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:
Highland Flat is located in the Ochoco National Forest, approx 15 miles north of Priveville. In April 2019 I completed a first-time activation of the summit which is suprising since there's very good forest road access up to near the activation zone. My activation was more challanging due to snow which resulted in a 4-mile snowshoe hike. But this is usually an easy 4-pointer and recommended for anyone visiting the Prineville area.
0.7 mi, 820’
This is an easy hike into the edge of the Henneberry Ridge Wilderness Study Area.
After reading K7EEX's warning about Stimson land, I reviewed the maps and Peakbagger reports, and found that a 2.6-mile trail existed starting right from the edge of US 26, up Shields Road, and staying on Tillamook State Forest land for the majority of the trip. In fact, this summit can be activated without ever stepping foot on Stimson land, as the boundary of their land is just a little higher than the activation region, but Stimson has a permissive access policy for non-motorized, leave-no-trace day use, so read their stipulations and head right up.
A rainy weekend in Western, WA led me to look for options on the Eastern side. Tim (KG7EJT) had done Baldy a week prior, and looked like a great option.
Half Wave on Full Wave...barely Worked!
On Sunday, April 28, 2019, My SOTA Buddy, Tim, KG7EJT, and I headed to Church...Mountain that is. For SOTA purposes, this smallish peak, along the Wenatchee River, in the deep Tumwater Canyon area, is called Full Wave Mountain. On USGS maps it is referred to as Church Mountain.
I had been looking for springtime Activations on Un-Activated peaks to venture out to, while the high country is still buried in snow, and access to trail heads is problematic. Full Wave Mountain came up in my search.
After the North Cascades Highway opened, enjoyed taking a mid-week day to activate this summit near Winthrop, WA. Spring is a great time as temperatures were in mid-60's, there was no snow, and some flowers were blooming. Both WTA and AllTrails have great trail information, and links are provided below. Trailhead is located about 15 minutes (7.8 miles) from main 4-way stop in Winthrop. Boatlaunch & Trailhead parking is at the Northeast corner of Patterson Lake, and a Discover pass is required for parking at the boat launch.
I've been up on Whale Head a few times and it looks like it's time to write up a trip report! This has been a "near drive-up" summit, however with the growth of slide alder into the road you may park and walk earlier that the gate.
Summary: West Onion Peak is a great activation if you don't mind the 13 mile round trip hike.
While completing my activation of West Onion Mountain W7O/NC-010 I noticed that closure signs were posted that all access to Onion Peak (Summit refrence W7O/NC-011) Is closed until further notice due to it being a 'Sensative Area'. The area is managed by EFM (which I believe is Evergreen Forest Management aka lewis and clark?). I just wanted to post this to stop anyone from making the drive to the coast hoping to activate it only to get skunked. With that being said go check out my write up on West Onion which is accessible and is a good one!