The pnwSOTA website was created to facilitate communication between SOTA operators in the Pacific Northwest region, as well as show off some of the activities of the top-notch folks we have in the area. On this site you will find information about getting started in SOTA as well as details about summits and activations contributed by people that are operating here.
4946, OR | September 2023
This summit is best accessed via FR 4610, running east from the La Dee Flat OHV area. A high clearance vehicle with all-terrain tires is recommended, as the road is quite rocky and subject to rock slides and debris from steep hillsides.
4869, OR | September 2023
This summit is best accessed via FR 4610, running east from the La Dee Flat OHV area. A high clearance vehicle with all-terrain tires is recommended, as the road is quite rocky and subject to rock slides and debris from steep hillsides.
Start on the game trail just east of the turnout at 45.21254, -121.98528, and follow the ridge to the top. It's a fairly easy bushwhack, with a steady climb of 423' over 0.75 miles.
China Mountain | September 2023
This Nevada peak was first activated on 29 November 2021 by KJ7WGM along with Hanks Peak. This is a very straight forward ½-mile hike with only 287 feet of elevation gain. Follow the ridge line from where you park and head to a false summit. You can walk over the summit or skirt around it on the south (recommended). The summit is very rocky and today was extremely windy. I was able to find a rock outcropping that protected me from the wind on the NW side of the summit.
Hanks Peak, Nevada | September 2023
This is one of those activations that I will most likely not repeat! The peak was first activated on 29 November 2021 by KJ7WGM along with China Mountain. The hike is a bushwhack of only .35 miles, but with 627 feet of elevation gain, half of which is through a boulder field and thick brush.
Green Mountain, WA | August 2023
Green Mountain can be accessed by trail 110 (open to OHV and bicycles) from the west or southeast, or by bushwhacking from a spur off Spring Creek Road, SE of Orr Creek Sno-Park. The spur is narrowed by overgrown brush and trees, and the last 500' are deeply rutted, requiring a high-clearance vehicle. Deadfall across the road is likely, as this road seems mostly unused. There's a nice place to camp with a stone fire ring off a righthand spur toward the end of the road.
Thunder Mountain, Idaho | September 2023
AA6XA first activated Thunder Mountain on 14 October 2017. His write-up is a great description of the area and his ascent from the east of the mountain. You can find the link to his write-up on the SOTAmaps Summit page. Ignoring his mention of “cliffs” I opted to plan a route from the west. The directions below describe the drive to the beginning of the west ascent.
5220 (Watson Ridge), OR | July 2023
Route
Here is a link to the route we (KC7JNU, KK7DAK, KK7IUD) followed to and from the peak as well as additional data; there is a screenshot below of the same route. As can be seen, we started and ended our route to the north of the peak.
Mount Pisgah
Mount Pisgah is one of two Mount Pisgahs in Oregon, this one is near Prineville, the other near Eugene. The one near Eugene is a nice hike, this one is a tedious drive up.
The map shows several ways to get there. We drove on forest road 22 past Walton Lake. The pavement ends a bit after the lake. There is a connector road 150 and then we were on Summit Road, aka 2630.
Captain Gray Mountain, OR | September 2023
Captain Grey Mountain is a road walk of a few miles gravel through a mix of forest and clear cuts.