Forested Summit

W7O/SC-214 was a nice little mountain that I did after Holcomb Peak. Basically you drive past Holcomb peak a bit SE and it's pretty self explanatory of where to go. You'll take a small spur road and depends on your vehicle how close you can get. You can park in some large pullouts just a little ways up the road or jeep it another 1/4mi or so. Depends on how much pinstriping you're looking for, it gets narrow with sharp manzanita and no easy turnaround. 

Snow was coming soon so I really wanted to get out and try and get a few new mountains in before winter came. A couple on my list were Holcomb peak and a no name summit right next to it, SC-214. I put these on hold before because they are a drive to something that I've never been to and have no info on, however with winter bonus and no snow yet, it made the trip worth the risk. My 1st summit was Holcolmb Peak which looked like it had the possibility of being a drive up if timber corp allowed, but much of the mountain and surrounding area had no trespassing signs.

I completed the first-ever activation of Goat Mountain (not to be confused with Goat Peak, W7W/OK-107 or other Goat Mountains in W7W) today. The summit is a communications site, so in the summer it's likely possible to drive all the way up. There were no closed gates or signs that would indicate that public access is limited, though the last stretch of road is in bad condition with several trees blocking it.

On a recent Sunday, I drove up CG-2020 from Stephenson to the saddle where 2025 and 2026 split off (around 45.717500° -121.980944°) and parked on the side of the road.  From there I walked down the eastern branch of the roads that meet there towards Greenleaf Peak.  The other road that goes southeast heads towards the same direction but it seems to go down hill so I chose the other side of the ridge.

CG-2020 was in good shape with some potholes but I would recommend 4WD due to some steep portions heading up.

Aschoff Buttes is located within the Bull Run Watershed Management Unit (BRWMU) and is restricted to the general public by federal law. Locked gates are at all road entry locations. Authorized access is required to enter. The BRWMU is patrolled by Portland Water Bureau security personnel. Electronic surveillance is used to keep an eye on things.

The City of Portland offers guided tours June through October. Unfortunately, none of the tours include any of the SOTA summits.

This Wildcat Mountain is the one south of Mt. Hood and is just an hour east of Portland, reachable on a paved road. The 2 mile (OW) trail is pleasant with a bit over 1000 feet of gain. In a few places along the trail there is some nice scenery but the summit itself is surrounded by trees and thus has no views.  

Foley Peak is a short hike including a "choose your own adventure" bushwhack where there used to be a trail but there is no longer, up to the site of what used to be a fire lookout but is no longer. There might be ghosts.

Start either on HWY 101 near Garibaldi and take Miami Foley Rd Northbound, or near Wheeler on HWY 53 onto Miami Foley Rd Southbound. Turn west onto Crystal Creek Rd at ( 45.65115, -123.84824 ). It appears that in the past it might also be possible to go up Frank Crane Rd / Miami River Forest Rd, but when I went that road was closed at Miami Foley.

Summary - West Twin Butte is another easy-to-reach summit and can be paired with Squaw Butte for a two peak day. The summit is small, flat, has trees for wires and good operating positions. As with other peaks in this area, two meter contacts are a challenge, cell service (ATT) works okay, APRS is good.  Google maps gives good directions for the two hour drive from Portland.

Summary - About two hours from Portland, Squaw Butte is an easy drive, hike, and bushwhack to a forested summit. There are limited views, trees for wires, and a number of good operating positions. Two meter contacts are likely to be difficult, as is spotting with a cell phone; APRS works okay. Google maps gives good directions.  Pair this one with West Twin Butte.

Summary --  The trailhead for 6001 is on Bennett Pass Road, about two miles from Windy Camp. It may be possible to hike it from Windy Camp on Gunsight Trail but we didn't test this assumption. Bennett Pass Road requires 4WD, low tire pressure, and high clearance and some patience.  6001 can be done with Badger Butte (CN-013). 2M contacts are possible, ATT cell and APRS both work. The summit is rocky and sparsely forested. Here's the summit: