Blogs

Spent the weekend at Eagle Crest just outside Redmond, Oregon and decided to activate Cline Butte which is nearby on MLK Day.  Left the trailhead at 08:00 with very cold (25 degrees) clear conditions with patches of snow on the ground.  Followed a road most of the way to the top then cut off on a jeep trail the remainder of the way.  Trip up is a little less than a mile with a 800 ft elevation gain.  I added a map from Google Earth with the route I took up.

Activated W7I/CI-139 Kimama Butte on 7 Jan 2013 on the way to SLC for work.  Kimama Butte is the remnant of an old volcanic hill located 21 miles SE of Craters of the Moon NP and 16 miles north of Burley, Idaho.  For those who study tectonic plate movement, Yellowstone was here 8 million years ago.  Acces via N1150W off I-84 and cross thru obvious cattle guard.  Drove about 200 yards in 4WD up the hill then decided to walk the rest. 

UPDATE Jan 2022 - The hours for Bald Peak State Scenic Park have changed. The park will close at 4pm in the winter and somewhat later in other seasons. The park website does not show open hours. There is a sign (below) with the current hours. https://stateparks.oregon.gov/index.cfm?do=park.profile&parkId=77 

Devil's Mountain is just off I-5 as you pass through Skagit Valley, south of Mount Vernon.  It's an easy 2 pointer via a gated logging road. 

With a couple days of non-rain, I just had to get out of the house and activate a summit.  "Mt. Electric" is the first summit I've activated that wasn't a "first activation".  That said, it was about right for me at this time of year.  The drive is an easy one.  I won't go into details - but all except the last mile is on paved roads.  I've trooped around a bit in the Marckworth State Forest before, but not in this part.

Taylor and I returned to Tumalo Mountain this weekend to score a rare 6 pointer in winter, with a justified bonus. Tumalo Mountain is a strenuous, yet technically easy ascent. The trail up to the summit leaves from the Dutchman Flats Sno-Park, just north of the entrance to the Mt Bachelor ski area on Cascade Lakes Highway. Because this is a popular winter recreation area, the parking area is packed with people looking to snow-machine, ski, and snowshoe to the top.

It was a winter wonderland on Bells Mountain above 2000 feet on Christmas Eve, pleasant to look at, not too bad to hike in. Remember, it's always best to park on the right side of the gate and hike the road - it's an easy 1.6 miles to the summit.

The directions below are from Interstate 5 - some of the mileages seemed a bit off but otherwise it should get you to the gate.

2012-05-19 "Mt. Aurora" W7W/RS-045 CN97ea84

After the two forest road summits, I have looked for something similar again. I have checked out the road after Divide Ridge. Then I was able to drive up to 3360 feet. The forecast for today is very promising, but next day some rain will come.

This is the only 'drive-up' ten pointer in Oregon - but perhaps because it's eight hours from the Willamette Valley it remains a pretty quiet place. It's actually a near drive-up - the walk beyond the gate to the summit and AZ is less than a half-mile. The scenery and silence of this high desert place have made it my favorite spot in the world for more than twenty years with many trips bringing family and friends to see this place.