Decent tree cover for most of the trail
I was looking for a reasonably tough snowshoe that could be accomplished in a day, and with few bonus point opportunities, and only so many sno parks, I kept coming back to my favorite mountains from last year. I decided to give this a try, and all things considered it went very well.
North Grand Ridge is an easy summit to activate with a short (3.4 mile RT, ~600' elevation gain). The summit might be considered part of the "Issaquah Alps" series of summits that include Tiger Mountain, West Tiger Mountain, South Tiger Mountain, Taylor Mountain, and Rattle Snake Mountain. This report provides details on how to legally access the activation zone (AZ) and summit.
Update February 2021 - Lost Dog Road is now gated with no motorized vehicles allowed. It's only a one mile road walk to the AZ.
This is a very much out of the way summit, along Highway 101 on the Oregon Coast, about 14 miles north of Bandon. Note that there are other Peak 740 in Oregon - make sure this one is your intended peak.
NOTE in January 2021 there was a NO TRESPASSING sign posted on the Stimson Gate Placard. See photo below.
There are FOUR Wildcat Mountains in Oregon, so be sure you want the North Coast version south of Highway 26. The road to the trailhead is short and easy in any passenger vehicle, there's a good spot to park, and summit is in the Tillamook Forest, although the shortest access crosses private timberland. The hike is about 1.5 miles one way, and 400 vertical feet gain. This description I consider the 'no bushwack' version.
This is a drive-up summit near Tillamook in the Coast Range. Don't confuse this Peak 2260 with the other that shares it's name but is W7O/NC-101. (They are only 8 miles apart.)
Take Mills Bridge Road south from Highway 6 about 3.2 miles. You'll stay on the main track as you ascend this steep rocky road. You should be able to drive in a passenger car as long as it can handle a steep, rough grade.
Nov 2, 2019 was the perfect day for climbing Mt. Carrie. The weather was cool and clear. Some snow up above Heart lake, but the Cat Walk (the unmaintained trail and scramble east of Heart Lake) was free of snow. That area would be very challenging with snow, and an ice axe and crampons would be a must.
With the first four peaks in Cascades North being activated, I decided I needed to hatch a plan to hit the next two. This summit is over 8 miles from the nearest trailhead and 4500 feet of gain, and it's almost 5000 feet of gain from our trailhead, so I recommend doing it as an overnight. We activated this peak in conjunction with South Cinder, W7O/CN-005, and I strongly recommend if you put in the effort to do one that you make time for the other.
With the first four peaks in Cascades North being activated, I decided I needed to hatch a plan to hit the next two. This summit is over 7 miles from the nearest trailhead and 3300 feet of gain, and it's 4000 feet of gain from our trailhead, so I recommend doing it as an overnight. We activated this peak in conjunction with North Cinder, W7O/CN-006, and I strongly recommend if you put in the effort to do one that you make time for the other.
We didn't see any swamps, and it certainly wasn't swamped with people!
Getting to the trailhead was straighforward by following the directions at https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/willamette/recarea/?recid=80972.
Today's attempted activation of Wilderness Peak W7W/KG-132 was my second attempt at my first SOTA activation. My cousin and I have been hiking all summer on various trails between Lake Washington and Snoqualmie Pass. In the last few weeks I've decided that I'd give SOTA a try. We made it up to the top of Wilderness Peak today where I was stymied by steady rain and radio problems. I called it a bust and will try again in a few weeks.