Good Parking At Trailhead

I've had my eye on Elizabeth Ridge since first noticing it two years ago during an activation of nearby Tolmie Peak (W7W/RS-035). This 5,500' summit rises sharply just across the road from the trail head one takes to Tolmie Peak. Starting at the road in front of Mowich Lake, the summit is only 500' vertically, but this is over a distance of 0.3 to 0.4 miles. This could be a short (but not necessarily quick and easy) hike during the summer after doing Tolmie Peak. A winter or spring activation adds 4.5 miles (each way) and 1200' of elevation because the road is closed and snow covered.

Timber Butte is a 2 point, 3650' asl summit about 19 miles north of Lowell, OR.  It is crowned by a converted lookout tower. This converted structure is available as a rental cabin, which is available for rent on a daily basis from mid May through mid September.A gate blocks the road up to the cabin/summit.  The walk up is about a mile and rises about 350'. The renters will usually lock the gate while they are at the cabin.  You may be able to negotiate with them to activate at the cabin or down the hill a bit in the activation zone.  Then again, maybe not.

Three Wild Turkey Winners!

Three Wild Turkey Winners! On a springtime outing to the Spokane, Washington region, we activated three (3) SOTA Summits in the mountains north of the City of Spokane.  The reference to Wild Turkeys is on account of seeing numerous of the large wild birds that almost became the National Symbol of USA.  See: http://www.nwf.org/News-and-Magazines/National-Wildlife/Birds/Archives/2007/Americas-First-Bird-Controve

I activated Holland Point, W7O/WV-017, on 13 May 2016. This is typically an easy hike to the top of the 1542 m (5057') Cascade foothill south of Cottage Grove, OR.  The directions are given below.  However, there can be obstacles early in the season before crews have cleared downed trees from the roads.  That was the problem I ran into.  There were downed trees not only on the gravel approach road, but on the paved through route that gets there.  There were patches of snow as well.

Springtime dandy in Central Washington Cascade Mountains!  A weekday (Friday) activation of Granite Mountain, together with Tim Nair, KG7EJT.  Granite Mountain, 5,629 feet elevation, with 3,800 feet elevation gain and 8.6 miles RT, is located near the Denny Creek area, off exit 74, I-90, near Snoqualmie Pass.  Tim and I had previously Activated Granite Mountain during the winter of 2015.  This time we also had great weather, some mushy snow slogging, stupendous views and inquisitive hiker

Wind Mountain is a great hike with fantastic views near Hood River Oregon.  It is on the Washington State side of the river so your will need to cross the toll bridge to the Washington side if you are coming from Hood River, OR.

The toll is $1 I think and is well worth the price of admission for Wind Mountain.  You will pass the parking for Dog Mtn on the way to Wind Mtn if coming from Hood River.  Dog Mtn is another popular hike to a SOTA summit.

One of a couple Squaw Butte's in Idaho, this one near Emmett Idaho was activated on a pleasant Spring day.  Heading North out of Emmett Idaho, you can connect to a dirt road that leads you to the top of "Squaw Butte".  However, the highpoint is about a 2 mile hike from where most passenger cars will need to park.

Crown Butte is one of several laccoliths that protrude from the prairie south west of Great Falls.  It is the smaller cousin of the nearby Square Butte, which figures so famously in Charlie Russell paintings.  The butte is primarily owned by the Nature Conservancy, as a preserve for native prairie grasses.  The summit grasses have been well protected from civilization by the ring of surrounding cliffs.  The Nature Conservancy allows public access, and no notification is required.  Pets, camping, fires, and mountain bikes are not allowed.  The access road and th

After wanting to get started activating peaks under the SOTA program, a push from Brett, KG7FFW got both of us out to do our first activation at Three Lakes Hill on Tuesday the 26th of April.  A frustrating discovery that there were no good place to park that did not require a Discovery Pass, forced a quick trip into Monroe to purchase one. Upon returning, we discovered that someone had spread nails all about the parking area.