Pass Required at Trailhead

Peak 1980 is on Washington State DNR land approximately 1 hour, 15 minutes north of the Portland Metro area and about 6 miles south of Cougar, WA. This land requires a WA Discovery Pass.

The summit is a drive-up, but the last .75 miles is rough and a mid-clearance vehicle with AWD or better is recommended. See SOTL.AS or Sota Maps for the route GPX file.

There are a few trees remaining for a wire and open space for a vertical. I made one contact on 2m into the Portland Metro during a weekday morning using a half wave whip. You should do better on the weekend.

After sleuthing some maps in Gaia GPS, a means of access was determined for Green Mountain. It should be noted that most mapping sites do not have good or accurate maps for this area. Prior reports cast some doubt but the route provided is all on public land, Washington DNR to be specific. On my trip, the outer gate was locked but the land is not signed as prohibited for access, so i hoofed it in. If you park at the gate, don't block it and bring your Discover Pass. 

The Plan

This year I'm particularly interested in first activations. One of the few remaining unactivated peaks within a couple hours drive from Seattle was Ebey Hill near Arlington, due to the access issues described in this previous pnwSOTA post by WA7JNJ.

The hike to Bob’s has almost doubled. From just over 3 mi RT to just over 6 mi RT. Elevation gain increased 400ft from 1100 to 1500. The Washington DNR has placed a new gate at 45.64596, -122.20734. There was no signage and I am not sure if the gate will always be closed. But seems prudent to plan on the longer hike. There is plenty of parking near the gate. Hopefully this will cut down on the amount of trash on the hill, which was always the down side of doing this peak.

Just an update: the road to the trailhead has been re-gravelled since we activated in 2023.  Discovery Pass still required.

And it is possible to get closer to the summit by parking next to the electrical tower at (45.658181, -122.183540).

Bring a climbing helmet for this summit! Even under the trees, you're in the kill zone for falling rocks! 

Summary - Bird Mountain, in the Indian Heaven Wilderness, combines good trails and a steep bushwhack (not for beginners).  While makes for a longish day, link it with Lemei Rock for a two summit, twelve point outing.  The trip from Portland to the Cultus Creek Campground (day fee or pass required) is about two hours on mosly paved roads.  ATT digital service is good, as is APRS.

Summary - Lemi Rock, in the Indian Heaven Wilderness, combines good trails, a steep bushwhack (not for beginners), and some optional ridge scrambling.  While makes for a longish day, link it with Bird Mountain for a two summit, twelve point outing.  The trip from Portland to the Cultus Creek Campground (day fee or pass required) is about two hours on mosly paved roads.  ATT digital service is good, as is APRS.

Backpacking into North Cascades National Park (US-0055)

Backpacking into North Cascades National Park (US-0055)