W7I/CI-082 Celaya Benchmark

 It was a rainy day, but I was tired of sitting in my hotel room, so I headed out for an activation. I figured a peak with more driving than hiking would be a good choice for a day like this, so Celaya Benchmark was my choice. From Twin Falls I headed south on US93 to Rogerson. In town I turned west and drove down Three Creek Road. This crosses the Salmon Falls Dam, which is not suitable for large vehicles or trailers. Next, head south on Monument Springs Road. This dirt road was well graded, and the little sedan I had made it all the way to the trailhead.

Jeep trail hiking.

I found a wide area to park in, north of the summit at about (42.06432, -114.91910). There is a jeep trail that heads away from the main road here, and I followed it. A short distance down there is a gate. This one was a bit easier to get through since there was a chain you could use to get some mechanical advantage while shutting it.

MTR 3B on the summit.

From here the trail continues up onto the main ridge. I was pleasantly surprised to find it wasn't as windy on the ridge as I feared. Follow the road until you're near the summit. The road goes around the summit, so at some point you'll need to step off to get to the high point. I did this shortly before some higher brush.

Radiating that RF.

It was an open field sort of bushwhack to the summit. In the fog I just followed the sharp drop off to my left. The summit is broad and open, and since it was so cloudy I had to use the GPS to make sure I was at the high point. 

I wanted to try and get out of the wind, so I went a few feet down the east side of the summit, with the cliff. Turns out there are plenty of bushes to hold your pole here, and some nice shelter from the weather. It was quite pleasant sitting and making contacts. I had pretty good cell service on the summit.

Enjoying the outdoors.

I took the same route back down, but it was much less pleasant. The rain had started and the wind picked up. First, only the left side of my pants was wet, then all my legs were wet. But since it was a short hike, I wasn't too worried. At the car I got out of the rain and turned up the heat for the drive back to Twin Falls.

Trailhead: Along Monument Springs Road, at about (42.06432, -114.91910).

Website: SOTA Site.

Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.

Route: From the location above, follow the rough jeep trail to just below the summit, then bushwhack.

Red Tape: None, but watch for cattle on the open range.

Video: Coming soon!