Trail contains no technical obstacles
Summit #7845 is a good hike through the 2021 Trail Creek wildland fire. The trail signed Ruby-May Creek #3102 was in great shape and being cleared by a Montana Conservation Corps crew during the activation. There are some good views of the Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness summits along the trail.
Caution: this trail and the summit have elevated snag hazard due to recent wildland fires.
Shook Mountain is the apex on the north end of a small rib of mountains lying between the East and West Forks of the Bitterroot River, and the Idaho/Montana border to the south. Having good views of both those valleys there are also fine views of rugged peaks in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness.
White Mountain, a US Forest Service Lookout since 1934, had been updated to an L4 Lookout cabin on a 41’ wooden tower in 1954. It is on the National Register of Historic Lookouts. It has good views of the southern Bitterroot Mountains, the Great Burn Wilderness Study Area, the Idaho/Montana border and the Lolo National Forest.
Current access is hiking approximately 2 miles through forest and along a permanently closed road.
This summit is slightly prominent over the old Ninemile Lookout Site. A sign on the summit points to this old lookout site approximately 0.25 miles east. Elevation difference is 28’. All that remains of the lookout are four large concrete support blocks, burned wood and rusting hardware scattered on the ground. Slow growing subalpine fir tower to over 40’ on the site.
The remainer of the summit is dense old forest with oddly shaped rock outcrops of banded-argillite. Due to dense forest, there are very limited vistas of the valleys below.
Stevens Peak is a forested summit overlooking Noxon Reservoir on the Clark Fork River. Much of the summit hike is along good loop Stevens Ridge Trail #1083. The summit is south of the small community of Noxon, Montana and the Noxon dam. The summit is a broad forested flat but there are good views of Noxon Reservoir and Cabinet Mountains on the northeast side of the summit where trees give way to steep rocky and grassy areas.
Trail miles: 1.8 on-trail, 0.3 off-trail, both round trip
Elevation gain: 800’
This nondescript summit is almost indistinguishable from the surrounding ridges and summits. It does have a rocky forested summit traversed by an old logging skid trail. It also lies at the head of interestingly named creek, Dirty Ike.
Being close to Clinton, MT, just off Interstate 90 and having a logging road traversing south slopes to just below this summit makes an easy activation or possible easy winter activation.
Trees on the summit provide good support for hanging wire antennas.
Trail Miles: 0.5 roundtrip
5526 is a 4-point summit in the Malheur National Forest, about 15 road miles northeast of Prairie City, OR. It is a very short bushwhack through open forest up to the summit area, which is pretty flat. The roads in the area are quite convoluted but the well worn tracks take you right close to the summit. The summit is semi-open, sparse views and plenty of trees for antennas. Don't expect 2m contacts here and AT&T data service was non-functional, so I relied upon RBN for spotting. I didn't think to check APRS.
Access is via the Klootchy Creek County Park off of HW26 just 2 miles east of Hwy 101 near Seaside. There's plenty of parking. And a pit toilet.
The summit and access are on Nuveen Natural Capital (private) property, previously Lewis and Clark Timberland. A (free, as of 2025) access permit is required from https://nncpermits.com/ Get the one for NNC_OR_25.
Oak Grove Butte is now a 3 mile RT hike with 750 feet of elevation gain. The rest of the write up here :http://www.pnwsota.org/blog/k7atn/2016-october-29/oak-grove-butte-or-october-2016, is generally correct, except the passive repeater now has a big brother and the road to that tower is good gravel. However, a gate blocks this road at the final intersection.
Driving Directions:
Get on 224 heading east out of Estacada, OR.
I tried an alternate route to 5060 (aka Full Quieting Mt.) in the Gifford Pinchot.
I parked at (46.10557, -121.66125) on NF-2360-071 (aka Eckhart Pass Road).
Proceed South up the ridge, which is mostly open with some deadfall/blowdown for about 0.55 miles. There is a false summit, just continue south.
