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The pnwSOTA website was created to facilitate communication between SOTA operators in the Pacific Northwest region, as well as show off some of the activities of the top-notch folks we have in the area. On this site you will find information about getting started in SOTA as well as details about summits and activations contributed by people that are operating here.
Pluto Peak is located in the Olympic National Forest and is accessed via a decommissioned forest road. The RT hike is 4 miles with 850 ft elevation gain. Access is at Dosewallips Road (47.69872, -122.89640) off of Hwy 101. Distance from Hwy 101 turn to parking is 9.8 miles. I did not have any cell coverage at the summit (ATT) but there is a robust APRS infrastructure in place in these mountains and I had full two-way APRS messaging for spotting.
TL;DR - Activation Details
Summit: Black Mountain, W7W/WH-172
Operator: N7JTT
Distance: 14.21 miles
Ascent: 4,087 feet
Moving time: 5:06:18
Average moving speed: 2.8 mph
QSOs: 8
Activation time: 17 minutes, 17 seconds
Radio: Elecraft KX2
Power: 5 watts QRP
Antenna: AX1 with 13-foot counterpoise
Cell coverage: Usable T-Mobile service at the summit
I attempted this summit in Nov 2025 and encountered what appears to be a private land owner blocking what appears to be a public road. Since the No Trespassing sign had an AR-15 on it, I opted to turn around. Pics below of where I encountered the rope blocking road. My GPS and maps showed the road as "West Rock Creek Road."