Blogs

Bare Mountain is an easy bushwhack up from a decent-quality dirt road. There are several approaches, but this one is by far the easiest - and may have once been a trail to the summit. I recommend GPS, as there is no defined trail and coming down it is hard to follow your own tracks - though if you stay east of the original tracks you will still come out on the road. I could probably make it down NF-311 in a sedan. We walked from the pull-off on NF-311.

Twin Rocks is a pair of peaks above a ridge. The best access road is NF-54, from Carson, WA to nearly the trailhead for Soda Peaks Lake, then turn left on NF-34. NF-54 is almost entirely paved, but NF-34 is a lower-quality gravel road with overhanging branches and small rocks rather than large gravel. Having high clearance really helped, although a substantial distance could be made in a sedan, and the rest easily walked.

After my success over at Break In Pk., I continued on to Lone Butte to give it another go, after my previously failed attempt. Access remains the same, only take the road in if PNW pinstriping is something you like to adorn your paint.

In a normal year, this would be an easy 4-point drive-up. Driving access is via Forest Road 8303 (Ape Cave Rd.), 8303340, and 8303341. From the end of 8303341 the summit is ~500' to the NW, where the trail ducks off the ridgeline you would just continue straight to the summit.

A storm in recent years has washed out a section of FR 8312 just beyond the Marble Mountain Snowpark. At the edge of the parking lot, where the road begins, the Forest Service has placed several jersey barriers and a locked gate. It appears that there are no plans to repair this section of the road. The only other access to Marble Mountain is from the south, via timber lands owned by Pope Resources / Rayonier. All of the access roads from the south are gated and open only for logging activity, or the few residents that live in the middle of the timber land.

Spencer Butte is the site of a former fire lookout in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, just north of the town of Northwoods. At the time of my attempt, the simplest access is to go north on FR 25, turn onto FR93 (if you go through the winter gates on 25, you just missed it), and follow 93 to the trailhead. This route is mostly paved, just a short section of gravel from the Muddy River up to the junction with road 9039.

I referenced K7ATN's blog post from a couple years ago and found some revised signage, new road clearing efforts and noted some additional GPS turn coordinates.  Here is an updated trip report for Monte Cristo HP in the Trout Lake area of WA. And here's the previous trip report: http://www.pnwsota.org/blog/k7atn/2018-november-16/monte-cristo-hp-wa-nov-2018.

After two previous attempts I finally made my first SOTA Contacts. 

I have to say, this was a fun hike, it's really my style.  It is truly a bushwhack hike, there is no trail, and you will not be afforded a road or any kind of guide.  A GPS waypoint of the peak is absolutely necessary, and even that won't help you at points from getting into trouble with really dense, thick undergrowth.  Be prepared to climb over and through stands of pine trees, manzanita, and deadfall.  This area is littered with old logging roads, which have given rise to dense thick stands of 1" pine trees 6 inches apart.  The path you will likely take crosses t

In March 2019, I nearly reached the summit of Stimson before turning around when it started hailing  Was still newer to SOTA, and in hindsight almost wished I waited the weather out and activated the summit.

In March 2020, planned to activate again and there is a new sign located at primary access gate (Firegate #13) located just off "N Cedarvale Loop Rd" and SW of the summit.  There is now a "Do Not Enter", "Private Road", "No access to state trustland through private property" sign.