Turn off of West Calispell Loop Rd onto FR2022 then turn right onto FR3540 continue on until the saddle park on the left. There is no trail to the summit, I had to bushwack to the top. Plenty of trees on top won't need a Pole.
Access 2WD
Gps Track in Download page.
This was my first summit, and I want to thank pnwSOTA.org for the recommendation for it as a first summit. It was a blast!
I reached 18 stations, including the famous WG0AT in Colorado and OK2PDT in the Czech Republic -- all with a SOTABeams linked dipole on a fiberglass mast with 5 watts out from my KX3! Amazing what CW can do.
I sat on a wet tree limb, fumbled with a pad to log QSOs while swatting away mosquitoes but it was perhaps the most fun I've had in ham radio. I recommend it highly to anyone who hasn't tried it.
For some reason, Chuckanut Mountain was not on the top of my list for a 2 point summit. Two reasons were probably the long hike for two points, and uncertainty about going off trail to the summit. After not hiking for 6 weeks due to Covid-19 lock-downs, this was a great hike to enjoy being back on a trail. While a bit longer hike, the elevation gain is gradual and the final off-trail summit push is also gradual and easy to traverse.
Directions:
8/17/23 Update - Not really a recommended summit due to new "Preferred Plan" with "sensitive" areas of park, along with varying topo maps regarding whether park is in the AZ...
28 October, 2013 Bandera Mtn W7W/KG-073
Our original hiking destination for this day was going to be 7000 ft Norse Peak, an 8 pointer, near Crystal Mtn Ski Resort, a bit north and east of Mt Rainier National Park. The Mt Rainier WX report predicted 30-40 MPH winds at Paradise and Camp Muir in the National Park. We took off for our backup hiking destination: Bandera Mtn.