This peak is on Stimson Lumber land. Fortunately they allow non-motorized public access, dawn til dusk, with no permit required. There are a few caveats to be aware of (no fires, no e-bikes, no drones, and more). For details, and to make sure this tract is still open when you plan your visit, look for the "Stimson’s Public Access Policy" PDF on their site, linked from this page:
Parking for Monument Peak summit (aka Peak 4740) is on Monument Peak Road (MPR) about 7.5 miles up from the Monument Peak Trailhead at the south end of Gates School Road. Gates School Road is at milepost 33 on OR-22 east of Salem. I recommend parking here: (44.6966, -122.3343), the junction of MPR and what is now a washed out logging road - 2WD vehicles need not apply.
While in the Tri-Cities area for a family event, was able to activate Badger mountain later in the afternoon. The trail is very open, and would be very hot during the middle of summer days. In the evening, there were many people using the trail. Since the trail is so open, I enjoyed the views for miles around and seeing the Tri-Cities from a different perspective.
For Mother's Day 2019, was able to blend a family hike and very quick SOTA activation. Activating Guemes Island includes a short ferry ride from Anacortes, and shorter hike (2.2m round-trip) with minor elevation gain (~587 ft). The summit area has great views, and has both a great open space along with areas of trees for antenna's and/or holding a mast. No pass is required at the trailhead, but there is limited parking for ~4 cars.
Park Butte was one of my favorite hikes this year, and is a 6 point summit located near Mount Baker in Whatcom County, WA. Thank you to Todd W7TAO for his YouTube SOTA videos, which sparked my interest activating. Definitely enjoyed hiking near Mt Baker, the views, and activating near the lookout. Since it is a heavily trafficked trail, this was mid-week activation.
2018 Discovery View Hill is a drive-up 2 point summit SW of Sequim. While visiting family in the area, I was looking for a quick activation option in 2018. Since 2018, more of the summit has been logged and the views were amazing from the south side. You are able to see buildings from downtown Seattle, and have great radio line-of-sight to the Puget Sound and Canada.
There have been quite a few activations for this 1 point summit in Snohomish County near Sultan, WA... With it staying light much later, decided to try an after work activation.
Iron Mountain is located east of Sweet Home, Oregon and is a very popular hike so expect a number of other hikers, especially on a weekend. TH parking may be challenging when it's busy.
There is a new, large observation platform built where the old firetowers used to be. This summit is quite exposed if the wind is blowing. The vistas are superb with precipitous dropoffs to the south and east. The trail is 2.4 miles RT and 700 feet gain.