Afoot and Afield: Portland/Vancouver. Douglas Lorain

Distance		7.5 miles, Loop (including 3.3-mile road walk)
Elevation Gain		2200 feet
Hiking Time		4 hours
Optional Map		USGS Bobs Mountain, Larch Mountain
Usually Open		Mid-April to November
Best Times		May and June
Trail Use		Dogs OK, mountain biking, horseback riding
Agency		Mount Adams Ranger District, Gifford Pinchot National Forest
Difficulty		Difficult

      HIGHLIGHTS Silver Star Mountain was “love at first hike” for me. Every one of the many trails here is a joy, with great views, wildflowers, and relatively few people. For the dedicated hiker, it is simply impossible not to love this place. Of the five approach trails described in this book, this hike up the south ridge is the first to clear of snow and provides some of the best views.

      DIRECTIONS From Washougal, 10 miles east on State Highway 14 from its intersection with Interstate 205, turn left (north) at a traffic light onto 15th Street. Go straight, through two traffic lights, as the road’s name changes first to 17th Street and then to Washougal River Road. After 6.9 miles, turn left (uphill) on Northeast Hughes Road and proceed 3.2 miles to a junction. Turn left on 412nd Avenue, which soon becomes Skamania Mines Road. After 1.4 miles this road turns to gravel and then continues another 1.4 miles to a junction. Keep left, go 0.1 mile, and then bear left again at a fork onto Road W 1200. This gravel road has lots of potholes and some rocks, but it is fine for passenger cars if you drive slowly. Exactly 2.5 miles from the last fork is an unsigned junction in a minor saddle. Park here.

      Approaching Silver Star Mountain from south ridge trail

      Walk up the side road that goes north (uphill) from the junction and soon go through a gate that may or may not be open. After 0.3 mile, look for an abandoned jeep track blocked by a berm going to the right. A small sign states that this route is closed to motor vehicles.

      You turn onto the jeep track, which has been abandoned for so many years it is now just a wide trail, and ascend at a moderately steep grade, initially in a second-growth Douglas-fir forest with little in the way of views. At 1.1 miles is an unsigned junction. Go straight, and after a brief respite on level trail, resume going uphill. At 1.7 miles is another unsigned junction. You go straight again and soon notice a change in your surroundings. The lower-elevation forest thins rapidly and is replaced with brushy clearings and a scattering of perky higher-elevation Pacific silver firs. Views to the south of Oregon’s Larch Mountain and Mount Hood become more frequent. Another sign that you are gaining elevation is the presence of beargrass, a local harbinger of the 3000-foot elevation line.

      The rocky trail continues going uphill, often rather steeply, as it makes its way up the west side of Silver Star Mountain’s southern ridge. Here the terrain becomes extremely scenic, as the trail crosses huge open slopes of talus fields, grasses, and scattered wildflowers. The views are superb and unobstructed. Most noteworthy are the colorful open slopes of Silver Star Mountain to the north and the ridge containing Pyramid Rock to the west. Bring binoculars to scan the open slopes in this area for deer, elk, and maybe even a black bear. The trail remains rocky but becomes less steep as it rounds the head of an impressive high basin.

      About 0.15 mile before the trail tops a side ridge coming in from the southwest, you face a choice. To reach the top of Silver Star Mountain, go straight, climb over the ridge, and soon intersect the trail coming up from Grouse Vista. Follow this route to the top (see Trip 10 for a description). Early-season hikers, however, will discover that even though the trail to this point has been free of snow, much of the rest of the way to the top remains snowbound until early June.

      If you prefer to explore a different and less snowy route, veer left (slightly downhill) and make a short scramble on game paths down to a long-abandoned jeep trail. This wildly scenic route cuts across the southeast face of a ridge traversing an open slope carpeted with beargrass. In early to mid-June of favorable years the beargrass puts on a wonderful display of tall white blossoms. After about 0.8 mile the trail loops around the base of craggy Pyramid Rock and then cuts through a saddle in the ridge to an unsigned junction with the trail coming up from Grouse Vista.

      To make a loop out of this hike, turn left, descend 1 mile on the steep, rocky trail to Grouse Vista, and then walk 3.3 miles down Road W 1200 to your car.

      TRIP 12 Snass Creek Loop

Distance		4.8 miles, Semiloop
Elevation Gain		1200 feet
Hiking Time		2 to 3 hours
Optional Map		Green Trails Lookout Mountain (part of route not shown)
Usually Open		Mid-March to November
Best Times		April and May
Trail Use		Dogs OK
Agency		Mount Adams Ranger District, Gifford Pinchot National Forest
Difficulty		Moderate

      HIGHLIGHTS The Snass Creek Trail is something of an outcast. The trail is not connected to any of the more popular hiking routes in the Silver Star Mountain area. The trailhead is hard to find. And once you find it, there is no convenient place to park. It’s not surprising then that this trail sees very few visitors. So why go? Well, the forest is attractive, the solitude is inspiring, and you gain unusual views of some of the least known but most impressive summits in southwest Washington. If those aren’t reasons enough, then you probably shouldn’t be reading a hiking guidebook at all.

      DIRECTIONS From the intersection of State Highways 502 and 503 in downtown Battleground, drive 5.7 miles north on Highway 503. Turn right on N.E. Rock Creek Road, which soon becomes Lucia Falls Road, and proceed 8.6 miles to a junction. Turn right on Sunset Falls Road and drive 7.4 miles to a junction at the entrance to Sunset Campground. Turn right on gravel Forest Road 41 and almost immediately cross a bridge to an unsigned junction where you go left. Proceed exactly 1.0 mile, and then look for a small sign on a tree on the left saying Summit Spring Trail. There is no room to park at the trailhead, so drive another 0.1 mile to a sharp turn in the road where there is room for 2 or 3 cars to park.

      Walk back down the road to the trailhead, and follow the path as it descends briefly to cross a seasonal creek. From here the trail contours for 0.15 mile to a bridgeless crossing of somewhat larger and permanently flowing Snass Creek. The vegetation in this area is quite lush and attractive,