Well, at least it’s not another Black Butte. It is also a nice road walk of 5 or 6 miles RT. The distance depends on whether you start at the turn off of the good gravel road or whether you bounce your way up ~0.3 miles to the gate. Elevation gain is 1000 or 800 ft respectively.
If you find yourself on US-26 at Dixie Summit (the pass), just east of Prairie City, you could activate Dixie Butte, http://www.pnwsota.org/blog/k7atn/2018-november-25/dixie-butte-or-june-2017, with your high clearance vehicle, or you could park your Prius and bushwhack 1.5 miles RT and 550 ft. of elevation gain to 5784.
This was my first time up Barlow Ridge in the summer. Park at the Barlow Pass Sno-Park with a NW Forest Pass. The trail is well-marked, albeit the signs are up high due to this area's popularity during the winter. I encountered quite a few large blow down trees at the start of the hike, so be prepared for some significant tree scrambling.
I just thought I would add some notes about activating Paulina Peak that might be helpful to prepare somebody else down the road. Getting there is easy and well documented so I wont waste time with that, important however as noted elsewhere - NW Forest Pass required or pay at the entrance station. I have a pass so I dont know what the entrance fee is. My verizon service with SOTA GOAT worked perfectly the entire time I was up there. I was also able to text and send photos easily. The views are spectacular and never cease to amaze me everytime I go up ther
March 20, 2021
Myself, Chris (KI7JOM) and Clint (KJ7LLS) activated this summit in a heavy snowfall. We parked at the snow line on Coal Crk Rd at about 2400'. From here we snowshoed on forest roads and cross country all day in cold and wet conditions. Slow and challenging day.
9 miles, 2700' gain over 8 hours.
Summary - the hike to 3977 (from copper creek) is relentlessly steep, easy to follow and ends in a summit with great views. The route on FR 41 from the Sunset Falls campground is festooned with holes and washouts, some of which are spectacularly large.
Summary - Given the two hour drive, a really steep, brush covered cross county hike to the summit, and the need to bring HF along, summiting 4220 is best part of a multi-hill day. A map and compass or GPS is a really good idea, as are trekking poles and long pants.
Summary - Getting 4340 into the log requires a two hour drive, a short steep, brush covered cross county hike to the summit, and HF capability. A map and compass or GPS is a really good idea, as are trekking poles and long pants. There is no trail to the summit and on the way up you will encounter a lot of very large deadfall along with stands of manzanita and poison oak. 2M contacts are difficult unless other SOTA ops are working on nearby mountains, APRS works well, and ATT messaging sometimes.
The views from Hidden Peak of the Eagle Cap Wilderness are amazing and worth the trip. There are a couple ways to get to Hidden Peak but the easiest is to purchase a day ticket for the Wallowa Lake Tramway ($38 per person as of 2021 - https://www.wallowalaketramway.com) to the top of Mt. Howard, and hike south along an unofficial ridge trail. If you are planning to backpack for a few days let the staff know you won't be taking the tram back down as the tickets are only good for one day and you'll need to hand them your ticket at the top when you disembark.
This is a near drive-up in a carefully driven Prius, or perhaps a full-on drive-up in a vehicle with some ground clearance.