Mckinley Mountain was my 3rd summit up on the Scott Bar ridge for the day. I was coming from the west and there is some very rough and narrow sections of road with steep banks, no shoulder, worst was driving around Deadwood Baldy Peak (not a SOTA). If you come up from Deadwood Creek Rd this may be avoidable, I'm not sure. Either way, this country is not meant for passenger cars and make sure you have good tires and a spare. The hike is about .8mi up a inpassable road from RD 45N28, with about 650' gain.
Plenty of space and choice to set up. I set up and had a good run going on 40m but some loud claps of thunder occured and the sky suddenly was black towards Yreka so it was a very quick pack up and go. On the way down I was in a hurry and stepped over a log and almost stepped right on a stashed fawn! She was adorable. Totally still, not a blink or a breath as I took a picture and then let her be.
When we left Mckinley, we were considering trying Badger Mountain if the storm passed so we drove the Ridge Rd east. We ended up not doing Badger and dropping into town at Humbug Rd. I would not recommend this route unless you are looking for a lot of rocky road and some views. If I went again I would backtrack to 45N29, Deadwood Cr Rd. Never drove it this trip but it looks friendlier.
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