Bill's writeup for Cougar might instill fear to those activators who refuse to drive through open gates. Fortunately, there is a gateless route that makes this a pretty easy-to-access peak, and it deserves some more activations.
The gate-free route also applies to nc122 and Cole nc056; all 3 are easily accomplished in a day, and are Prius-able if you are willing to drive about 30 miles of gravel total.
Peak 1980 is on Washington State DNR land approximately 1 hour, 15 minutes north of the Portland Metro area and about 6 miles south of Cougar, WA. This land requires a WA Discovery Pass.
The summit is a drive-up, but the last .75 miles is rough and a mid-clearance vehicle with AWD or better is recommended. See SOTL.AS or Sota Maps for the route GPX file. The roads in this area are not well mapped on other services and are being worked on by WA State DNR.
NOTE: The historical trailhead north of the fire station on Salmon la Sac road was closed to public access during 2024. This is an alternative route that can be used when USFS roads are still snow bound.
This write up is not intended to be a complete route description for Hex Mountain. The main purpose is to highlight an alternate way to access the Hex Mountain trail that we believe does not cross private property.
After sleuthing some maps in Gaia GPS, a means of access was determined for Green Mountain. It should be noted that most mapping sites do not have good or accurate maps for this area. Prior reports cast some doubt but the route provided is all on public land, Washington DNR to be specific. On my trip, the outer gate was locked but the land is not signed as prohibited for access, so i hoofed it in. If you park at the gate, don't block it and bring your Discover Pass.
See KJ7LSM's nice writeup of this summit. I'll only add that, in March 2025, the gate to the last leg of the road is closed (see the southernmost point of the hike,below, resulting in an 800 foot, 1.7 mile walk up the remaining gravel road. There's room for one or two vehicles at the Y in the road while still providing passage if someone with access wants to pass through the gate.
Directions to the trailhead
First-ever activation? Wait, isn't that private property? The answer to both of those questions is YES. But let me tell you a quick story...
The hike to Bob’s has almost doubled. From just over 3 mi RT to just over 6 mi RT. Elevation gain increased 400ft from 1100 to 1500. The Washington DNR has placed a new gate at 45.64596, -122.20734. There was no signage and I am not sure if the gate will always be closed. But seems prudent to plan on the longer hike. There is plenty of parking near the gate. Hopefully this will cut down on the amount of trash on the hill, which was always the down side of doing this peak.
For my first activation in the Pacific Northwest, I chose South Tiger Mountain. It was a "suggested first summit," a short drive from home, and a relatively easy hike. It was also a 2-pointer, another first for me.