I was looking for a reasonably tough snowshoe that could be accomplished in a day, and with few bonus point opportunities, and only so many sno parks, I kept coming back to my favorite mountains from last year. I decided to give this a try, and all things considered it went very well.
Cole Mountain is a drive-up in the Coast Range south of Highway 26 off of Highway 53. The road is passable in any passenger car and it's a radio quiet spot.
We might call this Peterson Summit rather than Peak 1700 - it's a drive-up in the Coast Range about 20 miles north of Tillamook and 20 miles south of Cannon Beach. The road is totally "Prius-able" (passable in a passenger car).
From Highway 53 - the Necanicum Highway make your way to Mohler, Oregon. From the north, turn east just before the bridge over the Nehalem River, from the south, turn east just after the bridge onto Miami-Foley Road. After about one mile, continue east onto Foss Road. After about two miles, turn north onto Peterson Road.
1.3 mi, +680 feet
This is a good early season summit and is also suitable for bicycle access.