Thinly Forested Summit

Poly Top Butte is a good second summit to add on a trip to China Hat W7O/CE-053. Here’s a few notes from my activation:

If you’re driving to this area from Bend, I recommend that you take Hwy 97 south to La Pine and then take primary Forest Route 22 (paved) east to meet China Hat Rd (Rt 18).  This way you’ll stay more on paved roadways.  If you come straight down China Hat Rd from Bend, expect a long, dusty, and very bumpy ride.  While China Hat Rd is wide and graveled, it is heavily used and there’s significant washboarding.

Camel Hump is a summit out of St. Regis, Montana on the Interstate 90. From St. Regis you have about a 7 mile drive on paved roads, then about a 6.5 mile drive up Forest Service road 3800. At that point you encounter a closed gate but it's an easy 1 mile walk to the summit from here. Please refer to my saved map in the link below. You do not need a four wheel drive on this road, any car can make it easily.