Blogs

Cruising through Chemult Oregon at 6:40am, the dashboard said the outside temperature
was 29 degrees. This was far cooler than we anticipated for our attempt on Mt. Thielsen.
A few years ago, my son Andrew and I tried this summit but were driven off by mosquitoes
and our lack of DEET. I actually inhaled two of the beasts and slapped my glasses off my
face several times before we literally ran back to the safety of our car. The Diamond Lake
area is legendary for mosquitoes.

This morning was different. It was a brisk 36 degrees at the Mt. Thielsen trailhead. Seeing

Here's another summit in the Diamond Lake area to activate if you have a few hours. It's a drive-up, if your vehicle has moderate ground clearance and otherwise a short road hike. 

Here's another summit in the Diamond Lake area to activate if you have a few hours to spare - it's a short hike, but there's no trail. And note that there are three Oregon summits with this same name.

Buck Mountain is a summit with a short hike of less than half a mile that you'll want to do along with Coffin Mountain (W7O/WV-005) and Bachelor Mountain (W7O/WV-003).

Take Highway 22 east 19 miles past Detroit, Oregon and turn right onto paved FS 11.

On July 26, Olallie Mountain, W7O/CM-061, was activated for the first time.  Olallie Mountain has an elevation of 5,700 feet and is located in the Three Sisters Wilderness Area of the Willamette National Forest.  The trailhead is reachable by driving 50 miles east from Eugene, Oregon, on State Highway 126 to Aufderheide Road 19.  Between mileposts 45 and 46 on Highway 126, turn right onto Aufderheide Road 19 to the Cougar Reservoir Dam.  At the dam, turn left crossing over it.

Bates Point (Peak 2360) is a drive-up summit in the Coast Range of Oregon - specifically in the Tillamook State Forest. Roads in the Tillamook Forest are usually good - however the signage and documentation are remarkably poor. What's on the ground doesn't necessarily match your GPS map or what in Google Earth and vice versa.

Ben Smith (Peak 2592) is a summit with a short but steep hike in the Coast Range of Oregon - specifically in the Tillamook State Forest. Roads in the Tillamook Forest are usually good - however the signage and documentation are remarkably poor. What's on the ground doesn't necessarily match your GPS map or what in Google Earth and vice versa.

Access Info:  Take SR25 south from Randle or north from Cougar.  Head west on SR99 for 4.5 mi to the Bear Meadow Viewpoint.  Restrooms at the viewpoint parking area.  Read the interpretive signage at this viewpoint since this is where many of the iconic photographs were made of the St. Helens eruption in process by photographer Reynolds, who barely escaped with his family.

Access:  Since SR26 is closed from the north due to a washout, you must come in on SR26 from the south. Take SR25 south out of Randle then SR99 west towards Windy Ridge.  At approx 11 mi in, take SR26 north for about 1 mi to the Norway Pass TH parking area.  Restrooms are available.

Note:  The Independance Ridge trail is closed due to a washout.

Just north of Detroit, Oregon are a nice bunch of summits - Dome Rock is especially good. The Tumble Ridge Trail takes you to Dome Rock on a pleasant forest hike of only about 1.5 miles and 500 feet total gain.