This unnamed summit is a bald rocky grassland overlooking a large mostly roadless area (Allan Mountain 01946) and the southern end of the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness Area. It has a very good trail, FS #178 due in part to regular trail maintenance through a huge amount of fire-killed fallen trees. The hike also travels through large southerly-aspect grassland-slopes that could be quite warm during mid-day summer months.
Saddle Mountain is near the Lost Trail Pass Ski Area. The SOTA summit access road serves the upper facilities of the ski area. A high clearance vehicle can drive to within 0.25 miles of the summit. The summit has good views. It is very open and rocky with limited space for long wire antennas.
Pansy Mountain has not been activated since the 2021 fires. I originally intended to do both Pansy Mountain and Bull of the Woods, but I did not get an early enough start for a late autumn hike. Getting there is straight forward. A high clearance vehicle is helpful for a couple of sections, but it is probably not absolutely necessary. Follow the directions from the Forest Service:
28Dec2023: Active logging has begun in this area.
When I visited Northern Idaho, I also had the chance to activate this summit.
The route to the summit starts on Hwy 95, turning East onto Blacktail Rd. This is followed around until it once again turns East onto Little Blacktail Rd. Then follow the pit run (larger gravel) covered road to the top.
There are 3 or 4 repeater towers up there so I parked next to the large propane tank on the southernmost one and headed south to put some distance between us. Even so, 20m was very noisy. I didn't have a problem on 40m or 15m.
I recently had the occasion to spend some time in Northern Idaho and while there I activated this summit.
The road up to the summit starts from Hwy 95, heading East on Hwy 54 and North on N Perimeter and East again on Bayview Rd to N Cherokee Rd and north following that up. N Cherokee Rd is also shown as FS 297 on Google Maps. The road condition is not great with many ruts down the middle. I had to straddle the ruts in many cases. A high-clearance vehicle is probably required.
The road is in good condition. It is driveable by a Prius. They also ran a brush mower all the way up the road very recently. The corridor is nicely cleared with all the attendant vegetative carnage 12 feet on either side of the road. Sight lines were good, too.
You can drive right into the activation zone where there is a nice, flat clearing with a fire pit in it. There is plenty of space to set up a 67 foot wire antenna.
This is a quite decent set of forest roads up to a peak that'll require just a little bushwhacking.
Take the Inkom Idaho Ext off of I-15 (approx.13 miles south of Pocatello Id). Going through the town of Inkom, take Rapid Creek Rd to Inman Rd. which will be on your right. This road turns into FS road 018 and goes to the Trail Head, (42.50.15 N, 112.10.47W).
