SOTA outings by KØMOS and contributors

Tag: Button Rock Preserve

  • W0C/FR-098 (Cook Mountain) – 2298 m / 7540 ft

    W0C/FR-098
    Cook Mountain
    2298 m / 7540 ft
    Nov 30, 2014 1st Activation
    May 23, 2015 2nd Activation
    Apr 25, 2016 3rd Activation

    By KX0R

    Cook Mountain is a hidden mountain west of Lyons, Colorado. This peak offers a pleasant SOTA activation in a special place.

    Key points:

    • Access from Roosevelt National Forest and Buttonrock Preserve
    • Cook Mountain is within Buttonrock Preserve – special rules apply
    • Trailhead at Coulson Gulch
    • Navigation and route-finding required – some off-trail hiking
    • The trailhead is at 7650 feet, higher than the summit
    • ~ 5.4 miles round-trip
    • ~ 1100 feet vertical gain, including about 600 feet back up to the trailhead

    Driving Directions:

    Starting at Lyons, follow Highway 36 northwest for several miles. About 1-1/2 miles beyond Pinewood Springs, turn left, west, onto dirt road 47. Follow 47 about 3-1/2 miles southwest as it climbs up a valley. Just before a sharp bend in the road, a USFS dirt road leads off to the left.  Follow this lumpy road up to a large parking area, at a saddle between two large hills. Don’t continue on up to the jeep road leading to Johnny Park. The trailhead is at the southeast side of the parking area.

    The Hike:

    The route is down to Higgins Park via Coulson Gulch, and then up the north ridge of Cook Mountain to the top.

    Hike south down the Coulson Gulch Trail #916. Sometimes there are shooters here – use caution. The trail descends along a little creek, and it’s very scenic below the parking area. The route descends steeply into Higgins Park, where an old cabin stands near the trail. Continue along the creek, and follow marked Trail 916 through the huge meadows.

    Where the trail splits, take the dirt road left, east, and cross the creek where a bridge has been washed out. Follow the road up a short hill into Buttonrock Preserve.  This is a good place for a short break.

    Enjoy the nice view of the Preserve from the saddle at 7000 feet. Don’t continue down, but find an unmarked jeep track leading south along the ridge toward Cook Mountain. Follow this road for almost ½ mile to the end; continue up a faint, rough game trail ascending south along the rocky, forested ridge. Stay close to the ridge-top, and follow it all the way to an obvious high point.

    The northern high point is not the summit shown on the SOTA map, but it’s in the Activation Zone. There are three or four high points, all at about the same elevation, and the saddles are shallow. It’s just a matter of selecting which summit you want to activate.

    The east side of the mountain looks down over 1100 feet to Buttonrock Reservoir, and the west side looks down into the rugged North Saint Vrain Canyon. This canyon is one of the wildest areas in Boulder County.

    Many good spots are available for setting up radio gear in the large Activation Zone. Granite outcrops and trees provide shelter from wind. With essentially no development in the area, this site has a very low HF noise level.

    HF propagation is wide open to the east, and is minimally impaired by a few higher mountains in other directions. This is an excellent HF site! However, there is only a very limited view out toward the plains, and the Denver metro area is mostly blocked by other mountains, so Cook Mountain is probably a poor VHF/UHF site.

    On Nov 30, 2014, I made only 26 contacts, all on 17M CW. However, seven of these contacts were DX stations:

    EA2LU
    DJ5AV
    DL3JON
    G4OBK
    F6EAZ
    CU3BL
    GI4ONL

    This was rather incredible, as I was running 5 watts to an end-fed inverted-L antenna up 19 feet. Perhaps it helped that I was on the north side of one of the summits, looking down the slope toward the northeast.

    On May 23, 2015 I made 33 contacts on 20 and 30M CW from Cook Mountain. This was pretty good for a 1-point activation. There was no DX, but there were four S2S contacts with operators on other summits. I was using the same rig and antenna as in 2014.

    The April 25, 2016 activation covered 40, 30, 20, and 17M CW. I made a total of 39 contacts, including one S2S contact on 40M with KT0A in the Black Hills.

    Don’t be fooled by the one-point SOTA designation – Cook Mountain offers other rewards, with its secluded near-wilderness location, low HF noise, and large, rugged summit. The area is home to many wild animals, and few people venture up this quiet peak. Keep your eyes open if you go up there. Climbing Cook Mountain is a wonderful mini-adventure!

    Hiking in Buttonrock Preserve is a special privilege. This is a watershed for the City of Longmont, and it’s a protected area. Longmont is very generous in allowing access to the public. It’s important to understand and obey the rules while in the Preserve. Fortunately, these rules are simple and clear:

    • NO Camping
    • NO Overnight parking
    • NO Bicycles
    • NO Horses
    • NO Fires
    • NO Hunting
    • NO Firearms
    • NO Boats or Floating Devices
    • NO Swimming
    • NO Resource Collection or Removal
    • Fishing in the Reservoir requires a special permit

    Note that hiking off-trail is NOT prohibited. Please respect and obey the Preserve rules so that continued access will be allowed.

    73

    George Carey Fuller
    KX0R

     

     

     

    ATTENTION !! WARNING !! There are old mountaineers, and bold mountaineers… there are no old-bold mountaineers. Hiking and mountain climbing are potentially hazardous activities particularly in Colorado with its extreme elevations. I am not accepting responsibility for any death or injury resulting from activations based on my trip reports. Proper training, experience, and personal capability assessment is required – enjoy!

  • WØC/FR-Ø81 (Button Rock Mountain) – 2576 m / 8450 ft

    W0C/FR-081
    Button Rock Mountain
    2576 m / 8450 ft
    July 6, 2013
    Nov 2, 2014

    by KX0R

    Button Rock Mountain is a moderate 2-point SOTA peak hidden in the Roosevelt National Forest. This was my first SOTA activation, and it went well, so it is special to me.

    Button Rock Mountain
    Button Rock Mountain and Preserve from Coffintop Mountain

    Access is not difficult, but good navigation is required. I suggest using USGS topo maps – Google maps are incomplete in the area. The forest has several jeep roads, plus secret mountain bike trails. Many of the roads are currently closed to vehicles due to damage from the 2013 floods, but the route to Button Rock Mountain is in good condition and is open to hikers.

    Drive up US 36 to Pinewood Springs, and continue to the junction with road 47. This road has been partly rebuilt following the devastating floods, but it’s not paved – caution is advised. Follow 47 up to the marked cutoff to Johnny Park. Turn left, and if you have enough clearance, drive up the eroded road to the Coulson Gulch Trailhead – otherwise park off the road, and walk up to the trailhead. This trailhead serves as a gateway to a huge area of the National Forest, and almost anything can happen here. People camp, build fires, hang out, drink, take drugs, shoot guns, go hunting, and ride bikes, ATV’s, jeeps, or whatever. Park but don’t leave anything valuable in your car. Hike up the gated Forest Road 118 leading east from the parking area. This road quickly climbs up to a plateau at about 7800 feet. Button Rock Mountain looms up to the east. Follow the road around the plateau, or short-cut northeast across it on a path, and continue northeast and down to a saddle at 7600 feet.

    Continue east on a gated road leading from the saddle; follow this road up a rocky ridge and into the saddle valley north of Button Rock Mountain. The practical way up the mountain is to hike to this broad saddle, and then pick a route up the relatively gentle north side of the mountain.  Don’t head south and up too soon – continue far enough east to pass the steep rocks on the northwest side of the mountain. From the saddle, it’s easy to find a reasonable route up the north slopes. There is no marked route, there are fallen trees, and there are old forestry-maintenance trails that may or may not be useful. Part way up you’ll find a lovely secret mountain bike trail that has been artfully built up the northeast side of the mountain. This route leads up near the summit, but it has so many curves and switchbacks that it’s not an efficient hiking route. Just head up through the open woods, and you’ll be on the large summit plateau before you know it.

    Note that the actual “Button Rock” is not the summit, nor is it on this route.  Button Rock lies well to the northeast of Button Rock Mountain.  Also note that many people use the term “Button Rock” to refer to the Button Rock Preserve or to Ralph Price Reservoir in the Preserve.

    Finding the actual summit is tricky. Cairns lead through the pleasant, open woods along the ridge near the top. A GPS with maps will get you very close. There are several large rock outcrops in the huge Activation Zone, and the western-most crag appears to be the real summit. This point is well-hidden by trees and is the only one with a really good view! A short scramble leads to the top. There is a cairn and register jar top, suggesting that this rock is the summit.

    There are plenty of trees and sheltered spots where you can set up and activate within the Zone. There is no real need for a pole, if you have a way to get a line up over a limb. Erecting serious antennas is possible here. Propagation should be fine at VHF and UHF, as well as HF. Few people visit this massive, prominent mountain.

    Descend by a route that leads back to the saddle north of the mountain – avoid the cliffs on the west side.

    The one-way distance is about 2.6 miles by the route detailed here. The total ascent is about 1000 vertical feet. There is no reliable water on the route, so be sure to bring enough. This is a pleasant hike during spring or fall – wear bright colors during hunting season.

    There certainly are routes up from the East, but I have not hiked in that area.

    Access from Button Rock Preserve is certainly possible, but at this writing, the entire Preserve is closed to all entry due to the floods. One of the logical approaches would be to climb from the Reservoir via Rattlesnake Gulch – which is so named for good reason. There really are rattlers in the Preserve and in the surrounding area – watch your step! Button Rock Mountain has many deer and elk, and it’s also prime mountain lion habitat. The entire area North Saint Vrain Creek area is wild, fascinating, and beautiful.

    A hike up Buttonrock Mountain is a great introduction to this region, and it’s a SOTA Classic!

    73

    George Carey Fuller
    KX0R

    ATTENTION !! WARNING !! There are old mountaineers, and bold mountaineers… there are no old-bold mountaineers. Hiking and mountain climbing are potentially hazardous activities particularly in Colorado with its extreme elevations. I am not accepting responsibility for any death or injury resulting from activations based on my trip reports. Proper training, experience, and personal capability assessment is required – enjoy!