Trail contains no technical obstacles
"Trailhead" for Red Mountain has been moved. Etienne's trip report is here. Follow his directions but now drive Road 6048 to 45.9186° -121.8189° and a gate (the last half mile or so of this road is not very Priusable). This makes the RT about 4 miles and 1300 feet of gain. There's a spot for 2 cars, maybe 3 or more if others agree to let their car be blocked in. Less hiking now. Or you can still opt to park at the old trailhead and walk the road.
West Soda Peaks is a nice hike. Probably better when it's not raining.
Guy, N7UN has provided access info HERE. I just wanted to add a little to it.
From Portland take I-84 to Bridge of the Gods. Toll is $2.
Cross the bridge and turn right onto WA-14.
Travel to Wind River HWY and turn left.
Turn left onto Hemlock
Turn right onto Little Soda Springs Rd/Szydlo Rd
Hike in started from the Tiger Summit Trailhead (just up the access road from the bigger lot along the west side of SR-18. Discover Pass Required. Lot was about 60% full w/ maybe a dozen people (mostly mountain bikers) in and around their cars.
Spectacular peaks of the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness are in view from this summit. September visits are rewarded with brilliant yellow to orange needled alpine larch, a deciduous high elevation conifer and many times snowfall.
The summit is an open scree with clumps of small <10’ tall whitebark pine. Views are 360 degrees and the large open summit provides a fine area for antennas.
Bare Mountain is an easy bushwhack up from a decent-quality dirt road. There are several approaches, but this one is by far the easiest - and may have once been a trail to the summit. I recommend GPS, as there is no defined trail and coming down it is hard to follow your own tracks - though if you stay east of the original tracks you will still come out on the road. I could probably make it down NF-311 in a sedan. We walked from the pull-off on NF-311.
I have to say, this summit is now at the top of my list. I went expecting an easy drive to 8 pt summit, but there was still about 3-5 ft deep snow drifts about 1 mile before summiting, but boy was the hike nice. The view is incredible. You can see just about all the regional highlights, snowy side of Mt. McLauglin with Fourmile Lake at its base right beside you, Crater Lake Rim, Thielson, Shasta, Upper Klamath Lake, Siskiyou Crest, Red Buttes, Aspen Butte, some big ones west of Crater Lake I did not get the name for, lava flows, and natural lakes.
Granite Peak is a picturesque summit with huge granite boulders with interesting eroded patterns. It is a great operating location with outstanding views of the Great Burn of 1910. The trail is easy to follow and in-season wanders through some good huckleberry patches.
There are plenty of trees to erect antennas and room to stretch wire antennas in the activation zone around a somewhat difficult to scramble large boulder summit.
Having hiked 2.5 miles to a saddle you might as well activate both close summits to the north and south, W7I/IC-139 & 167. These summits require a bit of somewhat steep scramble through open subalpine vegetation and open ground after the trail hike. Views from each summit are similar and overlook undeveloped wild forest area and the Selway Bitterroot Wilderness.
Having hiked 2.5 miles to a saddle you might as well activate both close summits to the north and south, W7I/IC-139 & 167. These summits require a bit of somewhat steep scramble through open subalpine vegetation and open ground after the trail hike. Views from each summit are similar and overlook undeveloped wild forest area and the Selway Bitterroot Wilderness.
