Trailhead has ample, free, accessible parking
This is another summit I activated with my mountain bike and in this case that turned out to be a mistake as the bushwhack to the top is very steep, very thick, and not at all fun to do in bike shorts and shoes with spd cleats in them.
Start at the Lewisburg Saddle in the OSU research forest. Hike the Vineyard Mountain Trail shown on the maps provided at the trailhead or you can walk the Nettleton road. Trail was by far the better choice. while hiking you will pass mountain bikers on the way down as well as other hikers and this trip we came across some horseback riders. Roughly 2.5 miles to the summit. you can either go through the gate on the right side at the end of the trail and walk to the top past a private house. End of the road is a gate to the tower site. No trespassing signs are visible.
Dean Mountain, also labeled on some maps "Dear Mountain", as in Dear Mountain it's been such a long time, sorry I haven't written.
Vineyard Mountain is 2 miles north of Corvallis, OR. Its an easy,
summit for beginners.
From Corvallis, travel north on OR-99W till reaching the "City
Limits Store" at Lewisburg (red light). Turn left onto Lewisburg Rd.
for 1.3 miles. Then, take the right side fork onto Sulfur Springs Rd.
Go another 1.3 mi up to Lewisburg Saddle. At the Saddle, there is
parking for maybe a dozen cars. It's a popular and crowded place.
Go slow near there.
From the trailhead at the Saddle, head NNW on Nettleton Rd. #500.
Overview:
On a clear, calm day with smoke creeping in from eastern fires, I set out to activate Winchester Mountain (W7W/WH-122) and 30.06 Peak, also known as Bear Mountain (W7W/WH-123). This report details the equipment used, trail conditions, band conditions, and memorable moments from both activations.
Weather and Views:
Heading into the 2024 W7O Campout weekend, I was 36 points shy of Mountain Goat. K6ARK and I hit some strategic drive ups on the way down for 10 points, and then knocked out 24 points on the Siskiyou Crest. That left me at 998 points going into Saturday. I didn't want to activate just any summit for my MG, I wanted something that called back to the mountaineering I was doing when I first got licensed and learned of SOTA.
Summary - Table Rock from the Rooster Rock trailhead is an adventure hike: rough trail, one bog, some very steep sections, a bit of bushwhacking and route finding. The hike, which climbs to Rooster Rock and then traverses the ridge to Table Rock is 8.5mi round trip with 3000ft of up, is probably not for the faint of heart.
This summit is a complete Priusable drive up. The actual summit is a few hundred feet distant with about 40 feet of gain, so the road is in the activation zone. Getting to the top is an easy bushwhack through recently logged open forest. To get there find the Mckenzie River and highway 126 whch runs along it.
Turn off of the highway 126 at 44.2371, -122.05542 onto NF-2654 which is paved for a while.
Take a right at 44.2502, -122.0607 to cross Deer Creek.
Take another right onto NF-2655 at 44.2554, -122.0577.
Final right at 44.2584, -122.05348 onto 616.
USFS-Yakima Tribal lands bisect this summit. Activate to the west to be on USFS properties. See the attached map. Beautiful views of Mt Adams to the north but an exposed summit, i.e. can be windy.
