This easy 1 point summit is just off I-5 and can be quickly accomplished if you're passing through the scenic Skagit Valley.
The road is paved all the way to the top but there is also a network of trails. The road is gated at the bottom but is open from 10am to dusk. This is a city of Mt. Vernon park. It's common to find cars parallel parked along the road near the gate for those that want to walk to the top.
If you're visiting the scenic mariner town of Anacortes, or passing through on your way to the San Juan Island ferry, Mt. Erie is a quick easy 1 pointer with great views.
This summit can be reached via a paved road all the way to the top, or park at the bottom and utilitze the extensive network of trails to reach the summit. Once there, I set up on the south side of the hill, a rocky area looking at Whidbey Island and Lake Campbell. Tall fir trees lie just behind the rocks, perfect for wire antenna deployment.
Directions:
The weather did not improve at all. It got worse actually. When I started from Kelly Butte trailhead started to drizzle. On the summit I got some sleet with strong wind. Luckily twenty meter was much better, but still in bad condition.
After my failure on Ararat, where I only made 3 Qs with my handheld radio on 144 MHz, I am looking for some easy summit. I can only blame myself, as I was too tired to assemble the Buddipole. If it is easy, then let’s do 3 or 4 summits straight away. As always, despite the long and thorough intelligence, things did not work out as planned at the first place. However, I bagged two summits out of the four, but let’s see the details.
The goats and I made a last minute decision on Friday night to get a SOTA fix. Saturday morning we hiked Little Baldy, near Alger, WA. If you're heading north on I-5 towards Canada or Bellingham, this is right off the freeway. Take Exit 242, turn Right (East) and the trailhead/parking lot will be clearly visible on your left in about 1/2 mile.
UPDATE Dec 2021 - Badger Butte (and other summits in the area) are not accessible by regular motor vehicle from Dec 1 to April 1 due to closure of NF-2610 and other routes to vehicles more than 50 inches wide. A hike, snowshoe, ski, bike, snowmobile or dog sled would be the way to go. See the photo below.
Taylor and I returned to Tumalo Mountain this weekend to score a rare 6 pointer in winter, with a justified bonus. Tumalo Mountain is a strenuous, yet technically easy ascent. The trail up to the summit leaves from the Dutchman Flats Sno-Park, just north of the entrance to the Mt Bachelor ski area on Cascade Lakes Highway. Because this is a popular winter recreation area, the parking area is packed with people looking to snow-machine, ski, and snowshoe to the top.
It was a winter wonderland on Bells Mountain above 2000 feet on Christmas Eve, pleasant to look at, not too bad to hike in. Remember, it's always best to park on the right side of the gate and hike the road - it's an easy 1.6 miles to the summit.
The directions below are from Interstate 5 - some of the mileages seemed a bit off but otherwise it should get you to the gate.
This is the only 'drive-up' ten pointer in Oregon - but perhaps because it's eight hours from the Willamette Valley it remains a pretty quiet place. It's actually a near drive-up - the walk beyond the gate to the summit and AZ is less than a half-mile. The scenery and silence of this high desert place have made it my favorite spot in the world for more than twenty years with many trips bringing family and friends to see this place.
Diamond Craters is administered by the Bureau of Land Management as an Outstanding Natural Area. This is a great example of Oregon High Desert and although it’s not on the way to anything, it is very much worth visiting. It is about 55 miles southeast of Burns, Oregon.