K7ATN's blog

A 'sorta' near drive-up in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest north of Carson. You can drive within a mile of this unremarkable peak and likely have a nice quiet time playing radio.

Any opportunity to hike the Pacific Crest Trail for SOTA is a welcome one - and this may be one of the best we've experienced of this lovely national treasure of a trail. While only a bit less than five miles round trip and 1000 feet of gain, there is a challenging steep bushwack (Mode Sanglier - On!) that takes a bit of the shine off of the trail experience. A GPS will be important to successfully identifying the edge of the AZ.

Aldrich Mountain in Grant County has two fairly accessible summits that make a nice pair to activate as part of the same day trip.  These include Aldrich Mountain (W7O/NE-054) and 6401 (W7O/NE-205).  Both are 6-point and located in the far western part of the Malheur National Forest, with access from Hwy 26 and Forest Routes 21 (Field Creek Rd) and 2150.  Route 21 is paved while 2150 is a well-maintained gravel road.  Plan for a 15 mile drive on 2150.  There are campgrounds in the area.  

See https://www.oregonhikers.org/field_guide/Steamboat_Mountain_Hike.

Flattop Mountain is a drive-up for those with capable high clearance vehicles. And maybe for those ready to buy new tires - which was required of us - as the road was steep with sharp rocks.

Here's a nice summit with a trail to the top, about 5 miles RT and more elevation gain that you might have wanted at 1800 feet - but know that it's worth it. A bit obscure perhaps outside of huckleberry season, you might not see many folks at other times. The views of Mt. Adams are fabulous. 

Starting from the High Prairie trailhead for Lookout by KI7EMX Mountain,  https://www.oregonhikers.org/field_guide/High_Prairie_Trailhead head west on Bennett Pass Road from the Lookout Mountain “T” intersection.

An easy road walk of a half-mile will take you to this summit. Of course, the road to get to the road walk is only suitable for vehicles with above average clearance.  

This is a bushwack - not too long - but through a cluttered forest floor with lots of vines, branches and logs to trip you up - so that you might wish it were shorter. Out of the way on the South Coast near Port Orford, it will not likely see much traffic as the relatively close by Humbug Mountain W7O/SC-192 features a nice trail all the way to the top. The forest road to Father Mountain will probably accommodate a thoughtfully-driven passenger car, but I wouldn't say it was Priusable.

Here's one of Oregon's most approachable ten-point summits.