Table Rock, near Silver Lake, OR, is a distinctive flat topped butte that is visible for many miles away. It is a four point summit at 5621’ asl, that can be a drive up if you have a high clearance, 4x4 vehicle and some nerve. Its south central OR location is fairly remote, but I think it is worth the drive. My XYL, Christina, did most of the driving.
Peak 2445 - just another nondescript peak in Oregon’s Coastal Range, or is it? It turns out that this is an easy drive-up peak a little more than a half hour’s drive west of Forest Grove and should be considered a good peak for SOTA beginners.
Birkenfeld Mountain is a summit that can be done as part of a challenging three peak traverse that would include Three Corner Rock-W7W/LC-101 and Greenleaf Peak-W7W/LC-104. Or Three Corner and Birkenfeld and back the way you came - those two summits make for a 10 mile day.
Park is closed until further notice due to a failed footbridge on the trail. There is no estimated date for reopening at this time. Park staff are assessing options for repair.
Mill Creek Buttes West is east of Mount Hood and inside the boundary for The Dalles Watershed. It is posted "NO TRESPASSING" and should not be activated. Nearby Lookout Mountain, W7O/CN-008 is a good choice.
Seeing that this is one of the closest, biggest peaks to the QTH, it was a no-brainer that we would make this an early target for our newfound SOTA fascination. On a nice Sunday afternoon, the sudden call was made that we should load up the Jeep and make the scramble up the hill.
Mount Sylvania is a suburban drive-up site in Lake Oswego with nearly panoramic views of the West Hills, Portland, and points eastward. Directional antennas up though microwave bands do well at this site. Despite its dense residential neighborhood setting the RX noise levels observed were low. A weather station and several vertical antennas are on the summit, but I did not observe these to create any tx/rx issues on any bands I tried.
Wind Mountain is a nice hike in the Gorge with good views (in clear weather). It's about 2.5 miles round-trip and 1000 feet of gain. There's no pass required at the trailhead and it's often less busy than nearby Dog Mountain.
Head east on Highway 14 from Stevenson, Washington about 6.2 miles to Home Valley. Then turn onto Wind Mountain Road for 1.0 miles to turn right onto Girl Scout Road and go about 0.6 miles. This leads to a large dirt parking area at the end of the paving near 45.7145°, -121.7533°. This is usually the best place to park.
5.8 miles, 3,200 ft
Beartooth WMA – Open May 15 - December 2
Directions (From Wolf Creek – North of Helena):
· Drive north & west – cross bridge over Missouri River
· Turn right (south) – drive up river to Holter Dam, then continue south along Holter Lake.
· Continue on to the Beartooth WMA (Wildlife Management Area)
Drive-Up in Summer, Ski or Snowshoe up in Winter
Directions (should be drivable by mid-late June):