It is with great excitement that I am announcing the 1st Annual W7O SOTA Campout here in beautiful Southern Oregon. We will be camping out at Hyatt Lake Recreation Area (42.168,-122.464) within the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument from July 8-11th, 2022. We hope that many will join us for a fun extended weekend with many great summits and sights to see in the area. Make your reservations soon. There are also cabins to rent available for the glampers at Hyatt Lake Resort (link below). The resort is not a part of the government campground but just up the road and very nice people. There are many summits of all different ability and interest in this area. Something for everyone ranging from drive-up to wilderness treks. Of course all chasers are welcome to join us too!
FIND ALL CURRENT INFORMATION ON THE CAMPOUT HERE:
https://reflector.sota.org.uk/t/1st-annual-w7o-campout-july-8-11th-22/28132
AND HERE: https://reflector.sota.org.uk/t/w7o-campout-update/28370.
EMAIL AMY DIRECTLY WITH QUESTIONS: ag7gp.amy@gmail.com
July is usually a beautiful time of year up at these elevations for lush blooms, birds, wildlife and weather but can also be unpredictable. There still may be snow on some of the higher peaks or drifts on high roads, depending on our snow pack for the year, and hopefully we will beat any wildfires.
So far the list of ops planning to attend that I know of: AG7GP, N7HAP, K7ATN, WW7D, WU7H, NE7ET, K7WXW, N7KOM, WA7JNJ, K7AHR, N0DNF, W6TED, K7GT, WJ7WJ, KJ7EHA, K6CPR, K6SBB, KI7VEM, K7MAS, and NS7P. I am assuming some local SOTA ops, KJ7GFN, W7FZO, KM7MK, KC7OOY, KJ6YYU, K6NGN will join us either camping or stopping by. Sixten alerts are already posted for specific summits.
UPDATE: Since B Loop is already full, make reservations on neighboring A Loop - maybe sites #5 and #6 and #10 should be next.
https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/250031
http://hyattlake.com/default.asp
https://sotl.as/map/coordinates/42.220538,-122.410303/10.5
A little about the area. CSNM is a unique area basically where the ancient Siskiyou Mountains collide with the volcanic Cascades creating one-of-a-kind ecology, geology, habitat, etc. Hyatt Lake is a reservoir fairly central to the monument. Unfortunately, we have been suffering extreme drought so this last year there was no lake and I cannot predict what it will be July 2022. Rogue River NF surrounds the area beyond the CSNM border. Some of the summits are also in Winema NF. Nearby Hyatt Lake Resort offers casual dining and cabins as mentioned above. There is also Greensprings Inn and Restaurant (I think a little more formal, new owners) further down the road. Hyatt Lake is located about 45 min from the town of Ashland and you can take Hwy 66 or Dead Indian Memorial Rd.
For those coming from afar I would recommend committing a day to see Crater Lake NP and maybe even doing Mt Scott or ??. I also love the Siskiyou Crest for SOTA activating. And can't forget Sky Lakes and Mountain Lakes Wilderness too!
https://www.nps.gov/crla/index.htm
https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/rogue-siskiyou/recarea/?recid=70354
We truly have a great assortment of summits here. Many do not have trails but have old closed roads to walk up. Here is a list of many in the area, only the ones that I have done. If there is no summary connected to the summit on SOTLAS/SOTAMaps feel free to send me any questions. I am trying hard to get info out quickly and can provide more details if needed. I love the area and mountains here, but I put an * by the ones I recommend the most, which is a tough decision!
Easier (<1mi)or drive up summits starting closest to camp:
Little Chinquapin W7O/CS-088 (view going up, forested)
Table Mountain W7O/CS-073 (VIEW, near drive up)*
Chinquapin Mountain W7O/CS-068 (forested)
Green Springs Mountain W7O/CS-099 (mostly forested)
Old Baldy W7O/CS-058 (mostly forested)
Robinson Butte W7O/CS-083 (closed lookout, drive up, forested)
Burton Butte W7O/CS-074 (forested)
Surveyor Mt W7O/CS-049 (boulder summit)
Buck Mountain W7O/CS-061
Parker Mtn W7O/CS-100 (drive up, in use lookout)
Rye Spur W7O/CS-053 (forested)
A little bit further but worth the drive:
Chase Mountain W7O/CE-073 (view, dirt drive-up,old lookout)*
Hamaker Mt W7O/CE-051 (view, only paved 6pt drive-up in OR?, radar)* (Chase and Hamaker are frequently done together)
Smith Rock W7O/CS-042 (VIEW, boulder top)*
Pelican Butte W7O/CS-012 (VIEW, jeep road drive up)*
Moderate:
Soda Mountain W7O/CS-075 (VIEW, one of the best of Mt Shasta)*
Grizzly Peak W7O/CS-081 (VIEW but beyond true summit)*
Little Aspen W7O/CS-029 (mixed, some boulder)
Aspen Butte W7O/CS-006 (VIEW, Mountain Lakes Wilderness)*
Hard:
Mt. Mcloughlin W7O/CS-001 (VIEW!!)*
Brown Mountain W7O/CS-023 (view, difficult lava outcrop the whole way)
If interested in taking a day to the Siskiyou Crest, all relatively easy except Wagner, with outstanding views, just a drive to get there. All on my favorite list:
Mt Ashland W7O/CS-019 (drive up)*
McDonald Peak W7O/CS-030*
Wagner Butte W7O/CS-027*
Big Red W7O/CS-034*
Dutchman Peak W7O/CS-021 (unique lookout)*
I truly hope to see you there!
73,
Amy
AG7GP
ag7gp.amy@gmail.com