I won't give all the details of how to get to Red Top, etc. This summit has been well covered by others. Here is an interesting report from K7MAS for comparison:
First activation on 2905
Summary: On 31MARCH19 I decided to complete the first activation of W7O/NC-072 currently called only '2905' I had briefly attempted this summit for the S2S party on 23MAR19 but found the road covered in snow. Today however I was able to drive the majority of the way up with the actual hike portion being fairly short but sweet. I made the mistake of completing the activation during a big CQ competition so the entire 20m band was full of signals but I was still about to get 18 contacts including 3 s2s contacts.
Stacker Butte
To get to Stacker Butte, Washington, from Interstate 84, take exit 87 at the Dalles and go north across the Columbia River for approximately 3.5 miles to Highway 14. Note; After taking exit 87 and turning north, there is a McDonalds on the left. This is the last opportunity for "facilities". If you don't use them, Stacker butte is very exposed all the way up, and you will be too! Also, this bridge crossing the Columbia is NOT a toll bridge. When you get to Highway 14, turn right (east) and go about 0.9 miles to Dalles Mtn Rd and turn left.
Noise floor....You mean noise ceiling.
Summary: On 28MAR19 I decided to knock out the first activation on Field Effect Hill (aka Megler Mountain). The weather started out beautiful and sunny but I ended up having to complete my activation in the rain which contiuned until I had started the hike back down when the sun returned. Overall, the hike isnt bad but the the horrible wide band RFI in the vincinity of the summit made this less fun for an HF activation than most summits which tend to be far quieter.
Pilot Butte, OR...not the one in Bend
This is not the "Pilot Butte" that you think you will activate in an easy afternoon within the City Limits of Bend. Its prominance is only 468 feet for a 4138 foot elevation. The Pilot Butte you want to activate is the 5780 foot high 4 point summit with 1400 feet of prominance that's about 20 miles east of Prineville.
Red Crow Mountain, MT| July, 2017
5.9 miles, +3,100 ft, -300 ft
Mostly on-trail, Some Off-Trail
The trailhead (Glacier National Park – Lubec Lake / Firebrand Pass Trailhead) is easy to get to, but also easy to miss. The trailhead parking is on a short (500-foot) loop turnoff from Highway-2 that is squeezed between the highway and the railroad tracks. The trailhead is 6.25 miles from the main intersection in East Glacier, and 8.6 miles from the John F. Stevens monument at the summit of Marias Pass.
First activation of Benson Point
After abortive failures earlier in the day due to lack of access I finally completed an activation on this awesome summit on a beautiful day.
Access to the summit is via gated logging roads with recreation use permitted signs and no motor vehicles allowed.
Parking is directly off Highway 47 south of Clatskanie at position: 46.041460, -123.248066
There is ample parking for multiple vehicles as seen below:
SOTA Spotting via Text Message (SMS) Important News
If you use the 'SMS to SOTA' spotting gateway to get spotted on a summit, please note that the US number has changed as of Jan 2019! The new number is: 1-424-373-SOTA ( 1-424-373-7682 ).
If you don't currently use the SMS SOTA spotting gateway... well, you should! It just might save your activation some day.
How does one go about using this magical gateway, you ask?
First step is to register by sending an email to Andy MM0FMF (mm0fmf_sota AT intermoose.com). Subject of the email should be: "Please sign me up for your SMS to SOTA spot gateway".
West Tiger Mountain, WA | MARCH 2019
West Tiger Mountain is one of W7W's most frequently activated summits. It is part of the 'Issaquah Alps', and being close to Seattle is a very popular day hiking area. Arrive early to get parking near the trailhead, and don't forget your Discover Pass!
There are a series of summits called 'West Tiger' - the one we are interested in for SOTA is known as West Tiger 1.
875 Doppler Shift Hill First Activation
I completed the first activation on Doppler Shift on 04MAR2019. The hike is roughly 2 miles from a logging gate. In my case this gate was open however as with all these gates they can be closed and locked at any time so pass them at your own risk. I was able to drive about 3/4 of the way up before finding a 'Unauthorized Motor Vehicle Access Prohibited' sign. At that point I found a spot to park and hiked the rest of the way to the activation point.