ATV-Assisted SOTA Activation on Hedges Mountain (W7M/CL-114)
On Saturday, April 18, 2026, Brett (N7SKI) and I met in York, MT. Our plan was to use our ATVs to travel about seven miles from York to Hedges Mountain (W7M/CL-114) via Forest Service trails.
Around 2:30 p.m., we met up, jumped on our ATVs, and rolled toward the summit. This was a new experience for me. Our family bought an ATV about a year ago so we could join my youngest son on his dirt bike adventures. It has been fun, though it hasn’t seen as much use as I expected. In years past, I might have held a purist’s disdain for drive-up summits—let alone using recreational vehicles to reach them. That view was shortsighted. Getting out and enjoying our public lands, however you choose to do it, is what matters. And with SOTA, as long as you adhere to Leave No Trace principles, there are a myriad of ways to reach a summit.
Within twenty minutes, we were climbing the final, very steep ridge and soon rolled onto the barren, bedrock summit. I didn’t even break a sweat on this climb. I might be able to get used to that.
As usual, our local group of chasers helped us get the hill activated, with ten contacts on 2 meters in short order. Good thing, too, as the bands were not especially favorable. I was only able to make one contact on 17 meters CW and eight on 20 meters CW.
Hedges Mountain is an unassuming but prominent summit on the eastern horizon from Helena. With its untreed southern exposure, you can often gauge how snowy the hike might be just by looking at it from town. Today, it was all clear motoring after a recent warm-up, though on the leeward side of the summit a substantial snow drift was still slowly melting in the spring warmth.
From the summit, Brett and I looked south to scout other summits that might be easily reached by ATV. A plan was hatched, and new adventures await. I still prefer hiking, but as the years go on, I’ll gladly use any tool that helps me stay active in the woods and find summits that soothe my soul.
73, Allen ~ KH7AL
