Sunny day in North Puget Sound, and was able to leave a bit early from work. After mentioning wanting to do a quick SOTA, KV7DX suggested Good Copy Hill... since it was close to my home QTH, and relatively quick hike. I've tried activating Good Copy Hill in the past, by approaching from the South...but there is not a good access point. Use Heimer road, and follow directions below to access.
Directions:
From I5, take State Highway 530 exit toward Arlington/Darrington. Head East 4 miles, and turn left onto Highway 9. Head North on Hwy 9 for 3.1 miles, and take right onto Grandview Rd. Head East on Grandview Rd for 5.3 miles, and take a left on 115th Ave NE. After turning left on 115th, the road will shortly make a right turn and the road name changes to Heimer Rd. Continue straight on Heimer Road for a short distance, and it will turn into a gravel road. After Heimer Rd turns to gravel road, go .3 miles and park in front of the gate. For another point of reference, after you turn left on 115th...go .7m and you will be at Heimer gravel road entrance. The gravel road is car friendly, and no permit is required.
The trail is a road hike. After wandering around a bit at the summit, it was a total round trip of 3.9 miles and 849 ft of gain per Strava. If I had gone straight to GPS summit area, may have only been 3 miles RT. When you start hiking, stay straight or stay right on the road. (There will be 3 roads that turn or Y left...stay to the right.) At ~1.5 miles into hike, you'll be getting close to summit. I turned right onto a blocked off road near summit (picture below), and it quickly opened to area where I activated.
The summit view was limited, but during hike there are great views looking North (toward Stimson Hill W7W/SN-160) and East. There were smaller trees available for attaching antenna's...I attached a rollup j-pole to an extension pole mast, and leaned against a tree. My first 3 contacts were with HT 18" antenna, and rest with rollup j-pole. Made my first aeronautical contact with N1QQ! He was ~45 miles East of Everett heading toward Spokane, and at 9,500 feet with 5w radio.
While only a 1 point summit with limited summit views, I enjoyed the road hike and views along the way. It may be a good option for those living nearby, and looking for a relatively quick summit.
