Bald Hill (W7W/SN-183) is at the high point found at the south end of Lord Hill in Snohomish County. Most of Lord Hill is a Snohomish County park. However, the actual summit is just south of the park on a private residential property.
3820 Mt. Transponder involves a long drive on forest service roads followed by a very short bushwhack to the top of a forested summit that is deep into the western part of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. This summit can be combined with nearby 3780 Top Loaded Mtn (W7W/PL-089) for an easy twofer. The roads are easily tackled by a Subaru, but probably not a Prius.
There are thirteen mountains in the W7W association with "Lookout Mountain" in the title. This report is about the only "Lookout Mountain" located in the Pacific-Lewis (PL) region, situated in national forest lands fairly close to the Paradise entrance to Mount Rainier National Park. The summit is a short, easy hike up a ridge, with some spectacular views along the way. What's the catch? The road to the trailhead is rough and developing a washout.
In August 2021, Josh, WU7H, and I motorbiked up to the gate of Rooster Rock. We had high hopes for this one, because we had read Roland's (K7FOP) excellent trip report from 2019. In fact, we had worked Roland, so we were looking forward to the SOTA Complete.
5774 Entiat Ridge Peak (W7W/CH-197) is a short, steep hike from a trailhead reached out of the Leavenworth area. The summit has expansive views of the area. A high clearance vehicle should be used.
The summit is on the Entiat Ridge that also includes Sugarloaf Peak (W7W/CH-195), 5221 Twin Lead Mtn (W7W/CH-206), and Chumstick Mountain (W7W/CH-196). All four summits can be done in one long day. Two of the three summits (Sugarloaf and Chumstick) are drive-ups, Twin Lead is a drive-up or short hike, and Entiat Ridge Peak is a short hike.
Chumstick Mountain (W7W/CH-196) is a drive-up summit that can easily be reached out of the Leavenworth area. A high clearance vehicle should be used, particularly for the alternative route described below.
The summit is on the Entiat Ridge that also includes Sugarloaf Peak (W7W/CH-195), 5221 Twin Lead Mtn (W7W/CH-206), and 5774 Entiat Ridge Peak (W7W/CH-197). All four summits can be done in one long day. Two of the three summits (Sugarloaf and Chumstick) are drive-ups, Twin Lead is a drive-up or short hike, and Entiat Ridge Peak is a short hike.
5221 Twin Lead Mtn is a near drive-up summit on the Entiat Ridge near Leavenworth, WA, that also includes Sugarloaf Peak (W7W/CH-195), Chumstick Mountain (W7W/CH-196), and 5774 Entiat Ridge Peak (W7W/CH-197). All four summits can be done in one long day. Two of the three summits (Sugarloaf and Chumstick) are drive-ups, Twin Lead is either a drive-up or a short hike, and Entiat Ridge Peak is a short hike.
Sugarloaf Peak is a drive-up or near drive-up to a fire lookout that is staffed in the summer. This is an easy summit in the Leavenworth area that can be done with any medium-to-high clearance vehicle.
North Grand Ridge is an easy summit to activate with a short (3.4 mile RT, ~600' elevation gain). The summit might be considered part of the "Issaquah Alps" series of summits that include Tiger Mountain, West Tiger Mountain, South Tiger Mountain, Taylor Mountain, and Rattle Snake Mountain. This report provides details on how to legally access the activation zone (AZ) and summit.
This is an easy, accessible road walk in a state forest that includes just a little bit of a bushwhack into the activation zone. It is a perfect "second summit" if you are activating near Elbe, WA.
Etienne (K7ATN) emailed me a few weeks ahead saying he would be in S. Pierce County, a few miles from Eatonville on June 24. Hiking with Etienne is one of my favorite ways to activate, so we made plans to meet at Pack Forest for a pleasant hike to the Pack Forest high point (W7W/RS-068).