Blogs

First Activation of Mount Rose, Washoe County, Nevada - Ace Number 1.

The reference to Aces is because of this mountain's proximity to Reno / Lake Tahoe (Nevada side) proximity to gambling casino's.

This is a trail hike up to summit of Mount Rose, 10,766 feet elevation.  Trail is about 10.6 miles round trip., with 2,000 feet +/- elevation gain.

The views are amazing!: Reno, Nevada; Carson Valley; Lake Tahoe region and northern Sierra Nevada mountain range.

UPDATE Dec 2021 - Badger Butte (and other summits in the area) are not accessible by regular motor vehicle from Dec 1 to April 1 due to closure of NF-2610 and other routes to vehicles more than 50 inches wide. A hike, snowshoe, ski, bike, snowmobile or dog sled would be the way to go. See the photo below. 

Spent the weekend at Eagle Crest just outside Redmond, Oregon and decided to activate Cline Butte which is nearby on MLK Day.  Left the trailhead at 08:00 with very cold (25 degrees) clear conditions with patches of snow on the ground.  Followed a road most of the way to the top then cut off on a jeep trail the remainder of the way.  Trip up is a little less than a mile with a 800 ft elevation gain.  I added a map from Google Earth with the route I took up.

Activated W7I/CI-139 Kimama Butte on 7 Jan 2013 on the way to SLC for work.  Kimama Butte is the remnant of an old volcanic hill located 21 miles SE of Craters of the Moon NP and 16 miles north of Burley, Idaho.  For those who study tectonic plate movement, Yellowstone was here 8 million years ago.  Acces via N1150W off I-84 and cross thru obvious cattle guard.  Drove about 200 yards in 4WD up the hill then decided to walk the rest. 

UPDATE Jan 2022 - The hours for Bald Peak State Scenic Park have changed. The park will close at 4pm in the winter and somewhat later in other seasons. The park website does not show open hours. There is a sign (below) with the current hours. https://stateparks.oregon.gov/index.cfm?do=park.profile&parkId=77 

Devil's Mountain is just off I-5 as you pass through Skagit Valley, south of Mount Vernon.  It's an easy 2 pointer via a gated logging road. 

With a couple days of non-rain, I just had to get out of the house and activate a summit.  "Mt. Electric" is the first summit I've activated that wasn't a "first activation".  That said, it was about right for me at this time of year.  The drive is an easy one.  I won't go into details - but all except the last mile is on paved roads.  I've trooped around a bit in the Marckworth State Forest before, but not in this part.

Taylor and I returned to Tumalo Mountain this weekend to score a rare 6 pointer in winter, with a justified bonus. Tumalo Mountain is a strenuous, yet technically easy ascent. The trail up to the summit leaves from the Dutchman Flats Sno-Park, just north of the entrance to the Mt Bachelor ski area on Cascade Lakes Highway. Because this is a popular winter recreation area, the parking area is packed with people looking to snow-machine, ski, and snowshoe to the top.

It was a winter wonderland on Bells Mountain above 2000 feet on Christmas Eve, pleasant to look at, not too bad to hike in. Remember, it's always best to park on the right side of the gate and hike the road - it's an easy 1.6 miles to the summit.

The directions below are from Interstate 5 - some of the mileages seemed a bit off but otherwise it should get you to the gate.