W6/NC-521 Chalk Mountain

Chalk Mountain was the last SOTA peak in Santa Cruz County I had left to climb, and it is a beautiful one. It is the only peak in the county with a view on the summit. The shortest access seems to be from Whitehouse Canyon Road. This road is unpaved and somewhat rough, but I had no trouble in my sedan. Drive down the road until the wide area, with the sign marking the end of public access. The hiker trailhead sign is much easier to see from a distance.

The parking area, TH on the right.

The trail starts out up a beautiful, redwood canyon, climbing rather steeply.

Up the side of the hill.

There are two junctions you pass by, each leading to a viewpoint. The lower one was nice, but I wasn't able to follow the trail to the upper one. At the top of the hill, the trail ends at a fire road. Turn left onto the road, and follow it to the summit. The road goes over a sub-peak that is nearly as tall as the main one.

View of the summit from the sub-peak. Chalk Peak is the bald one nearby, with McAbee and Pine behind it.

Just below the summit the road forks. Take the right fork up to the top. There is a tower, and a small privy just below it. The views from the top are excellent, but only a few mountains are visible. Some high ridges block the view to the east and south. There is a picnic table in an open area to the west. 2019 note: The table is still there, despite what other activators might try to tell you. I setup at the table, stringing out my antenna down the access trail. There was good service, at least at the table.

A nice view of the ocean while operating.

I was expecting a lot of chasers, but I only got five on HF. The ionosphere must not have been cooperating. After getting everyone, I called on VHF, and got two contacts up in Gualala, which is on the Sonoma-Mendocino county border, about a hundred miles north over the ocean.

Looking over Castle Rock and Big Basin. Mt Bielawski on the left, McAbee in the center, with Pine Mountain just to the right of it. Buzzard's Roost is the pointy summit near McAbee.

Before going down I enjoyed the view from the summit a bit more, then noticed something. The privy was facing the wrong way. If it had been turned 90 degees, one could have enjoyed a great view while sitting in it. As it is set up now, the only view you can get is of a white fence. It looks like the structure is sitting on a concrete pad, so it might not be too much work to rotate it for a better bathroom experience. At least the builders of the North Chalone privy got it right.

Its a scenic privy, but no view while sitting on it.

The hike back down was nice, especially when I got back into the cool shade of the redwoods. The trail seemed even steeper going down than it had on the way up, but it made the hike quick. Back at the car I navigated the bumpy road out, then enjoyed a drive up the coast to get to a road that crossed the mountains back to the Bay Area.

Saw this tag on the ground in the parking area.

Trailhead: End of the public part of Whitehouse Canyon Road.
Website: SOTA Site.
Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.
Route: Take the trail up through the redwood forest. Turn left onto the tower access road and follow it to the summit, bearing right just below the high point.
Red Tape: None.