Activation Reports

UPDATE: the instructions given by Bill WJ7WJ in A Good Hand of Pinochle are still accurate.  However, when I was up there last week, there were several trees that had blown over the road and only some of them had been cleared.  I had forgotten to bring the chainsaw and they were too thick to cut with my bow saw.

Unfortunately this summit is located on the Phillipi Ranch which is private property.  Phillipi Canyon Rd (County Rd) takes you to the well-signed No Trespassing large sign.  I talked to the Ranch caretaker who lives at the end of the county road.  He said "there's no chance for obtaining permission to enter."  

Prairie hill is a forested 3/4 mile bushwhack over an extremely overgrown old road. It is on public land and getting the “trailhead” is pretty easy. 

Turn off North Bear Creek road onto the gravel forest road at 44.97596, -123.88224. The road was in decent shape and should be passable by any normal vehicle. Continue down this road until 44.96405, -123.92107. There is space for a couple cars to park here. You will need to get out and bushwhack from here. A machete or similar tool could be recommended. 

With a slight gap in my family duties, the time finally came for one last 2024 SOTA adventure on Vedder Mountain (W7W/WH-196). Perched along the US–Canada border and overlooking Sumas and North Whatcom County, this summit has been on my list for a while. The best part of this activation? Bringing along my new hiking buddy, Nella, our Red Retriever puppy!

Here’s a near drive-up 2-point summit that might be part of your plan to visit the Redwoods in SW Oregon.

Mount Gauldy is an easy summit near Hebo Oregon
It is either a drive up or a road walk of at most 3.5mi RT and 600ft elevation gain.

Just an update: the road to the trailhead has been re-gravelled since we activated in 2023.  Discovery Pass still required.

And it is possible to get closer to the summit by parking next to the electrical tower at (45.658181, -122.183540).

There is a motorcycle path that runs 1/2 mile up the hill to the summit instead of the previous directions that winds around the hill.

It is quite a bit steeper but we didn't have any trouble getting there.  There was no snow at the time.

1465 is a 1-point peak in the Oregon Central Coast region. The top of the summit is close to the road but due to geography and deep thorny overgrowth, remains nearly inaccessible. However, a spur road does pass through the edge of the activation zone (as confirmed by GPS altitude). 

Scott Mountain is a 1-point summit in the Oregon Central Coast (CC) region with a straightforward, easy grade hike of 2.2 miles each direction. The AZ contains ample space to set up on a dis-used roadbed with decent cell coverage for spotting.

From Oregon Hwy. 34, proceed west of Alsea. You will enter the Siuslaw National Forest. Driving directions are as follows:

The description by NR7Y is still accurate in 2024 for the approach from the south.  I had some difficulty finding the correct road to the gate.  Here is a gps track to the gate:  

http://www.pnwsota.org/content/w7onc-007-drive-route