On October 6, Bob F. and I visited the Tidbits Mountain Lookout site in the Willamette National Forest of Oregon. This was the first time either of us had visited the lookout site, perched atop a rock pinnacle. I was hopeful we might also visit the higher Lookout Mountain summit atop another rock pinnacle to the east of the lookout site.

We followed forest roads from near Tombstone Pass and parked at the Gold Hill Trailhead. The Gold Hill Trail led us west through old growth forest to the Tidbits Mountain Trail. From there we continued west trail through more forest and across talus below the summit rock pinnacle. Finally we climbed up steep western slopes to reach the exposed and tiny lookout site.

The lookout building had been dismantled many years ago. It must have been a scary shelter to occupy in high winds and thunderstorms.

The weather was good with minor wildfire smoke mostly to the southeast. Western Cascade peaks surrounded us, some of which I recognized. We had views of the High Cascades far to the east. The summit pinnacle of Tidbits Mountain rose nearby to the east of us. It seemed obviously higher than the lookout site.

It appeared to us that a possible summit route might start at the saddle below us. From there we would follow sloping ledges east, climb up a steep forested ramp, and finish by climbing an exposed face to the summit. We would likely want to rappel the upper face.

We descended a use trail towards the saddle between the lookout site and the summit. Lower, we lost the trail in thick forest and brush where a gendarme blocked progress towards the saddle. From there we descended directly down to the Tidbits Mountain Trail. Further east we found a use trail that seemed to lead up talus to the saddle and our candidate route.

We decided not to explore the candidate summit route this day, but to return another day with rope, helmets, and a small rack to see if the route will work for us.