Getting there: Google Maps gives good directions. Just put the coordinates in and go. Roads are very well maintained as of March 2026. Cadillac gravel.
The road leads to within about 200 vertical feet of the activation zone. That last couple hundred feet is very steep in places and extremely brushy.
Turn off of West Calispell Loop Rd onto FR2022 then turn right onto FR3540 continue on until the saddle park on the left. There is no trail to the summit, I had to bushwack to the top. Plenty of trees on top won't need a Pole.
Access 2WD
Gps Track in Download page.
This was my first summit, and I want to thank pnwSOTA.org for the recommendation for it as a first summit. It was a blast!
I reached 18 stations, including the famous WG0AT in Colorado and OK2PDT in the Czech Republic -- all with a SOTABeams linked dipole on a fiberglass mast with 5 watts out from my KX3! Amazing what CW can do.
I sat on a wet tree limb, fumbled with a pad to log QSOs while swatting away mosquitoes but it was perhaps the most fun I've had in ham radio. I recommend it highly to anyone who hasn't tried it.
For some reason, Chuckanut Mountain was not on the top of my list for a 2 point summit. Two reasons were probably the long hike for two points, and uncertainty about going off trail to the summit. After not hiking for 6 weeks due to Covid-19 lock-downs, this was a great hike to enjoy being back on a trail. While a bit longer hike, the elevation gain is gradual and the final off-trail summit push is also gradual and easy to traverse.
Directions:
8/17/23 Update - Not really a recommended summit due to new "Preferred Plan" with "sensitive" areas of park, along with varying topo maps regarding whether park is in the AZ...
28 October, 2013 Bandera Mtn W7W/KG-073
Our original hiking destination for this day was going to be 7000 ft Norse Peak, an 8 pointer, near Crystal Mtn Ski Resort, a bit north and east of Mt Rainier National Park. The Mt Rainier WX report predicted 30-40 MPH winds at Paradise and Camp Muir in the National Park. We took off for our backup hiking destination: Bandera Mtn.
