Activation Reports

Just south of Pistol River, Oregon take the Carpenterville Road about 8 miles south. This summit is posted "No Trespassing" except for members of the Southern Curry Dirt Riders Association.

Update February 2021 - Lost Dog Road is now gated with no motorized vehicles allowed. It's only a one mile road walk to the AZ.

This is a very much out of the way summit, along Highway 101 on the Oregon Coast, about 14 miles north of Bandon. Note that there are other Peak 740 in Oregon - make sure this one is your intended peak.

NOTE in January 2021 there was a NO TRESPASSING sign posted on the Stimson Gate Placard. See photo below.

There are FOUR 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.

A friend of mine wanted to try a new, never before activated summit to start off his SOTA career and bring me along as his guide. Doing some preliminary research, this looked very much like a summit that would be very difficult to impossible to reach. From Google Maps, it wasn't too far from the road to the summit, but checking Google Earth, I could see that it was really going to be a steep climb for the initial part of it and through what looks like dense forest. I wasn't expecting that we would be successful. Luckily, I was wrong.

Cornell Mountain, Portland Oregon. W7O/WV-090

Easy parking on Penridge Rd. Definitely a pavement activation. Quiet neighborhood with plenty of folks walking their doggos. I really wanted to throw a wire up and work CW but didnt see a spot that wasn't private property.

 So out came the Yaesu FT-60.

 146.520 worked well for me and I made 4 contacts relatively quick and easy which was nice because I really didn't want to disturb or raise any suspicions with the fine folks from the neighborhood that were out and about with their dogs. 

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.

Yellow Jacket Bench is located in the Umatilla National Forest. It can be a drive up summit, or there are places off the final access road NF-40 that you can pull off so you can make the final ascent on foot.  It is 30 miles from Walla Walla community college.

Both myself and KJ7IEG made separate attempts at Pikes Peak Bench. This SOTA summit is outside of the Umatilla Forest boundary. I attempted to access it from the Umatilla Forest via NF-6511 from the East and ran into closed access roads, fencing and No Tresspassing signage. KJ7IEG attempted it from the SW from Mormon Grade Rd and encountered same.  The area is adjacent to high ATV and hunting traffic so we suspect that the private land owners got fed up with things.  

I activated my first SOTA summit here. Nice views and plenty of tall trees for your wire antenna. Parking is great. Plenty of room along with several picnic tables. Restroom facilities were available and clean. 

 Highly recommend for your first SOTA Summit.

https://oregonstateparks.org/index.cfm?do=parkPage.dsp_parkPage&parkId=77

Lone Butte is a "small" hill in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. It is easily accessible from the Columbia River Gorge via Wind River and NF30, or from I-5 up the Lewis River Hwy to Northwoods and then NF90/Curly Creek Rd. (which connectes to NF30). There is a large area for parking where road 401 cuts to the West. If you aren't particular about your vehicles paint, the road is driveable to an old rock quarry at the west end of Lone Butte, there are some ruts a short way into the road, but they are easy to straddle and most any vehicle could make it past.