Exposed Summit

Here's a near drive-up south of Estacada with a hike as short as a quarter mile and 200 feet of gain.

UPDATE 2021 - Mount Lowe may have been damaged in the September 2020 fires. Check for access.

Naomi Peak is a great hike along a well-marked trail from the Tony Grove Lake area.  Tony Grove is a popular site seeing destination 28 miles NE of Logan Utah.  The summit has views in all direction and is highly recommended as a day hike or a SOTA adventure.

Mount Pisgah is a 'near' urban summit just east of Eugene. It is known as Mount Pisgah Arboretum and as the Howard Burford Recreation Area. It's a short 1.5 miles, but steep with 1050 feet of elevation gain from the parking lot to the summit. It features some of the last remaining oak savanna that once dominated the Willamette Valley and the summit has good views. 

Here's a pleasant and easy pavement drive-up activation just east of Madras in Central Oregon. You might consider it as you travel between Bend and Portland sometime. There are nice views from the top, good parking, and trees and sagebrush to support most antennas.

Here's a quiet Central Oregon summit for those with a high clearance vehicle - or anyone that wants a bit of hiking as one could walk the rutted dirt road or even go directly cross-country to the summit (although direct would be a bit steep).

One of the nicest hikes in the San Gabriel Mountains, Waterman Mountain is certainly worthy of repeat SOTA Activations, and this was our third time in about 2 years.  Being graced with a very reasonable access, well graded trail and magnificent specimens of Incense Cedar (see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calocedrus  ) and Ponderosa Pine (see:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinus_ponderosa  ) it’s a wonderful and popular SOTA objective.  The trail is 6 + miles RT, with 1,200 feet elevation gain.  The summit area is lightly treed, but still has views if you search them out.

Chelan Crest SOTA Outing July 23-25, 2016 – Part 4.   See separate reports on PNWSOTA website with background on the entire outing and day 1 & 2 description, with 3 other First SOTA Activations. The total trip was approximately 25 miles RT, with approximately 7,000 feet elevation gain, including ups and downs in between the various peaks. This is report 4 of 4, "Pyramid Mountain".  Pyramid was the apex of our 3 day 2 night SOTA outing, both in elevation and distance from the TH.  This 10 point SOTA Summit is 8,245 feet high, and affords some fantastic view of the Central and North Cascades, Lake Chelan and Eastern Washington.

Sky Mountain is a high point on the ridge directly across US Highway 2 from Stevens Pass Ski Resort.  The summit is at Point 5,482 feet, and is not actually named on the USGS topo maps. Sky Mountain hike/scramble is only about 5 miles RT, and 1,700 feet elevation gain.  Despite the relatively short distance and modest elevation gain, this scramble is not trivial.  Tim, KG7EJT, tried it in winter, but turned back due to weather and avalanche hazard.  So now we returned for a joint Activation in the last week of summer 2016 for what turned out to be the "The Great Tarzan Traverse" route variant. 

Burley Mtn is a drive-up to an open fire lookout with expansive views of Rainier, St. Helens, and Mt Adams.  You can stay overnight at the lookout on a first-come basis.  But bring some sheets as the two beds and mattresses are grundgy. There is a wood stove for heat so also bring some firewood to take the morning chill off.  This is an exposed area so it can be quite windy.  There is a picnic bench and some trees for your antennas.  Best terrain takeoffs are to the east and south...a radio repeator tower is on the west side of the peak.