Activation Reports

I attempted to follow Amy AG7GP's described route up Beecher Road onto the BLM road and encountered a locked gate approximately 5 miles short of the summit. It has a sign indicating video surveillance which implies no public access to me. Picture is attached, gate is at 42.62347, -123.36869.

6.5 miles RT with 1100 feet of elevation gain from the pavement. I suggest this is where you start. None of the track is steep, but there are some steeple chase logs and at one point the road was so over grown we lost it.

General: As a Klickitat Cunty highpoint, this is surprisingly activated often by the PeakBaggers. I saw a lot of boot traffic. See https://peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=310 for a lot of trip reports and .gpx tracks.

Directions: From Goldendale WA, take SR97 north 14.5mi to Ski Lodge Rd. West exit. Go past the old Ski Lodge and west past Simcoe Butte/MC-051 which is on Yakima Tribal Lands. Side trip: drive up the narrow road to the summit for spectacular view of the Yakima and Simcoe valleys.

Table Rock lies between Summer Lake and Fort Rock in central Oregon. It's easily visible and obvious for miles--a large round platau surrounded by desert. Views are great, of course.

This summit is a complete Priusable drive up. The actual summit is a few hundred feet distant with about 40 feet of gain, so the road is in the activation zone. Getting to the top is an easy bushwhack through recently logged open forest. To get there find the Mckenzie River and highway 126 whch runs along it.

Turn off of the highway 126 at 44.2371, -122.05542 onto NF-2654 which is paved for a while.

Take a right at 44.2502, -122.0607 to cross Deer Creek.

Take another right onto NF-2655 at 44.2554, -122.0577.

Final right at 44.2584, -122.05348 onto 616.

USFS-Yakima Tribal lands bisect this summit.  Activate to the west to be on USFS properties.  See the attached map.  Beautiful views of Mt Adams to the north but an exposed summit, i.e. can be windy.

This is another peak in the Stimson family of parcels, specifically the region they call "Wildcat/Munson Creek". Pleasantly, this parcel is open to recreational walk-in access all days of the week from sunrise to sunset. Note though as with all Stimson property, it will be closed during the summer fire season starting at IFPL2 and higher. Access aside, it's a pleasant enough hike and nice open summit but not much for views. The ascent takes you around the back of Munsen Falls State Park. The path is a 2.3 mile hike one-way with 1700ft gain.

 Driving directions:

While we used motorcycles to get to this summer, a descent AWD car should have no problem with the road. There is enough space just to the south of the cow area to park one or two rigs and the hike is relatively quick. Not much in the way of shade so plan accordingly and bring extra water. This is pretty remote country but in the event of an emergency, you could likely get into the HiDARG Repeater on Sharps Butte [147.300+, T162.2]. Cell Service was good most of the time, there is a visible tower array just to the south of the Crane hot springs, which you can see from the summit

Ran into a gate on Cole Mountain Road with a sign posted saying that access is closed December-October. About 3.5 miles left to the summit, so could still be done as a gravel road walk. Attached a map with the gate location marked.

Studying maps on Gaia shows there *may* be another access path from the north, but I did not have time to investigate.

Access

This peak is on Stimson Lumber land. Fortunately they allow non-motorized public access, dawn til dusk, with no permit required. There are a few caveats to be aware of (no fires, no e-bikes, no drones, and more). For details, and to make sure this tract is still open when you plan your visit, look for the "Stimson’s Public Access Policy" PDF on their site, linked from this page:

https://www.stimsonlumber.com/public-recreation-in-oregon/