1.6 Miles, +944 Feet
Trailhead: Take the Feely I-15 exit and drive 9.4 miles westerly on FS-96 (suitable for all vehicles). Turn left (South) on FS-8486 and continue for 3 more miles (Subaru or 4wd). Continue south on the ridge another 0.7 miles on FS-7449 (Closed to motorized use 10/15-12/1) and park at the gate (Subaru or 4wd).
Bill (K7WXW) and I were looking for a 3 summit day not too far from Portland and decided on Linney Butte, Signal Buttes South, and 4816. Signal Buttes South and 4816 weren't too bad.
Linney Butte is a memorable bushwhack. Because of the mild 2026 winter, the undergrowth in May was very thick and full. I tired the brute force method on the way up. While Bill admired my "elk like tenacity" for getting through the brush, he went for finesse on the way down. This route meanders more, but took less time. This route is attached.
I was looking for a First Activation during the W7O campout and decided on Charlton Butte. It was a relatively easy hike with great views. I think the reason it wasn't previously activated is the plethora of other peaks in the area and the recent fire eliminated the bushwhack. My wife (KE7HUP) and I were joined by Alison (KO6KZO) and here father (KM6AM).
Diving to the trail head is smoother from the west than the east. The hike is an easy 1.5 miles with 800' elevation. The trail is half on the PCT and half off-trail. A gps is useful.
Pinnacle Peak is an 1800 foot, 2 point peak south of Enumclaw, WA. It is serviced by a large parking lot (with bathrooms) located at (47.16878, -121.98741). Parking address is 26436 SE Mud Mountain Rd, Enumclaw, WA
There are a multitude of trails to the summit area, which has a cool replica fire lookout tower. I posted my route in SOTA Maps and SOTL.AS but your favorite mapping site will have many more options. Mine was 1.6 miles and 1000 feet of ascent.
Local 2m contacts were plentiful and there are trees for a wire if you desire HF.
WA7OOO and I did the first SOTA activation of Sperry Peak as part of a loop that included Vesper Peak, starting from the Sunrise Mine Trailhead. We arrived at the trailhead at about 7:30am on a Saturday morning in mid-August, and found it completely full already (the last few miles of the road has some big potholes, but we saw small sedans parked at the trailhead). We found parking about 0.4 mile back down the road in a spacious pull-out area. A National Forest Recreation Pass is required, there is no kiosk or cell signal at the trailhead, so it's not possible to buy a day pass there.
See the June 2020 report from ND7Y for info on the trail and area.
However there's a washout on FR 93 just about a mile before the trailhead. So, the approach is now from the other end of 93, which adds about 90 minutes to the drive.
4536 is one of those remote 2-point summits way out by Table Rock and the Molalla River Corridor that takes a while to get to. Plan 2.5+ hours from Portland, each way. I would combine this with Baty Butte to make it worth your time.
Baty Butte is a 4-point summit on BLM land up the Molalla River Corridor in Clackamas County, OR. It hadn't been activated in a while and had no writeup so after the fires of 2020, there was some uncertainty about access and condition.
Getting there: Access is relatively easy if your car has okay ground clearance. I got there in a Subaru Forester without difficulty. Drive up Forest Service road 25 to the intersection with 2565. There is some erosion to the road bed that might create a problem for a Prius. The two worst spots are near the intersection with road 25. Everything is clear past those two points. As of Summer 2026, vegetation is beginning to encroach on the road corridor but I avoided pinstripes. About a mile up, the road splits in three directions. Keep the summit to your right as you proceed.