This was a New Year's Eve activation with WW7D. You can find a .GPX file of our route here.
We parked on the side of HWY 2, just east of the turnoff for Smithbrook. This is where everyone who is headed up to Smithbrook for winter sports parks. There were some XC skiiers, and snow mobiles unloading as we pulled in.
See my trip reports for 2 other summits in this area: Saddle Mtn. and Duplex Summit.
There are two ways to get up to Dow Mountain - a long drive on gravel roads, or a forest road walk of around 2.5 miles (1900' elevation gain). Since I was also visiting two other summits along the way, I opted for the road approaching from the north. The road going up to Dow Mtn. from Hoodsport is gated - this is the road to take if you wish to hike it.
See my trip report for Saddle Mountain for a map of this area. This summit is a drive up, on pretty good gravel roads. Most any car should make it with some careful driving. High clearence is helpful but not required. After you leave the pavement its about a 25 min drive.
The views of Hood Canal from the summit are great! Parking not a problem - there is room for several cars.
I spent a few hours on this summit for the 2018 WA state QSO Party 'Salmon Run'. I made a lot of contacts! There is even a picnic table up here, but I didn't use it.
This is an easy 2 point drive up with great views! From Hoodsport, head north on highway 119 along the east shore of Lake Cushman. Take a right when you get to Prices Lake Rd. Prices Lake Rd. is paved for 1/2 mile and then turns to gravel. The road is good and most any car should make it with careful driving. Check the FS topo maps for full directions. From the turn off of highway 119 it took me about 20 mins to get to the summit. Parking not a problem on the summit, lots of space.
The summit is clear cut with large piles of debris. The views are good!
This was a joint SOTA expedition with me, Bill WA7NCL, and Rich AC7MA. See photos here:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/JWPaWiE5l7v0Vmwm2
I received a note from Doug W7ZV letting me know that I had crossed private property on my hike to Wagner Mountain. In fact the SUMMIT of Wagner is apparently private property, owned by Young Life's Washington Family Ranch. The river map I was using did not indicate this, and there are no private property signs in this remote area. In short, I had no way of knowing that I would be entering private property on this hike.
Myself and AC7MA set off to activate Hex Mountain (1534m, 6 Points + 3 winter bonus) this past Tuesday (20th March). Here is a short video I made at the summit: