Trail requires special care due to difficult or technical obstacles

Drake Peak, OR | Sep 2013

Summit

Follow the directions to the Drake Peak Lookout that is located on Light Peak W7O/CE-004. Head up on foot the 1/3 mile towards Light Peak and watch for the faint road heading east just below the summit.  This is a cross-country route of about 3 miles RT. A GPS may be very useful to find the peak. Although it may look shorter to veer off the road on the return trip to slightly shorten the trip, I'd suggest staying with the road. The rocky peak has a few small trees for supporting poles and antennas.

Red Cone, OR | June 2017

Summit

Here's another summit in Crater Lake National Park that accessed with a cross-country hike. The easiest ridge for ascent is near the angle of repose with loose red pumice-like scree on the upper slopes, giving Red Cone its name. Although only about 2.5 miles round trip, half of the 600 feet of gain is in the last quarter mile.

Beaver Point, OR | July 2019

Summit

A friend of mine wanted to try a new, never before activated summit to start off his SOTA career and bring me along as his guide. Doing some preliminary research, this looked very much like a summit that would be very difficult to impossible to reach. From Google Maps, it wasn't too far from the road to the summit, but checking Google Earth, I could see that it was really going to be a steep climb for the initial part of it and through what looks like dense forest. I wasn't expecting that we would be successful. Luckily, I was wrong.

Lone Butte, WA | November 2019

Summit

Lone Butte is a "small" hill in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. It is easily accessible from the Columbia River Gorge via Wind River and NF30, or from I-5 up the Lewis River Hwy to Northwoods and then NF90/Curly Creek Rd. (which connectes to NF30). There is a large area for parking where road 401 cuts to the West. If you aren't particular about your vehicles paint, the road is driveable to an old rock quarry at the west end of Lone Butte, there are some ruts a short way into the road, but they are easy to straddle and most any vehicle could make it past.

Peak 2260, OR | November 2019

Summit

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.

Mt Carrie, WA 11-2019

Summit

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. 

Milk Shakes West, OR | September 2019

Summit

If you want to practice being a mountain goat, this is the summit for you. This peak is technically in NE Oregon, but you drive there from Eastern Washington. The access road near the summit is better suited for high clearance vehicles and has space for 1 car to park. From there you will need to traverse to the summit without a trail up some very steep terrain. You can navigate around the treed sections easily, so although it is very steep with delicate footing, you won’t have to bushwhack.

Eagle Cap, OR | September 2019

Summit

Eagle Cap is a gem of the Eagle Cap Wilderness of the Wallowa Mountains of Northeast Oregon. We approached from Lostine, Oregon for a total hike of about 20 miles (32km) round trip and 4,000 feet of gain (1220m). The trail is rocky in places and often steep. We enjoyed an overnight stay in the Lakes Basin with a side trip to Eagle Cap. Only some of the 19 ten-point summits in the Wallowas have an established trail - this peak is very approachable, despite the long hike required.

Spanish Peak, Oregon | July 2019

Summit

Spanish Peak is a rough road to a gorgeous 360 view of the Ochoco National Forest and John Day valley. The last half mile to the summit is especially white knuckle as you drive up a road barely wide enough for you car with a steep drop off to the left. But once you're there, the view is amazing! You'll drive past and above the radio tower to the remnants of an old fire lookout. There's plenty of space to park and turn around on the top. Very few trees up there and some steep drop offs, especially to the North.