Blackrock Peak is named for the dark gray to black lichens growing on the summit boulder field. The rock itself is mostly light tan-colored and from a distance the dark lichen patterns appear like large stationary cloud shadows draped over the summit and adjoining ridges.
The Skinny:
Trail head: 44.9022, -121.7979
Trail Turn: 44.8958, -121.8424
Hike Distance : 6 miles round trip
Hike Elevation gain: 1600 ft
The Story:
Bad Luck Mountain is an old US Forest Service Lookout site that had a structure from 1939 till about 1980. Only a few concrete blocks remain today. The summit is mostly forested now with 25-40 year-old Douglas-fir and ponderosa pine. Open grassland falls steeply from the summit to the south.
NC-066, in my head named "Souther Saddle" (even though it's not part of a saddle pair), was a nice bike ride into Stimson forest land. This peak forms the lower point of a triangle between South Saddle NC-002 and NC-065, commonly a paired activation. One could easily do both NC-065 and 066 in a day, provided enough time to hike or bike this route. There are also a number of other nearby peaks on the way in/out of the forest area that could be paired if you had time in the day.
4.8 mi, +1,870 feet, -600 feet
This is a nice hike on a good trail with great views – particularly of the Red Mountain & Caribou Mountain regions of the Scapegoat Wilderness. This hike is close enough to the Scapegoat Wilderness that it is prudent to be Bear-Aware.
This was literally my first activation. I've been thinking about SOTA on and off for 7+ years now. Ray & Max posted a trip that they took to this same summit maybe 6 years ago, but I took a different route. Looking at the maps, and reading the rules, the route they took is along the OHV roads which are closed to vehicle traffic. The entirety of Horse Ridge is closed to motorized vehicle travel. Instead, I parked along the south edge of the Horse Ridge area along Ford road, along a spot where I could easily pull off and not be in the road itself.
3620 is a fairly easy summit to reach and activate when visiting the Camp Sherman-Upper Metolius River Area. Access involves a half-mile hike up from Forest Route 1270 with about 300ft elevation gain. The downside to this summit is the area was burned badly from past wildfires and the hike requires a bushwhack up an abandoned fire road.
The summit is somewhat flat with a wide activation zone, but very brushy. There are some live trees to hang a wire, but a support mast is recommended. I had good Verizon service and was able to self spot.
The hike up Mount Teneriffe is not an easy one - in my opinion, it's the most strenuous summit one can find for 4 points. There are 2 main routes to the summit; the new trail / road walk, which is about 13+ miles round trip, or, the more direct route; Kamikaze Falls then up Serendepity Ridge. I've done both routes multiple times - I prefer the much shorter Kamikaze Falls / Serendepity Ridge as it's only about 7.5 miles round trip. As this route is about half the length of the new trail / road walk, it's obviously steeper - really steep!
Tibbetts Mountain near the small town of Pashastin in Central Washington is one of my favorite early season SOTA destinations. Great views from the summit of the Enchantments and Stuart Ranges.
There are 3 ways to reach the summit; hike the trail (about 3 miles each way), hike the road (about 4 miles each way) or drive the rough narrow forest service road to within a half mile of the summit, then hike the last 1/2 mile with a few hundred feet of elevation gain. Google maps directions will take you to the summit, or within the last 1/2 mile of the summit.