Good Views From Summit

This summit had never been activated and I now know why!  The USGS maps would have you believe there is a road to the summit.  There actually was a road when the forestry lookout was standing, but the last 1-1/2 miles of road is now overgrown and would take some guts and a great off-road 4-wheeler to traverse it.  These same last miles are steep and unrelenting, though completely forested.  When the so-called road ends. there are a few hundred feet of vertical trail required to reach the summt.

On June 7, 2017 my wife and I were in the region east of Canyonville, OR. After enjoying Pickett Butte, we headed to Acker Rock, another rock outcrop with a lookout perched on top. Both of these are 2 point summits.

I was staying at The Lodge in Castle Rock State Park for a long weekend. This park is just north of City Of Rocks National Reserve which is a world class rock climbing destination. Though I am not a rock climber there are also a whole bunch of nice SOTA summits in the area. I picked CI-131 as I could see it from the front porch of The Lodge. In fact when I was on top, my wife, looking through binoculars, could see me waving at her. How often can your wife actually see you on a summit if she is not also with you?

Huckleberry Mountain and its lookout is well known and for very good reasons. The catwalk around the elevated lookout offers wonderful, 360 degree views. All of the major snow capped peaks from Mt Hood to Thielsen and McLoughlin are visible. In addition, detailed views down into the nearby foothills are there for our enjoyment. The lookout makes a great place to do radio.

If the journey and the scenery are equally important as the activation, this is the summit for you. At about 4 miles, one-way and a modest 2650' of gain to a summit elevation of 3835', this summit offers a 360 degree view of the Columbia River and Chelan area.

This summit is located in the Chelan, WA.  Best access is by trail for best and varied views. There is also an access road to maintain the cell towers located on this site, which is a single lane unpaved, narrow, rocky road with drop offs used by maintenance personnel, hang glider folks and tourists.

(0.2 miles, + 155 feet)

This summit is on USFS land & is covered by the Beaverhead-Deerlodge-Central map.  The area is open to motorized vehicles on designated routes Dec.3 – Oct. 14.

The trailhead may be approached either from the north (Moose Creek / Maiden Rock I-15 exit), or the south (Melrose I-15 exit).  The northern road has two stream crossings that could be problematic during high runoff.  The road from the Melrose exit (Trapper Creek Road) is better. 

(0.6 miles, + 560 feet)

This summit is on USFS land & is covered by the Beaverhead-Deerlodge-Central map.  The area is open to motorized vehicles on designated routes Dec.3 – Oct. 14.

(1.2 miles, + 1,100 feet)

From I-15:  Take Exit-99 (Moose Creek) & head east up the Moose Creek Road towards the Humbug Spires Wilderness Study Area.  Drive 2.9 miles up the Moose Creek Road (gravel) & park on the left side of the road near the fenced culvert that conveys flow for the drainage to the north under the road. 

(1.5 miles, + 930 feet)

From I-15:  Take Exit-99 (Moose Creek) & head east up the Moose Creek Road towards the Humbug Spires Wilderness Study Area.  Drive 2.9 miles up the Moose Creek Road (gravel) & park on the left side of the road near the fenced culvert that conveys flow for the drainage to the north under the road.  It is likely best to climb directly up this drainage.  I will describe the route that I took, which is a bit more circuitous, but still quite nice.