W7U/GR-031
The Knoll
1925 m / 6316 ft
Dec 01, 2015
Nov 26, 2016
By KX0R
The Knoll is one of the easiest SOTA summits I’ve activated. I relied on KT0A’s helpful tips on the SOTA summit page.
Key Points:
• Short, fun hike
• No marked route to the top
• Great views of the Canyonlands near Moab, Utah
• Fine HF site
• Hike less than ¼ mile
• Vertical gain ~ 120 feet
Driving Directions:
• From Moab, take Highway 191 north
• Drive past the main entrance to Arches National Park
• Continue northwest about 6.5 miles to Highway 313
• Turn left, southwest
• Follow the signs to Dead Horse Point State Park
• Drive about 14.8 miles to a marked fork, where Highway 313 heads left, east, toward Dead Horse Point State
• The Knoll stands just east of the fork
• Park off the highway about 200 yards east of the junction, on the north side of Road 313.
The Hike:
• Hike northeast toward The Knoll
• A jeep road east of the parking spot leads to the west side of the butte.
• Walk up the jeep road about 150 yards.
• Follow a social trail south of The Knoll to the east side of the rock outcrop.
• There’s no need to do any rock-climbing or scrambling.
• A faint path leads up a rocky slope a short distance to the top of the butte.
Additional Details:
The summit is small, relatively flat, and there’s little to hold a pole.
I set up a short distance south of the top. I guyed my 20-foot pole with three cords tied to rocks. A pole that you can guy, or a self-supporting antenna, is essential to activate The Knoll.
The Knoll is a near-perfect radio summit. The relatively flat surrounding terrain provides good reflection at low angles.
On 01 Dec 2015, I made 22 CW contacts on 40, 30, and 20M.
On 26 Nov 2016, I made 25 CW contacts on 40, 30, and 20M.
When I climbed The Knoll on Dec 1, 2015, the north side was snowy, but the south side was clear. At 2300Z, it was warm sitting in the late-afternoon sun, even though the temperature was near freezing – fortunately there was almost no wind. As soon as the sun went down, the temperature fell rapidly, and it was well below freezing in a few minutes. I really earned my Winter Bonus Points after sunset!
The Knoll is only about 120 vertical feet above the road, yet it has nice views in every direction – the La Sal Mountains, Island of the Sky, vast canyonlands, and distant mountain ranges are visible from the summit. This little butte is actually the high point of a huge elevated mesa area covering many square miles.
The Knoll can be combined with nearby Aztec Butte, W7U/SU-058, about 12 miles to the south, in Canyonlands National Park, for a dual activation.
Numerous recreation spots with amazing scenery are nearby, at Dead Horse State Park, Canyonlands National Park – Island of the Sky, Arches National Park, etc.
73
George
KX0R
!! 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!