Good Views From Summit

1.3 mi, +680 feet

This is a good early season summit and is also suitable for bicycle access.

There are a number of options to access this summit.  It can likely be nearly a drive-up if it is approached from Hwy-278 to the north going south past Road Agent’s Rock.  It may also be accessed from the town of Bannack year-round.  Bannack was originally the territorial capital of Montana and is now a historic ghost-town state park that is well worth visiting.  We accessed the summit by foll

0.3 miles, +290 feet

1.1 miles, 580 feet

Illahee Rock Lookout is a relatively easy hike, 1.9 miles and 590 ft. elevation gain, with good road access from the North Umpqua river (highway 138). The trail and its access are well described on several web pages and William Sullivan's book “100 Hikes in Southern Oregon”, so I won't repeat that here.

South Fork Mountain can be a drive up. It is somewhat less than a mile from NF-4540 on an unmarked road. The fork off of NF-4540 is at approx. 45.101, -122.249. From here a high clearance vehicle that you don't mind getting scratched is required. The road is quite overgrown and has drainage ditches cut across it at various places. It opens up a bit before you get to the top, so you can park and make your final ascent by foot. I had to drive to the top after activation to turn around. A shorter wheel base vehicle might be able to avoid that.

Here's another summit in Crater Lake National Park that accessed with a cross-country hike. The easiest ridge for ascent is near the angle of repose with loose red pumice-like scree on the upper slopes, giving Red Cone its name. Although only about 2.5 miles round trip, half of the 600 feet of gain is in the last quarter mile.

There are three Wildcat Mountains in Oregon, so be sure you want the North Coast version south of Highway 26. The road to the trailhead is short and easy in any passenger vehicle, there's a good spot to park, and summit is in the Tillamook Forest, although the shortest access crosses private timberland. The hike is about 1.5 miles one way, and 400 vertical feet gain. This description I consider the 'no bushwack' version.

Whatatis Peak is directly North of the Hanford Reach National Monument. From Richland WA to the summit is just over 61 miles. You can drive very close to the summit, only the last little 1/4 mile kick up to the top peak is really treacherous. There is good parking at serveral locations off the access road to pull over to complete the summit on foot. I did a 2.5 mile hike to the top.

Nov 2, 2019 was the perfect day for climbing Mt. Carrie. The weather was cool and clear. Some snow up above Heart lake, but the Cat Walk (the unmaintained trail and scramble east of Heart Lake) was free of snow. That area would be very challenging with snow, and an ice axe and crampons would be a must.