Driveway Peak is a drive-to summit in the Lolo National Forest west of Thompson Falls, Montana.
Getting there - About one mile west of Thompson falls on highway 200 take a left turn onto highway MT S-471, also known as Prospect Creek Road. Travel about 13.8 miles until you see Forest Service Road 876 on your right. Follow this 8.0 miles to the summit.
Forest Service Road 876 is in pretty good shape, not a well travelled road as in some parts the grass has grown on the road in between the tire tracks. However, it is possible to get to the summit in a car, but some places may bottom out. Best to have a 4x4 vehicle. It took me 45 minutes on the road to the summit but I was being very careful.
I have been thrashing around these Forest Service roads in my full sized 4x4 pickup for about 6 months and suddenly on one of my SOTA excursions, got 2 flat tires and only had one spare. Turns out that my tires were 4 ply and according to our local tire guy, you need 10 ply tires on thse back roads. Lesson learned. I had to get on my 2 meter handheld to call for help as there was no cell service.
My new expensive 10 ply tires did well. Within the first mile up 876 you pass an active Antimony Mine and processing plant. Interesting.
There's plenty of room on the summit to park several cars and string up an antenna on the various trees that surround the clearing on the top.
I was amazed to get a clear 59 contact from F4BWN in France. I emailed him to verify he was, in fact, in France and he confirmed that he was. I was using an Elecraft KX3 with a simple end fed 88 foot wire hung in a tree.
Our local forest fires obscured the view quite a bit. See the photos below.
It's an easy 2 points and doesn't take a whole day to activate.
