Good Views From Summit

This was #3 of 3 outside of the town of Rogue River I did on a day trip. This was quite a climb but not as bad as the one prior (W7O/SC-229). The hill is steep with no trail other than by wildlife but there is quite a bit of open, grassy, pine needled areas rather than brush and rock like the first two today. There was a lot of bear sign up here but I did not see any. Due to time (and bears), I did not go to the very top but activated in the AZ on the SW facing side that was very open and had a great view of Applegate Valley.

Blue Nose is a US Forest Service Lookout built in 1934.  The structure still exists. From the summit are good views of the steep slopes of the Salmon River Canyon and high summits of the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness. The final access road is a bit steep and rough.  It is an OK drive-up for a ‘high clearance’ vehicle, ATV or a mountain bike. 

The summit is on the Idaho/Montana border. There are several summits along the roads in this area for multiple summit days, provided one is camped nearby. 

This is a burned-over flat-summit on the Idaho/Montana Border.  Access is via an obscure 4x4 road that takes off to the north from FS#038.  Along this road after several hundred feet is a flatten area used as a dispersed campsite most commonly in hunting season.  Beyond this area the road becomes an ATV track weaving through a snag forest and leading to the summit. 

There are many snags to hang wire antennas. 

This un-named summit on the Idaho/Montana Border has similar views as Skookum Butte Lookout to the east 1.5 miles.  The route also has good views looking down on Granite Lake.  Distance views are peaks in the Selway Bitterroot Wilderness.  It combines a vehicle drive, mountain bike road, a hiking trail and off-trail hike.  Moose can be spotted grazing in the willow bottoms or lake shore in this area.   

From Pocatello ID, take I-15 South 25 miles until you see the McCammon/Lava Hot Springs exit on St. Hwy 30.  Head east on Hwy 30 past Lava Hot Springs and continue over Fish Creek Pass towards Soda Springs ID. At the bottom of the pass you will see Lund Rd.  crossing Hwy 30, go right on Lund and head South for approx. 1/2 a mile . You will come to a T in the road. Turn left and head East on Lund Rd. You will come to Central Rd.

This Idaho/Montana border summit is an easy ‘walk-up’ from US Forest Service Road #044.  The summit is on the Idaho/Montana border.  From the summit are good views of the steep slopes of the Salmon River Canyon and high summits in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness. There are several summits along this road for multiple summit days, provided one is camped nearby.  Road 044 and side roads are popular ATV travel routes.

Elk Mountain is a short scramble off a good US Forest Service road.  The scramble is mostly on a ridge through an old clearcut that has in places heavy ceanothus brush.  Wood ticks can be abundant in the spring. 

There are scattered trees on the summit to suspend wire antennas.

At the parking area there is a game trail paralleling and on the north side of an old skid road.  It provides good access through the ceanothuse bush field after it crosses the old skid trail.  From there it is a steeper scramble to the summit. 

Camelback Mountain is accessible by taking Pocatello Crk Rd (in Pocatello) east until you see Park Rd just East of the KOA campground.  Park Rd connects Pocatello Crk Rd to West Buckskin Rd.  Go East on West Buckskin Rd.  Camelback is a BLM landlocked summit.  The only public access is on W. Buckskin Rd located at 42.86979  -112.35881 There is barely enough room for two cars on the side of the road across from  a private residence. There is a BLM pin but it is hard to find..it is there though ...I found it..

Between October 21 and October 30, 2020, we visited the Sunriver / Bend areas of Oregon.  The cold but clear weather allowed us to Activate 8 SOTA summits in 6 outings.  This report is one of a series, and deals with the Activation of Pine Mountain, W7O/CE-058.  On the same day, a few hours later, we also Activated Pine Benchmark, W7O/CE-068, which lies approximately 1.6 miles NW of Pine Mountain.  That Activation will be subject of separate report.

Haystack Mountain is one of several SOTA summits near the Magruder Corridor.  This road divides some of the most wild-country in Idaho, the Selway Bitterroot and Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness areas.   A trail system FS#26, and a non-system hunter trail is near the summit however it is much shorter to just bushwhack from the road through mostly open forest.  Only a short obstacle of downed trees slows the otherwise easy hike.