Trail contains no technical obstacles
Another no-name summit with a pretty good view. Takes a decent drive to get up there. Short hike up an old logging road. Some of the area is thick with Oregon grape and brush but there is a clearing that made set up easy. There may be other options further down the road to access too but I didn't explore.
This was an easy summit I was surprised I could get to and that it had not been done already. Some of the BLM land in this area is somwhat landlocked by private land and I was anticipating the same for this one but you could drive almost to the summit. Just before you reach the summit take the the time to go to the right to a clearing that looks over Sterling Creek area and you can see the beautiful Red Buttes. Great park like area to work from that is pretty flat with tall timber and some big logs to sit on. There is a jeep road that is not on maps that goes to the top.
Indian Post Office is an intriguing name given to a rounded high point qualifying as a SOTA summit along the Nee Me Poo, a trail of the Nez Perce and the Lewis and Clark trail. I searched the few vertical rock outcrops looking for what I thought might be pictographs or petroglyphs. I found neither. I did see a large rock cairn linked to folklore.
This summit is just off the Lolo Motorway that roughly follows along the Nee Me Poo Trail of the Nez Perce and the Lewis and Clark Trail. The Lolo Motorway, USFS #500 is a narrow mostly ridgetop road built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. It provides access to over a dozen SOTA summits along its route that are mostly a short hike.
There are already a couple blogs for Fielder but I wanted to add a few pics. The first time I went up with quantity on my mind-at least one more summit to do for the day and did not take the time to go to the equipment area and see the spectacular view. Yes this can be a drive up summit on a good day, but be sure to take the stroll to the edge! Great view clear to California snow capped summits and of Grants Pass, Rogue River, and the Rogue River.
We had one foot of snow that prevented us from driving to the very top. Nice little hike.
de AG7GP
Hauk Butte is a 9.5-mile RT hike with ~2000 ft gain located Northeast of Dog Mountain and Augspurger Mountain north of the Columbia River. Reaching the summit is possible entirely on logging roads, which go right up to the exact SOTA summit. At the summit, you are surrounded by trees on each side of the road as the summit has not yet been logged. This came in handy when I activated during 20-30 mph winds: the trees made a good wind break. This would be a good mountain bike activation.
I thought I should write up a current summary on Roxy since one has not been done for quite some years and the area has changed. Roxy is the closest summit to my home qth and I enjoy the hike more each time I go up. It is a popular hiking and jogging area especially in the warmer months.
Shingle Mountain summit is a 5-mile out and back hike located Northeast of Dog Mountain and Augspurger Mountain north of the Columbia River accessed from a national forest road just before reaching the Moss Creek Campground. I marked both “Easy Trail” and “Treacherous Trial” above because like many SOTA summits, you get both on this one. You are rewarded at the top with a very pleasant activation area with a clearing at the summit and a view south.
1.6-miles, +821 ft, -160 ft
The Devils Tower hike is a beautiful one that climbs a series of benches through open range and timber. It is nicest in the spring, before it gets too hot. The summit offers panoramic views of the Gates of the Mountains Wilderness, the Helena Valley, and the surrounding mountains.
