W5T/NT-037 Johnson Peak

I had a few hours to kill before my flight home, so I decided to head over to get another summit. The closest one to the DFW airport seemed to be Johnson Peak, in the Possum Kingdom Lake recreation area. I drove over and parked at the west trailhead in the South D&D area. It turns out the east trailhead is closer, but I didn't see it when I drove in.

Boat ramp at the end of the parking lot.

There is a bathroom at the west trailhead, but not at the east. I walked across the parking lot and through the picnic area. There was a large sign pointing to the trail, so I followed the road up and found the east trailhead. There was a trail map on a board, and the rules for the trail.

Starting up the trail.

The trail mostly ascends through the shady forest, and has lots of switchbacks. To me it seemed to have too many. The trail is extremely well marked, with lots of signs. It appears to get a lot of use, and I imagine it can get crowded on a summer weekend.

The trail ran up a fire break for a distance.

The south part of the peninsula is private property, and the trail came right up to the fence on a few switchbacks. After passing the large water tank, it begins the final climb. There are some large rocks at the top, offering some scrambling.  On top was a fence with some signs and a bench. There was a great view, and plenty of trees to throw an antenna into.

Looking south east from the summit.

I threw a line over one of the tall trees, and got my end-fed up fairly high. Once I sent out a spot and called cq, I got a large pileup that didn't seem to end. After 50 minutes of operating, I had made 54 contacts. The majority were on 20m, but plenty on 30 and 40 as well. This is by far the most I've made from a summit in a non-contest situation.

More views of the Texas plains.

Before heading down I climbed up a few of the rocks to see if there were any new views, and was rewarded with them. The walk down was quick, taking the same route. I was happy during the drive back to DFW, having got in some exercise and lots of radio.

Looking at the lake on the other side of the peninsula.

Trailhead: D&D South area, either trailhead. For a longer hike, start at the TH on Park Road 36 on the east side of the peak.
Website: SOTA Site. Park map - yellow lines are trails.
Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.
Route: Take the trail up to the top. Very well marked and heavily used trail.
Red Tape: None.

Summit selfie.