We were staying in Davis, WV to see the leaves during our fall break in mid-October. It was colder than anticipated, and the area got its first snow of the season while we were there! Driving up to Backbone Mountain was simple. We followed US-48 west out of Davis until we reached a parking lot for Fred Long Centennial Park, with large wind turbines nearby. Here we pulled into the gravel road across from this parking spot and followed it the quarter-mile to the summit.
It was very foggy, so there was not much to look at while getting my end fed as high up as I could. After 15 QSOs on 40m and 20m, I had a look at the spotter and I noticed many European stations were on 10m, so I decided to give it a try. To my shock and delight, stations from Europe were booming in, and I was able to work 15 more stations in just over 10 minutes before the mini-pileup had dried up.
10 meters really is the magic band! I did not use it often when I was more active in SOTA in the Bay Area, as sunspots were on the downswing during those years (2015-2018). I was lucky to get back into the hobby during the peak of Cycle 25!
Trailhead: 39.14683, -79.57417 : Gravel road across US-48 from Fred Long Centennial Park
POTA: No, but close to Blackwater Falls State Park (US-1802)
Backbone Mountain is just 10 miles from Blackwater Falls State Park, so I added a POTA activation later that afternoon after the afternoon rain had cleared. I found a bench at the Pendleton Point Overlook to operate from and took in the glorious sights!
Other good spots in the park were Lindy Point Overlook and Gentle Trail to Blackwater Falls. Rhododendrons are everywhere, and it must be really amazing to be there when they’re blooming.
Took a daytrip to Ohiopyle State Park to check out this SOTA peak, which is in the more secluded eastern half of the park. Sugarloaf Knob (2667 feet), is the highest named peak in Ohiopyle, but the ridge extends to the east towards a less distinct high point (2930 feet) where the activation zone lies. I parked at the end of Fire Tower Road, which has a small parking area good for about 5 cars, and then walked along the gravel road about a 0.5 miles until I reached the final summit approach.
Fire Tower Road continues northeast here, while there is an overgrown road with many fallen trees in the path leading to the actual peak. The grass has gotten rather tall, and since this junction is in the activation zone (at approximately 2880 feet), I decided to avoid the potential tick encounters and operated from this junction. There were plenty of trees to get an antenna up, and I spent a good time getting chasing some S2S contacts once I had filled my log on 40m and 20m.
After packing up, I decided to finish the hike by taking the connector that leads to the McCune Trail, a quarter mile from the trailhead. The McCune Trail is well-marked with red blazes, and loops around the eastern Sugarloaf ridge and has some interesting looking boulders scattered along the way. There is a scenic bench with views of the Great Allegheny Passage trail and Youghiogheny River that would be spectacular during fall and winter. This added about 3.7 miles to the total trip. I did awkwardly walk along Sugarloaf Road at the end to cut off some distance, but very few cars appear to use the road.
Summary of the day. The red path is the short walk along the gravel road to the activation zone. The yellow path is the route around the McCune Trail. The approximate location of the scenic bench is marked with a red X.
Trailhead: 39.82497, -79.44109 : A small gravel road leads to this parking area off of Sugarloaf Road
Route: 1.0 mi round trip, following the gravel Fire Tower Road (a car with clearance could probably drive onward to the AZ); McCune Trail adds approximately 4 miles, and is worth it! A large part of the trail passes through the AZ.
This was a quick one on a drive from Cincinnati to Pittsburgh. As reported by others, Flint Ridge Memorial State Park is a short detour north of I-70, taking less than 10 minutes to get to the park from the highway. The picnic area by the parking lot is within the activation zone, so this feels a bit more like a POTA activation since there is no hike to a summit. The actual peak is about a mile west of the park, evidently in somebody’s backyard. The titular Flint Ridge is an 8-mile-long vein of flint that was quarried by the Hopewell people in ancient times.
The activation zone is wide and encompasses the entrance of Flint Ridge State Park (right-side of image). The triangle marks the approximate location of the high point, and the 80 foot region beneath the activation zone is shaded. I operated at a spot in the park marked by a circle.
The highlight of this activation was working sideband summit-to-summit contacts with Martha W0ERI and Gary W0MNA on W0D/BB-089 in South Dakota. They’ve chased me on many of my activations, so it was neat to get them in my chaser log as well!
There is a museum about the ancient flint quarry at this site, but it was closed since I was there on a Monday. I just set up at a park bench next to the lake and operated. Seems like there would be more to check out on a longer visit in the future. This also feels like it has the potential to become a state park (i.e. a POTA park), but is not yet one. It’s also close to the Newark Earthworks, which I will definitely visit on my next pass through!
Trailhead/Parking: 39.988759, -82.261710 : Flint Ridge State Park lot; 15300 Flint Ridge Road, Glenford, OH, USA
On a drive to Cincinnati for a family visit in July, I picked out a detour around Chillicothe to take on a couple SOTA summits: W8O/SE-009 Bunker Hill and W8O/SE-005 Rocky Knob. I had just worked Chris N8PEM on his activation of Bunker Hill a few days before this trip, and his reports for the area were invaluable for planning.
Bunker Hill is within the Great Seal (of Ohio) State Park and Rocky Knob is just outside its bounds. I thought this was an odd name for a park, but it turns out that Chillicothe is the city depicted in the Great Seal of Ohio, as it was the state’s first capital city.
I parked at the mountain biking trailhead off of Lick Run Road. The Mt. Ives trail starts from this point, which fans out into a network of trails throughout the park. First up was Bunker Hill.
W8O/SE-009 Bunker Hill
I followed the Mt. Ives Trail, then the Shawnee Ridge Trail, to the Bunker Hill Trail which snakes its way up the hill. The trails and junctions are well-marked. I did pass by a few mountain bikers on the way up. All told, it was 1.5 miles one way with nearly 500 feet of elevation gain. The majority of the hike was flat as the Bunker Hill trail mostly follows one contour around the hill until the last push to the top.
The activation zone at the top is large, so I hiked a bit further past the true summit where there was more room to set up. I used my trusty throw line to get the end fed up. Since this was a POTA site, I quickly got the required contacts, putting 17 in the log in about 25 minutes. Since the next hike was a bushwhack, I wanted to give myself plenty of time, so I decided that was good enough.
Trailhead: 39.36710, -82.93829 : Mountain Bike Trailhead on Lick Run Rd
Back at the car, it was time for hike number two. Rocky Knob, as of this writing (Feb 2025 – this report has been on the back burner for a while 😬) has only been activated 9 times to Bunker Hill’s 41. This is because Rocky Knob is a bushwhack. While a tract of Great Seal State Park connects nearly the entire way to the hilltop, the least strenuous way does pass momentarily across a well-trimmed lawn (private property) that is not within the park.
I started on the Lick Run Trail and after a tenth of a mile, followed a Connector trail to Lower Cellar Trail, working my way to the east end of the park. Once I had crossed the Cellar Trail proper, it was time to start the bushwhack.
Lick Run TrailAround here is where I went off-trail.
I tried to follow this dried creek up the hill. It was somewhat rough going and the ground was softer. I kept consulting my GPS to try to stay in the park boundaries, which includes a narrow (tenth of a mile wide) panhandle to the east. The clearing just north of the park is an open, flat field that seems to be part of somebody’s property, so I did not linger.
Following the ridge got me back into the park for the final approach to Rocky Knob. There is a small wooded area surrounding some rocky protrusions at the top. There were signs of a recent campfire, with a small rock pit and firewood around. There were many trees to choose from to get a wire up into and a handful of rocks to sit on.
Even though the edge of the park boundary might overlap with the activation zone, I decided to operate closer to the peak south of the park boundary to be safe. I did a bit of S2S chasing here, logging a few prolific SOTA and high-profile activators. George KX0R on Radial Mountain (W0C/PR-091), Al N1SMB on Lily Mountain (W0C/FR-050), and Ara N6ARA on Kratka Ridge (W6/CT-014). 14 QSOs when I wrapped up. It was an uneventful hike back, but I did find a tick in my pants when I made it to Cincinnati a couple hours later. Thankfully, it hadn’t bitten.
Trailhead: 39.36710, -82.93829 : Mountain Bike Trailhead on Lick Run Rd
I had some time to drive up to Mt Davis on July 3 to see Pennsylvania’s high point at 3213 feet. This is the most activated SOTA peak in the W3 area, with my activation making it 125 to date. The summit is surrounded by the Mt Davis State Conservation Area (US-0625) which is also part of the Forbes State Forest (US-5468), making this a double-POTA activation.
While it’s possible to drive to within 300 feet of the peak, I opted to park at the High Point Picnic Area for a mile-long hike to the observation tower along the High Point Trail. This mostly-flat trail is part of a greater ~5 mile loop that tours this chunk of Forbes State Forest. I might try that loop next time.
I took the stairs up the observation tower and had a look around. Despite being the high point, Mt Davis is not particularly prominent, so the observation platform lets you see other ridges around the area. Once I was satisfied, set up near the paved loop by a stone pillar that was once a signpost. A disused trail spur entered the forest for about 40 feet or so, which was a perfect place to string up the end-fed. An easy way to earn 10 SOTA points!
Trailhead: 39.79417, -79.16653 : Northwest end of the Mt Davis Picnic Area.
Route: 2.0 mi round trip, following the High Point Trail
POTA: Mt Davis State Conservation Area (US-0625); Forbes State Forest (US-5468)
Update18 July 2025: This is a broad activation zone, as is typical for PA. The westernmost couple of benches in the Mt Davis Picnic Area are within the AZ! You can do this one POTA-style. I added this activation after completing Boardman Ridge, using the easy location as an opportunity to try my FT891 in the field; QRO for the first time!
The QSOs came in fast, but the rain came faster. I had to pause in the middle to wait for a break in the rain, then racked up a few more before the rain picked up again and forced me to pack up. 32 QSOs total, pieced together from two short runs punctuated by precipitation.
Update14 Feb 2026: The Mt Davis picnic area makes for a great spot to do a winter activation. Deep snow engulfing the tables, but little wind. A couple of snowshoers visiting from Maryland passed by to ask about my setup. This time, I was using the Sotabeams 20-30-40 linked dipole and FT891 for QRO fun, logging 120 QSOs! Fun DX included Finland OH1MM and Iceland TF3DC, both on 20m!
This peak is on the Seven Springs Mountain Resort, just a short way from the high point of the 70 mile Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail (2961 ft elevation). Since the LHHT is part of the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail, it’s also got a POTA designation (US-4564).
It’s the summer, but the gates to the resort were open and I was able to drive into the parking lot, though I’m not sure if I was allowed to. At the south end of the lot is a connection to the LHHT, somewhere between Miles 27 and 28. K2CZH reports a dirt parking spot on Pritts Distillery Road very close to Mile 26 on the LHHT. This would go through a more scenic route north along the LHHT than the southerly path I took that mostly went through the tree-cleared ski resort.
My path passed Mile 27 on the LHHT.
It was a clear day, with a pleasant breeze hitting the ridge. After about half a mile, I made it to the Lake Tahoe lodge area, which is worth a brief detour from the trail. The entire lake appears to be in the activation zone, but I set up a bit off the trail in view of the ski lift where the true peak appears to be. Not far from the tee of hole 9 of the disc golf course… there’s a lot going on up here. I used the arborist’s line, which is becoming my favorite way to a wire up in these tree-rich western PA peaks.
There was no problem getting the contacts, and no apparent QRM. Good cell service at the top as well. Probably my favorite SOTA peak so far in Western PA. It looks like I got lucky with parking in the Seven Springs lot. I will need to figure out a better parking spot for future trips, perhaps further south on the LHHT.
Here are some pictures of the trail as it continues south past the high point, which looks more scenic. One of the famous Laurel Highlands shelters (Grindle Ridge) is not far from here, near Mile 24, so this might be a way to work this peak into a longer overnight backpacking trip.
Update13 Dec 2025: I returned to this hike in the winter for the seasonal bonus, and this time to try the northbound approach from the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail south of the Seven Springs resort as reported by K2CZH. There is a pullout with space for one car in Forbes State Forest off of Pritt’s Distillery road (GPS coordinates: 40.01806, -79.31095). This doesn’t require you to park at the ski resort, so it may be the more “public option” for access.
Then, you just hike northbound along the LHHT which crosses Pritt’s Distillery road 200 feet east from the parking spot. The trail is well marked with yellow blazes, so it should be easy to follow into the AZ and summit. I operated from the LHHT about a half mile in, but you could keep climbing to the ski lifts from this direction.
I spent two hours here, taking it slow and chasing some S2S. Bands were in good form. I managed 58 QSOs, including the following DX and S2S:
Notable on this trip was the radio presence of the local Pittsburgh SOTA community which is growing in activity, including chases from Jody K3JZD, Jim KJ3D, and Dan NM3A. I was able to ping the K3MJW Skyview Radio Society repeater from the summit, where I got Cooky WC3O to chase on 40m. Keep in mind that you’ll be able to hit that repeater using just a whip antenna and an HT!
Both the northbound and southbound approaches shown above!
Trailhead: Southbound option 40.01806, -79.31095 : One-car pullout off Pritt’s Distillery road in Forbes State Forest, 200 feet from where the LHHT crosses the road Northbound option 40.02806, -79.30110 : Seven Springs Resort parking lot, south end, then look for LHHT signposts
This SOTA peak is the site of a fire lookout tower in Forbes State Forest. I parked at the Pondfield Headquarters parking lot at 1200 Skyline Drive. The parking lot is in the activation zone, but it’s worth the short walk (less than 1000 feet) to see the tower and benchmark. The cabin where the tower watchman would live during fire season is still on the site. Plenty of trees to hang up a wire antenna.
I operated for a good two hours, chasing S2S and other POTA activations. The Quebec Run Wild Area is nearby, and is a good place to camp in the area. There are some park ranger buildings here, but I didn’t see anybody else the entire time.
Trailhead: 39.78363, -79.70316 : Forbes State Forest Pondfield Headquarters parking lot, 1200 Skyline Drive, Farmington, PA
I recently changed my callsign from AI6CU to AA3TZ since I now live in PA, and was working the CQ WPX contest to break in the new callsign. I went on this hike to take a break from the contest and work my first SOTA with the new callsign. It took longer to drive to the trailhead than I expected, since the final approach is very bumpy. Bear Cave is large maze cave formation somewhere west of this 2600 ft peak. It looks like it gets very tight in there (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFYwIoEOKV0).
Google will try to take you down a trail that goes northeast from Derry Ridge Rd in Ligonier, but the road does not appear to exist. Continue along Derry Ridge Road, then turn northeast on Austraw Rd towards the intersection of Austraw Rd, Derry Ridge Rd, and Firetower Rd. Here, continue down Firetower Rd, which is a good gravel road for about a half mile, then becomes a bumpier dirt road for the remaining mile (starting around 1700 feet elevation). I had to go slow, but my sedan (Subaru Impreza) made it fine. It would probably not have gone well on a wet day. There is a small dirt parking spot at a locked gate with room for one vehicle. A truck was parked there so I parked a bit down the road where there was another pulloff.
Red marks the car route and Yellow marks the hike. Fire Tower Rd gets kind of rough about a half mile in for a sedan, but it’s fine on a dry day.
The first half of the 1.5-mile hike is a climb up 400 feet to a long, flat ridge. The rest of the hike follows a road that passes a large number of radio transmitters along this ridge. The road was flooded with 4 inches of water in places during this trip, but it was dry off the road. The observation tower at the peak was locked.
I set up by some rocks near the edge of the forest, but a couple of hikers suggested that I stay away from them as above 1600 ft elevation is where rattlesnakes live. “It would really suck to get bit by a rattlesnake out here,” one added. They were actually there to look for snakes and claimed that they had seen over 20, walking along the sun/shade line! Spooked, I moved into the sunny clearing and kept my eyes peeled. I heard intermittent noise on 40m, presumably from one of the nearby transmitters.
After the hike, I found the snake-fans by their truck, which was the one parked at the gate. They asked me some questions about CB radio, and I got them hyped up about the current peak in the solar cycle. I might come back in the winter, but I will probably just walk along Firetower road for a longer hike rather than drive on the rough road. Also, the snakes will be hibernating.
Trailhead: 40.33267, -79.23716 : Approach from Firetower Rd
It’s been a while since I’ve managed to write a blog post about a SOTA activation. Many things happened in my life – I moved to Pittsburgh, started a job as a professor, got married, bought a house, brought a puppy to the house… there just wasn’t much time for radio while I was doing my postdoc and then starting a new job in a new city. I feel like SOTA and POTA have changed quite a bit in that time as well, with a lot more activity and plenty more resources to help plan trips. In particular, sotadata got a glow-up, and sotl.as is just really nice to use.
Over spring break, I took a trip to the Netherlands, which has two SOTA peaks. I was staying in Utrecht, so I decided to go for Signaal Imbosch, which is in the Nationaal Park Veluwezoom, making this a POTA/SOTA activation. This would be my first SOTA activity in nearly 2 years, so I was rusty. And a bit nervous. My callsign for the trip was PA/AI6CU/P, which is definitely a keyful! It was a cool and dry day, in the mid-50s F, which Dutch folks were quick to tell me was fantastic weather for March.
I took the train from Utrecht to Arnhem with a rental e-bike. I needed to get a day-pass for my bike to use the train.
From Arnhem Station, I rode up to the park along and towards Signaal Imbosch, close to 7 miles with a few gradual climbs. Perhaps Velp would have been a better starting point, with a more direct path to the hill.
Biking around the Netherlands was a wonderful experience. I was surprised I was able to ride all throughout the Veluwezoom park, taking advantage of an extensive and well-signed network of bike paths.
Signaal Imbosch is the high point of the Veluwe natural area in the central Netherlands. During WWII, it was the site of a Luftwaffe aircraft monitoring radio station (Teerose II), and there are some remains of the site here.
Having finally reached the hill, I got my end fed mounted to my 21-foot pole (though there were plenty of trees around). The soil was sandy, and the landscape reminded me of the Pine Barrens in New Jersey.
In a sign of my rustiness, I tuned my wire on 30 meters, which is not a band it is resonant on (oof!). Still, I managed to get myself spotted with cell service and quickly got contacts from around Europe. All sorts of new (to me) prefixes!
2M0SNT, who was working a POTA station awarded me the “longest callsign of the day” award. Thanks to all the chasers!
Afterwards, I rode over to the Kröller-Müller Museum in the nearby Hoge Veluwe National Park (had to pay an entry fee for this park) to enjoy the extensive Van Gogh collection in a beautiful location.
I rolled back to Arnhem station and (feeling tired and saddle-sore after about 35 miles of riding), rode the train back to Utrecht. What a wonderful way to break the SOTA hiatus!
I recently moved to New Jersey for my postdoc and it was only a matter of time before I got out on another SOTA activation. Why not start with the state’s high point (NJ-001)? Jersey isn’t known for its mountains, although part of the Appalachian Trail does cut through the northern part of the state. The AT passes through part of High Point State Park, which is named for the state’s pinnacle at 1803 feet.
This summit was basically a drive-on peak. There is a granite obelisk (reminiscent of Cal’s Campanile) built as a veteran’s memorial. It’s about 200 feet tall and you can pay $1 to climb to the top to get just a bit of extra height and views through some foggy windows.
It was a sunny autumn day, and the ether was full of contesters covering the bands like so many fallen leaves. I had to move to 17m to find an open channel, and quickly got the four contacts I needed. I was shocked to have been heard in Germany (DJ5AV) and Hungary (HA5MA), but that’s part of the fun of QRP on the East Coast. Rounding out the activation was a summit-to-summit with AC1Z in the Catskill Mountains, which were visible from the High Point on this clear day, and KX0R in CO. All in all, a fun introduction to SOTA in NJ.
View of the hill from across Lake Marcia.
I sat on this rocky part with my end-fed wire antenna in a bush nearby.
View from the top of the obelisk.
The monument.
New Jersey only has 12 SOTA peaks, and all of them have been activated. To date, no single ham has conquered all 12, so there’s a chance to be first…
Tom Zajdel 