UPDATE March 2023: W7O/WV-069 has been retired.
Blowout Benchmark is a short hike and cross-country summit near Detroit, Oregon. There are no views but you get to enjoy the quiet of a second-growth forest.
About three miles south of Detroit, Oregon on Highway 22, take Blowout Road. There's a card-lock gas station and an espresso stand across the street. Cross a bridge and at about 1 mile you'll turn left onto a gravel road - NF-1003. The roads are all in good shape and can be driven in a passenger vehicle. After about 4.2 miles, you'll turn right onto NF-409. After about 2.2 miles you pass a turnoff to the right (Beard Saddle), and 0.6 miles later make a sharp right and go another 0.6 miles to a red gate. Park in the spot on the right before the gate.
You'll walk up the road behind the gate about 0.4 miles, until the cutbank on the left becomes easy to ascend and you are within a few hundred feet of the summit. From here the cross-country going can be a bit rough through the forest understory, but it's not too hard to find your way to the AZ and the summit proper. A GPS will help you find the summit, and your way back to the road and your car.
You might consider doing another nearby summit while you are here - Peak 3700- as you drive past the parking spot for that peak on your way to Blowout (NF-412).
