Decent tree cover for most of the trail

Wildcat Mountain | November 2020

Summit

Short Version - Wildcat Mountain is only an hour from Portland. You can drive to the trailhead and the two-ish mile hike along a well-maintained, if not well-marked, trail gets you to a small clearing on a summit with wire-ready trees. APRS messaging and 2M FM contacts are both easy and it is a good location for working HF. You are unlikely to be alone, as the Douglas and 781 trails are quite popular; if you like solitude, get there early. And be prepared for snow, even in early November.

"3842", OR November 2020

Summit

This was one of three summits outside of the town of Rogue River I did in a day. Decent road going up to trail and large pit, shooting area to park at. You just take Savage Cr Rd which will turn into a gravel BLM road. There is a blocked road going up to the summit but I chose a foot path going straight up. It was a nice trail, old jeep road that narrowed towards the top. The summit is well forested, easy to figure a set up point but no real view.

Blue Nose - Idaho/Montana 13July2020

Summit

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

Smith Rock/Rustler, OR Oct 2020

 This summary is for two summits...Joell, KJ7GFN and I started our SOTA trip about 1.5 hrs before daylight, I was hoping to get to the first summit, Smith Rock (also Sky Lakes Wilderness for WWFF), while dx was still happening to EU. We dressed preparing for a freezing morning, forecast was at 20-25f low in the area, figured even cooler at 6000'. I wore the warmest of everything I had since I get cold very easily. But we were fooled! Some sort of an inversion in the mountains was happening and I am guessing it was more around 50-55!

Montana - Petty Mountain 25September2019

Summit

You are entering bighorn sheep range in this summit’s area.  Two trail options are available.  Both are great trail hikes all the way to the summit.  The dry environment of this area makes it a good early Spring or late Fall season hike.  Wind can be challenging on the upper grassland

Montana - Cinnabar Point - 22Sptember2019

Summit

Cinnabar Point is currently a mature lodgepole forest on a rolling summit.  In the 1980s the summit sported a dilapidated pole tower structure that may have been used as a lookout, but has since fallen and rotted.  It is an easy mountain bike ride up a permanently closed road and then a short climbing trail to an off-trail gradual assent to the summit.