Good Parking At Trailhead

For Thanksgiving this year, we drove to Yakima to visit with family and the day after my Dad and I drove up to Rattler Benchmark.  Starting in Selah, we took N Wenas Rd turning right on Sheep Company Rd up to where it turns (46.778909, -120.563142) to become Bell Telephone Rd (going straight eventually leads you to Gracie Pt aka W7W/CW-096, see my report here).  This is a goat trail with many ruts and requires steady nerves and high clearance.  Fortunately, my Dad has both.  This ro

Beartrap Ridge is a sparsely treed summit having spectacular views of the steep landscape into Owl Creek and the Salmon River. Adding to the view are large wildfire patterns of the mid- 2000’s and exposed geology. The summit is an old lookout site dating to 1919. The only remains of the 1935 lookout are the rock base outline and some rusty stove and other metal remnants. The lookout and outbuilding burned in the 290,000-acre Mustang Complex Fire in 2012.    

This is a drive-up summit into the activation zone.  A couple of concrete blocks and a tall steel antenna mast indicate the site was a possible old Timber Company repeater station when the land was under different ownership. The summit ownership is now US Forest Service. The road access is good for most vehicles down to a ‘Subaru-class’.  Some maps and web descriptions term this summit Lolo Springs Lookout.

Drive-up: The access road terminates within the activation zone and an 80’ walk tops the summit.

Elevation gain from vehicle: Less than 40’

A near drive-up summit in the Coast Range. From Highway 36 around Milepost 20, take  BLM 17-8-31 Road, (Near 44.11999,-123.64626 and 17445 Oregon 36, Deadwood, Oregon).

Travel 4.2 miles on this Priusable gravel road and park when 0.2 miles from summit and walk up the road shown in the first photo. At the summit are remains of a fire lookout (see photos):
https://oregonlookouts.weebly.com/windy-peak.html

A near drive-up summit in the Coast Range. From Highway 36 near Milepost 18, take paved Nelson Mountain Road east. When the pavement ends just before 3 miles, turn uphill to stay on Nelson Mountain Road (my GPS called it Chickahominy). Do not go through the yellow gate - that's the 17-8-14 Road. Continue up to just past the 4 mile sign at a four way intersection turn right onto Walker Point Road. Go 3.2 miles on Walker Pt Road, Head up to a yellow gate about 0.1 miles from the summit and go on foot into the AZ. I activated near some spur roads off the summit to avoid any RFI.

This unnamed summit is a bald rocky grassland overlooking a large mostly roadless area (Allan Mountain 01946) and the southern end of the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness Area. It has a very good trail, FS #178 due in part to regular trail maintenance through a huge amount of fire-killed fallen trees. The hike also travels through large southerly-aspect grassland-slopes that could be quite warm during mid-day summer months.

Snags are available around the summit for hanging wire antennas.

FS #728 is a good road suitable for all highway type vehicles to the trailhead. 

Saddle Mountain is near the Lost Trail Pass Ski Area. The SOTA summit access road serves the upper facilities of the ski area. A high clearance vehicle can drive to within 0.25 miles of the summit. The summit has good views. It is very open and rocky with limited space for long wire antennas. 

Trail miles: 0.5 roundtrip

Elevation gain: 140’

Water:  Available at the Rest Area at Lost Trail Pass, Highway #93. None along the access road or summit.

4.9 miles, +2,632 ft, -124 ft; Nice Hike

Driving Directions from Ovando, MT

Pansy Mountain has not been activated since the 2021 fires.  I originally intended to do both Pansy Mountain and Bull of the Woods, but I did not get an early enough start for a late autumn hike.  Getting there is straight forward.  A high clearance vehicle is helpful for a couple of sections, but it is probably not absolutely necessary.  Follow the directions from the Forest Service:

https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/mthood/recarea/?recid=52988

28Dec2023:  Active logging has begun in this area.