Exposed Summit

On a recent trip over to eastern Oregon, I had the opportunity to stop in Madras and a nearby summit Round Butte (W7O/CN-074) beckoned.  The directions from Google Maps lead me up the approach from the north which turns onto a dirt road.  It is drivable in good, dry conditions but if you are at all worried there is another approach by continuing on west and around which finally climbs from the south.  That road is paved all the way to the top.  The paving is crumbling in places but still drivable.

NC-080 is one of the peaks in the Tillamook State Forest surrounding the Trask River valley, along the eastern edge. As such, the most straightforward approach is via Trask River Rd past the Trask River Park Campground.

WARNING: Google Maps insists that there is a drivable road up through the South Fork Prison.  Let me assure you there is not.  It is clearly posted No Trespassing and they mean it.  The route should start from the intersection of Hwy 6 and Ben Smith Rd.

On the 3rd day of our Bend trip, I got dropped off at the Lava Butte Visitor Center while my wife and kids sped off to the Bend High Desert Museum.  The hike to the top was on a very nice, paved road for 1.75 miles.  I made it up in an hour and looked around the lower level of the firewatch tower on the summit and the surrounding views.

Following my activation of Wampus Butte (W7O/CM-095), I proceeded to the next stop on Pringle Butte.  It's only a couple miles drive to there and the summit is almost a drive up.  Google Maps gave excellent directions to the summit and I probably could have driven all the way but on the last turn up to the top there is a little bit of a washout and I decided to just hike the last 0.4 miles.  The summit has a large flat area with a turnaround.  It would likely be a nice overnight camping area though there don't appear to be any established campsites.

On the last weekend of no permits a weather window opened up for an overnight hike & early morning activation of Mt St Helens. The trail was covered with snow to the parking lot. I hit the trail at 1:20am and made good time to chocolate falls on skis. Somewhere heading up the ridge I had to make the switch to bootpacking the skis. Heavier backpack, but faster travel overall. 

So in my continuing series on how to summit the easy way, I loaded up the family for the tail end of spring break and headed over to Bend, OR.  The weather was gorgeous with just a bit of wind blowing.  That contributed to delaying my activation time by an hour due to the lift not yet in service.  In the meantime, we skiied the lower slopes.  Snow was icy in places particularly the sides of runs and the upper reaches.  Once the Summit lift opened, I grabbed my pack and headed up.

If ever in the area I highly recommend detouring up to Agency Hill. The mountain itself recently burned in the 2-4-2 Fire but the view from above is amazing. You look down at Crooked Creek, a winding creek in the basin that eventually gets to Agency Lake. Upper Klamath, Shasta, Mountain Lakes caldera, Crater Lake rim, McLoughlin, Pelican. You can see so much. This whole area has a lot to offer. Lots of eye candy! High clearance vehicle recommended. Follow any map straight up to summit. Plenty of area to set up but you may get a little sooty and it can be dusty.

This was a winter activation and I had hoped for a one-way ride on the Pomerelle Triple Chair lift.  After an e-mail and phone inquiry I received no response. I then planned a hike from the Pomerelle parking lot along established roads to the top of the lift and then a very short hike to the summit.

From Hwy 93, turn east at 42.06156, -114.67514. This is near mile marker 5 (5 miles north of the Nevada border/Jackpot). Take an immediate right and then left. Continue east up a well-graded road. The road begins to deteriorate after about a mile into deep ruts. A high clearance vehicle is recommended.