K7ATN reported poor road/driving conditions when attempting to get to the Zig Zag Mountain trailhead on the south side of Zig Zag Mountain. This report shares activation information for the north approach from Riley Horse Campground. The drive can easily be done in a passenger car (recreation permit to park). There are two options from this point, I took Cast Creek trail, and it was 12.8 miles RT with 3900 ft vertical climbing total.
We have been planning this climb for over 18 months. Our entire family was going to do the adventure in June of 2020, but COVID closed the park. Really I began planning before that. Shortly after I started SOTA, I began refining my kit and learning CW with the intent of one day being prepared for this mountain.
Our group:
Brundage Mountain is short, but punchy. Don't let the distance to summit fool you. It goes from a road to a double track that fades into the brush. We mostly followed the gps track from K7MK. His track yields a good spot to cross the creek and keeps you out of the thickest brush. Where we deviated was on dealing with the block below the summit. We opted for climbers right on the ascent and climbers left on the descent. The right side is more rocky and feels like a stairmaster. The left side is more dirt, so more slipping. Pick your poison I suppose, both are steep.
Cuddy Mountain, W7I/SR-055, is ALMOST a drive up summit, if your vehicle can handle it. The road to Cuddy and Summers requires careful driving, high clearance, and 4WD certainly helps. I was glad we gave an extra day for the snow to melt out because there were a couple spots that would've been more difficult to get through in the Explorer if it had been deeper. A couple mud pits looked suspect, but be made it through okay. The roads up here are frequented by off road enthusists and you'll likely see some UTVs, ATVs, and dirt bikers.
Indian Creek Baldy, I found out after reaching the top and reading the notepad in a jar, is the highest point of the Scott Bar Mountains. It is an amazing 360 view of the Northern California area, including Shasta, Scott Valley, Marble Mountains and more. It is a short but difficult climb up.
Trailhead: Goose Lake TH, Google maps will guide you there. 2WD is probably fine for this road.
Today I dragged my Dad, my kids and their cousins up to Gracie Point summit.
I had read another activator who took the southern approach, listed as 5 or so miles one way and a rather steep hike. I figured that was a bit much for my crew so we went around back to the northern approach. Starting on S Wenas Rd turning onto Sheep Company Road. Discovery Pass is required.
Turns out with an Expedition (or other 4WD vehicle) you can drive/bounce slowly all the way to the summit.
We passed a pair of does and a 4-5pt buck.
Bunchgrass Mountain is a bushwhack through meadows of bear grass (presumably its namesake), and trees and brush up higher. It eventually reaches an unavoidable steep push to the AZ, which rewards you with impressive nearly panoramic views of Wolf Rock, Latiwi Mountain, and others to the east. This is across the road from Wildcat W7O/CM-082, and across the highway from Iron Mountain, so they make a good pair or trio if you have the time.
Even More Updated - A shorter way to Monte Carlo that is only about 1.5 miles RT, even if steep in places. This approach will work so long as DNR road B-1500 is passable all the way to 45.8695° -121.579° (NOTE: we did not go this way). Use most of the directions below, but you will go 6.5 miles from Highway 141 to make a sharp right turn onto B-1500 near 45.8449° -121.573° and go about 2.3 miles on this single lane dirt road. The small portions we could see could be traveled in a passenger vehicle. There's a pullout opposite the unmarked trail.
For my 2 year SOTA-versary and birthday this week I wanted to do something special,a couple days early because the wx looked perfect, I decided to try Grayback Mountain (W7O/SC-001) the HP for Josephine Co and South Coast that had never been activated. This was also my 50th First Activation.