to Cleveland Hill. The summit is on private property. In an attempt to get permission, we talked to a friend of the owner, and he said the owner “never” allows non-family/friends on the property.
The effort to access this summit was hard to justify 2-points! Looking at the summit from the road below made me think about abandoning the "planned" 1.50-mile hike and just biting the bullet and going straight up the mountain (.30 miles/739-foot gain). I made the better choice by opting for the longer hike. Looking at the contours, traversing the side-slope and making gradual elevation gain seemed like a good option.
This was a fun drive and activation. There had been rain recently and Coal Bank Road was peppered with water hazards and rocky runoff portions. Though easily passable in a high clearance 4wd, it was NOT Prius friendly. The summit was large and flat with a few trees scattered around for attaching antenna masts.
FAIL - Not Recommended: Unless you happen to be traveling along Highway 46, I would not plan on activating this summit.