W7MDN's blog

7 Mar 22: Parked at the "Blanchard Hump" parking area on East Blanchard road. Ample parking, only one other car present on a weekday. I elected not to take snowshoes based on trail conditions at the parking lot. Most of the trail is exposed; almost no snow in sunlit areas. I followed the trail and track from K7DJL [available on SOTL.as] to the summit, about 2 miles. The trail is an ATV track and goes steeply up the face of the summit. There are a couple false summits and snow coverage increased approaching the final hill.

Beautiful hike on a pristine fall day. This summit is challenging in that there is no established trail. I parked on Irving Road to the north of the summit. From there you can continue up through the forrested section, keeping the plowed field on your right. A series of several grown over roads lead you toward the top. Total ascent was 1500', zigzagging my way through the trees on several well worn game trails. Once on top of the ridge, look for a jeep trail heading NE toward the relay tower. Eventually you'll encounter a nice gravel road which will take you to the summit.

This summit is inside a WA Resource Management Area near the Spokane Indian Reservation. I parked along Rail Canyon rd. to access the state land. A gate at the access road marks the beginning of the hike. I used two main dirt roads to get close to the summit and then bushwhacked the last 1,000 ft. Use caution, this area had a forest fire this summer; fallen trees and loose objects make this hike challenging. At the summit I was able to get simplex contacts on 2m with ease. Plenty of trees to use with a throw line for my EFHW setup. No water; moose tracks in the area.

26 SEP 21: This previously un-activated summit was a rare treat on a beautiful fall afternoon. Parking can be tricky and the access road is bordered by private property on both sides. I recommend parking on Museum Road near Highway 395; the walk in from there is around 3.2 mi with gradually increasing hills.

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.

Ideal for MTB or gravel bike, this summit was another old lookout tower until the mid 30s. Begin where NF-051 is gated (N48.45475, W117.21851), about a six mile drive in from LeClerc Rd N. This road is Priusable. Just shy of five miles up the road from the gate near the summit (N 48.46345, W117.21752) take the road to the right. About 1/2 mile later, the road is blocked and you'll veer left uphill (on foot from here) on a small game trail to the summit about 300ft higher. The summit is forested but has ample room for camping and a nice fire ring.

From Kettle Falls, WA proceed west on 395 across the lake to highway 20, then south along the west shore of Lake Roosevelt on Inchelium-Kettle Falls Rd. Proceed southwest on County Highway 412 past Lake Ellen, turn right on NF-2014 (aka Barnaby Creek Rd), then right again on Cottonwood Creek Rd (NF-110). Park at this intersection if you don't have a 4WD which adds less than a mile. If you have a 4WD, take this road to its terminus and park where the road becomes blocked by downed trees. As you hike along the road, it will eventually become Huckleberry Jeep Trail only useable by UTVs.