1.6 miles, +930 ft
From the Town of Elkhorn:
Rock Butte is a short bushwhack with no views or other redeeming qualities in the Activation Zone. It's just past Timothy Lake east of Mount Hood.
In the last few years, I've developed a desire to activate the top 10 summits in the
Willamette Valley region. Miller Mountain is in that list but I've put it off because
its so far from the valley. Its located in south-central Oregon, closest to the town
of Chemult. I guess the placement algorithm treated it like a lost sock that you can't
throw away but you're not sure where to put it.
My approach to Miller Mt. was to take US Hwy 97 south towards Chemult, Oregon. About
0.5 mile north of Chemult, FS 9772 heads west. This road is also marked "Walt Haring
Access Info: There may be other routes for this summit but I choose to park at the Stavebolt Creek gate off Logan Rd. Gated parking for about 4 cars at 46.0828, -123.8339.
The hike on good logging roads is about 3.5 miles to 46.0724, -123.8095. Then a well-traveled game trail begins a bushwhack of about 200 vertical feet to the summit. The AZ is all undergrowth with no real clear areas. Ugly, really.
Red Hills of Dundee HP is a summit on private property with all of the Activation Zone apparently also on private property.
Little Odell Butte is near the Willamette Pass ski area just off OR58 and is also near Odell
Butte. Its a cute warm-up hike for its bigger namesake.
Little Odell Butte is reached by turning off onto RD6020 off of OR58 between mileposts 76
and 77. RD6020 parallels OR58 for a bit then turns west. 1.5 miles from OR58, take RD500
on the right. I'd go maybe a couple of hundred feet or so and park. Its too rough and brushy
for any vehicle you care about keeping.
Using a map and GPS head up RD500 staying to the left initially then turning up towards the
Marmot Butte is a rather nondescript summit just northeast of Chemult, OR. It is also about 3km northeast of Walker Mountain. The two can easily be done in one day. signage is sparse on this trek. Be sure to take map and GPS to keep on track.
On this warm late June day, the mosquitoes were hungry and numerous. Its never a good sign when you see dozens of mosquitoes lighting on your rig breaking off their blood sucking apparatus the moment you stop. 100% DEET was employed.
Stoney Point, W7O/CC-076, is a one point summit near Noti, OR. It is on private property and requires permission to hike. The people who live in the house at the gate have been reasonable about access, as were the loggers working on the way up.
The access road to the summit of Tygh Ridge north of The Dalles is posted "Private - No Tresspassing."
Here's a 1.1 mile one-way hike with 800 feet of gain just a ways south of Bend, Oregon. It's got some great views and a nice summit with a bit of lookout history.