crazy hills wa | november 2023

Summary - Crazy Hills, along with Lone Butte, is on the western boundary of Indian Heaven Wilderness, near the Lone Butte Sno Park. The drive is mostly on paved roads by way of Carson (Wind River and Meadow Creek) and includes a 1.5 mi hike (mostly cross country). Drive time from Portland is about ninety minutes. The summit hike follows a ridge and requires a short steep climb to the high point.  APRS is good, ATT cell is servicable, two meter contacts are a struggle. A good hill to combine with Lone Butte and Termination Point.

TL;DR - This was tbe first activation of Crazy Hills, which I combined with Termination Point (LC-084). From Portland, head to Carson, WA to pick up Wind River Road to Meadow Creek to NF32 at Lone Butte Sno-Park to the gated turnoff up to the summit. If you are feeling lucky, and the gate is unlocked, you can trim a half-mile or so off the hike. If not, park at the nearby pullout on NF32 and hike up. 

Most maps show a road up to the summit ridge and it is there but it is hard to follow and easy to lose, especially on the way down, even in November when the brush has died back. Setting waypoints along the way is a very good idea. When you reach the ridge, make your way east to the high point, which requires a short but steep climb. I stayed on the south side of the final summit hill, which isn't quite as steep as the north side.

The summit meadow is surrounded by trees, so not much in the way of views but plenty of places for getting a wire up. APRS pings were good, as was ATT cell service. I had no luck with two meters but it was early in the day.

All in all, this was a pretty easy activation, at least in the late fall. I imagine the hike above 3800 feet, when the road becomes a path, is much more of a bushwhack in the spring and summer.  This is a good hill to combine with Lone Butte and Termination Point.