Tag: Silver Star Mountain

Hiking

2022 Flower Gallery

In 2018 we began a tradition of posting a collection of the variety of flowers that we encountered during the years hikes. It’s always a bit shocking to see just how many different varieties we actually saw over the course of the year. It appears that the total in 2022 was right around 400. We are still learning to identify the flowers and are a long way from being able to tell some of the different species apart. For instance, we encounter species in both the genus Castilleja as well as Penstemon regularly but are not typically knowledgeable enough to determine which one we are seeing. That doesn’t take away from our ability to enjoy the flowers though, but the large number of different flowers makes it difficult if not impossible to get them all in one post.

With that in mind here are some (but not all) of the different flowers we saw this past year, in no particular order. (Any IDs provided are best guesses and any corrections or additional IDs are greatly appreciated.)

The first wildflower we spotted was a little violet on February 5th at the Yakona Nature Preserve.

It was certainly not the last violet we’d encounter as they are one of the more common flowers we see and also one that struggle to identify beyond “violet”.
May 14th – Chehalem Ridge Nature Park

June 15th – Donomore Meadows

June 16th – Pacific Crest Trail near Siskiyou Gap

Marsh violet, June 25th – Goat Marsh Lake

July 1st – Siskiyou Wilderness

Wedgeleaf? violet – July 1st – Youngs Valley, Siskiyou Wilderness

Goosefoot? violet, July 9th – Mt. Ireland

July 9th – Mt. Ireland

August 13th – Mt. Adams Wilderness.

The final flower to be photographed was a bleeding heart enjoying a late season bloom along the Eagle Creek Trail on November 19th.

Here is a more photogenic bleeding heart from May 21st on the Kings Mountain Trail.

We were lucky enough to see a handful of bucket list flowers during our trips to Southern Oregon and Northern California.
Snow plant, June 18th – Red Buttes Wilderness

California lady slippers, July 2nd – Siskiyou Wilderness

Bolander’s lily, July 2nd – Siskiyou Wilderness

Scarlet fritillary, May 27th – Jack-Ash Trail

Henderson’s fawn lily, May 27th – Jack-Ash Trail

Here are some of the other’s that we encountered over the course of the year.
Pungent desert parsley, April 2nd -Balfour Trail

Columbia desert parsley, April 2nd – Klickitat Trail

Woodland stars, April 2nd – Balfour Trail

Pacific hound’s tongue, April 2nd – Balfour Trail

Lupine, April 2nd – Klickitat Trail

Big leaf maple, April 2nd – Klickitat Trail

Slender phlox, April 2nd – Klickitat Trail

Fringecup, April 23rd – Ankeny Wildlife Refuge

Buttercups, April 23rd – Ankeny Wildlife Refuge

Checkermallow, April 23rd – Ankeny Wildlife Refuge

Another checkermallow, April 23rd – Ankeny Wildlife Refuge

Iris, April 23rd – Ankeny Wildlife Refuge

A paintbrush, May 1st – Memaloose Hills

Balsamroot, May 1st – Memaloose Hills

Large-flower triteleia, May 1st – Memaloose Hills

Naked broomrape, May 1st – Memaloose Hills

Vetch, May 1st – Moiser Plateau

Large-head clover, May 1st – Moiser Plateau

Fiddleneck, May 1st – Moiser Plateau

Bachelor button (non-native), May 1st – Moiser Plateau

Service berry, May 7th – Orenco Woods

Aven, May 7th – Noble Woods

Camas, May 7th – Miller Woods

Wild ginger, May 7th – Miller Woods

Striped coralroot, May 7th – Miller Woods

Fairy slippers, May 7th – Miller Woods

Plectritis, May 14th – Chehalem Ridge Nature Park

Fairy bells, May 21st – Elk/Kings Mountain Traverse

Snow queen, May 21st – Elk/Kings Mountain Traverse

Red flowering currant, May 21st – Elk/Kings Mountain Traverse

Trillium, May 21st – Elk/Kings Mountain Traverse

A monkeyflower, May 21st – Elk/Kings Mountain Traverse

Chocolate lily, May 21st – Elk/Kings Mountain Traverse

Kittentails, May 21st – Elk/Kings Mountain Traverse

Glacier lily, May 21st – Elk/Kings Mountain Traverse

Henderson’s stars, May 25th – Mule Mountain

Larkspur, May 25th – Mule Mountain

Not sure if this is a cryptantha or a popcorn flower, May 25th – Mule Mountain

Douglas’ stichwort, May 25th – Mule Mountain

A blue-eyed Mary, May 25th – Mule Mountain

California poppy, May 25th – Mule Mountain

A clarkia, May 25 – Mule Mountain

Hooker’s Indian pink, May 25th – Mule Mountain

Star flower, May 25th – Mule Mountain

California ground cone, May 25th – Mule Mountain

Ookow, May 26th – Upper Table Rock

Blow wives, May 26th – Upper Table Rock

Best guess is Parry’s hawkweed, May 26th – Upper Table Rock

Clustered broomrape, May 26th – Upper Table Rock

Narrowleaf onion, May 26th – Upper Table Rock

California goldfield, May 26th – Upper Table Rock

Possibly Fitch’s tarweed, May 26th – Upper Table Rock

Marigold pincushion plant, May 26th – Upper Table Rock

Arrowleaf buckwheat, May 26th – Upper Table Rock

A clarkia, May 26th – Upper Table Rock

Iris, May 27th – Jack-Ash Trail

Milkvetch, May 27th – Jack-Ash Trail

Unknown on Anderson Butte, May 27th – Jack-Ash Trail

Giant white wakerobbin, May 27th – Jack-Ash Trail

A larkspur, May 27th – Jack-Ash Trail

Rough eyelashweed, May 27th – Jack-Ash Trail

Wallflower, May 27th – Jack-Ash Trail

A wild onion, May 27th – Jack-Ash Trail

Jacob’s ladder, May 27th – Jack-Ash Trail

Death camas, May 28th – Denman Wildlife Area

Common madia, May 28th – Denman Wildlife Area

Common viburnum, May 28th – Denman Wildlife Area

Hairy Indian paintbrush, May 28th – Denman Wildlife Area

White campion, May 28th – Denman Wildlife Area

Pale flax, May 28th – Denman Wildlife Area

Purple oyster (non-native), May 28th – Denman Wildlife Area

Rose, May 28th – Denman Wildlife Area

Pea, May 28th – Denman Wildlife Area

Kellog’s monkeyflower, May 29th – Applegate Lake

Heart-leaf milkweed, May 29th – Applegate Lake

Northern phlox, May 29th – Applegate Lake

White lupine, May 29th – Applegate Lake

Carrotleaf horkelia, May 30th – Roxy Ann Peak

Blue-eyed grass, May 30th – Roxy Ann Peak

Baneberry, June 4th – North Siouxon Trail

Star-flower solomonseal, June 4th – North Siouxon Trail

False lily-of-the valley, June 4th – North Siouxon Trail

Candyflower, June 4th – North Siouxon Trail

Scouler’s corydalis, June 4th – North Siouxon Trail

Yellow glandweed (non-native), June 11th – Julia Butler Hanson Wildlife Refuge

Daisy (non-native), June 11th – Julia Butler Hanson Wildlife Refuge

Unknown shrub (non-native), June 11th – Julia Butler Hanson Wildlife Refuge

A vetch or pea, June 13th – Susan Creek Falls Trail

Columbine, June 13th – Susan Creek Falls Trail

Solomonseal, June 13th – North Umpqua Trail

Valerian, June 13th – Lemolo Falls Trail

Gooseberry, June 14th – Illahee Rock

Blue-eyed Mary, June 14th – Illahee Rock

Fawn lilies, June 14th – Illahee Rock

Pussytoes, June 15th – Pacific Crest Trail near the Stateline Trailhead

Bistort, June 15th – Donomore Meadows

Cutleaf daisy, June 15th – Observation Peak

Lance-leaf spring beauty, June 15th – Observation Peak

A rockcress, June 15th – Observation Peak

Alpine pennycress, June 15th – Observation Peak

Quill-leaf lewisia, June 15th – Observation Peak

Marsh marigold, June 15th – Pacific Crest Trail

Anemone, June 16th – Pacific Crest Trail near Siskiyou Gap

Jacob’s ladder, June 16th – Pacific Crest Trail

Buds of an unknown flower, June 16th – Pacific Crest Trail near Big Red Mountain

A paintbrush, June 16th – Pacific Crest Trail near Big Red Mountain

Drummond’s anemone, June 16th – Pacific Crest Trail near Big Red Mountain

Ballhead waterleaf, June 16th – Pacific Crest Trail near Big Red Mountain

A mariposa lily, June 16th – Pacific Crest Trail near Siskiyou Gap

Diamond? clarkia, June 17th – Bandersnatch Trail

A honeysuckle, June 17th – Bandersnatch Trail

A catchfly, June 17th – Bandersnatch Trail

Blue-head gilia, June 17th – Red Queen Trail

Deerbrush, June 17th – Mike Uthoff Trail

Grand collomia, June 17th – Mike Uthoff Trail

A phaceli, June 17th – Mike Uthoff Trail

Rhododendron, June 18th – Frog Pond Trail

Pretty Face, June 18th – Frog Pond Trail

Believe this is some sort of saxifrage, June 25th – Toutle Trail

Avalanche lily, June 25th – Toutle Trail

A penstemon, July 1st – Siskiyou Wilderness

A phlox, July 1st – Siskiyou Wilderness

Lewis flax, July 1st – Siskiyou Wilderness

A paintbrush, July 1st – Siskiyou Wilderness

Nuttall’s sandwort?, July 1st -Siskiyou Wilderness

Queen’s cup, July 1st – Siskiyou Wilderness

Beargrass, July 1st – Siskiyou Wilderness

Shooting star, July 1st – Siskiyou Wilderness

Wolley-head clover, July 1st – Siskiyou ikyWilderness

A nightshade, July 1st – Siskiyou Wilderness

Siskiyou lewisia, July 1st – Siskiyou Wilderness

Spotted coralroot, July 1st – Siskiyou Wilderness

This tiny flower was at the edge of the meadow in Young’s Valley, July 1st – Siskiyou Wilderness

Azalea, July 2nd – Siskiyou Wilderness

Honeysuckle, July 2nd – Siskiyou Wilderness

Pacific ninebark, July 2nd – Siskiyou Wilderness

Streambank bird’s-foot trefoil, July 2nd – Siskiyou Wilderness

White-vein wintergreen, July 2nd – Siskiyou Wilderness

California pitcher-plant, July 2nd – Siskiyou Wilderness

Also California pitcher-plant, July 2nd – Siskiyou Wilderness

White-stemmed frasera, July 2nd – Siskiyou Wilderness

Washington lily, July 2nd – Siskiyou Wilderness

Phantom orchid, July 2nd – Siskiyou Wilderness

Oregon sunshine, July 2nd – Siskiyou Wilderness

Pussypaws, July 2nd – Siskiyou Wilderness

Musk monkeyflower, July 3rd – Siskiyou Wilderness

Klamath arnica, July 3rd – Siskiyou Wilderness

White rushlily, July 3rd – Siskiyou Wilderness

Spirea, July 4th – Siskiyou Wilderness

Wild onion, July 4th – Siskiyou Wilderness

A penstemon, July 4th – Siskiyou Wilderness

Phlox, July 9th – Mt. Ireland

Brown’s peony, July 9th – Mt. Ireland

Yet another paintbrush, July 9th – Mt. Ireland

Silverleaf phacelia with visitor, July 9th – Mt. Ireland

Venus penstemon, July 10th – Catherine Creek Trail

Douglas dustymaidens, July 10th – Catherine Creek Trail

Bog orchid, July 10th – Catherine Creek Trail

Mountain lady slippers, July 10th – Catherine Creek Trail

Rosy pussytoes, July 10th – Catherine Creek Trail

Yellow columbine, July 10th – Catherine Creek Trail

Heart-leaved bittercress?, July 10th – Catherine Creek Trail

Elephants head, July 10th – Catherine Creek Trail

Cone flower, July 10th – Catherine Creek Trail

Tall mountain bluebells, July 10th – Catherine Creek Trail

Another wild onion, July 11th – Horse Ranch Trail

Scarlet gilia, July 11th – Horse Ranch Trail

Arrowleaf groundsel, July 11th – Horse Ranch Trail

Purple sticky geranium, July 11th – Horse Ranch Trail

Ragged robin, July 11th – Horse Ranch Trail

False? sunflower, July 11th – Horse Ranch Trail

White mariposa lily, July 11th – Horse Ranch Trail

Rosy paintbrush, July 12th – Buck Creek Trail

Lyall’s rockcress, July 12th – Buck Creek Trail

Pacific coralroot, July 13th – Rock Springs
Trail

Hyssop, July 13th – Rock Springs
Trail

Another penstemon, July 13th – Rock Springs
Trail

Thistle, July 13th – Rock Springs
Trail

Oregon checker-mallow, July 13th – Rock Springs
Trail

This was a new one for us one-flowered moneses, July 14th – Bear Creek Trail

Pinedrop, July 14th – Bear Creek Trail

Sagebrush mariposa lily, July 14th – Wallowa Homeland

Blanket flower, July 14th – Wallowa Homeland

Yarrow, July 14th – Wallowa Homeland

Scouler’s bluebells, July 23rd – Silverstar Mountain

Inside-out flower, July 23rd – Silverstar Mountain

Tiger lily, July 23rd – Silverstar Mountain

Bluebells of Scotland, July 23rd – Silverstar Mountain

Subalpine mariposa lily, July 23rd – Silverstar Mountain

Western sweetvetch, July 23rd – Silverstar Mountain

Coiled lousewort, July 23rd – Silverstar Mountain

Best guess is subapline fleabane, July 23rd – Silverstar Mountain

Orange agoseris, July 23rd – Silverstar Mountain

A larkspur, July 23rd – Silverstar Mountain

Mock orange, July 23rd – Silverstar Mountain

Chicory (non-native), July 30th – E.E. Wilson Wildlife Area

Indian pipe, August 6th – Yasko Falls Trail

Leopard lily, August 6th – Hemlock Creek Trail

Mountain owl’s clover, August 6th – Yellowjacket Loop Trail

Rainiera, August 6th – Yellowjacket Loop Trail

Hedgenettle, August 6th – Yellowjacket Loop Trail

Large boykina, August 6th – Yellowjacket Loop Trail

Candy sticks, August 6th – Yellowjacket Loop Trail

Monkshood, August 6th – Yellowjacket Loop Trail

Scarlet monkeyflower, August 7th – Fall Creek Falls Trail

White mountain heather, August 13th – Mt. Adams Wilderness

Mountain heather, August 13th – Mt. Adams Wilderness

Gentian, August 13th – Mt. Adams Wilderness

False hellebore, August 13th – Mt. Adams Wilderness

A saxifrage, August 13th – Mt. Adams Wilderness

Beardstongue, August 20th – Grizzley Peak

Shasta knotweed, August 22nd – Mt. Shasta Wilderness

Marsh grass-of-Parnassus, August 22nd – Mt. Shasta Wilderness

Western pasque flower, August 22nd – Mt. Shasta Wilderness

Bigelow’s sneezeweed, August 23rd – Trinity Alps Wilderness

Western snakeroot, August 23rd – Trinity Alps Wilderness

A buckwheat, August 23rd – Trinity Alps Wilderness

Autumn dwarf gentian, August 23rd – Trinity Alps Wilderness

Saffron-flowered lupine, August 23rd – Trinity Alps Wilderness

An aster or fleabane, August 23rd – Trinity Alps Wilderness

Hooded ladies tresses, August 24th – Russian Wilderness

Can’t seem to identify this flower on the shore of Russian Lake, August 24th – Russian Wilderness

This one has me a bit stumped too, it looks like a wirelettuce or some sort of lewisa, August 24th – Russian Wilderness

Buckwheat, August 24th – Russian Wilderness

A monkeyflower (dwarf purple?), August 26th -Pacific Crest Trail near Carter Meadows Summit

Mountain coyote mint, August 26th – Pacific Crest Trail near Carter Meadows Summit

Sierra larkspur, August 26th – Pacific Crest Trail

Tasselflower brickellbush, August 26th – South Fork Lakes Trail

Monkeyflower, August 26th – South Fork Lakes Trail

Thistle, August 26th – South Fork Lakes Trail

California hairbells, August 26th – South Fork Lakes Trail

Common toadflax (non-native), September 10th – Spring Valley Greenway

Fireweed, September 17th – Union Peak Trail

Douglas spirea, September 18th – Sky Lakes Wilderness

Best guess is Crater Lake collomia, September 19th – Dutton Creek Trail

Another mystery seen near the Cold Springs Trailhead, September 25th – Sky Lakes Wilderness

We have a few wildflower hikes planned in 2023. We are hoping to see at least one or two more that we haven’t before along with plenty of familiar faces. Happy Trails!

Tags Bolander's Lily, California, California Lady Slippers, california pitcher plant, Crater Lake, lily, Mt. Adams Wilderness, Oregon, Silver Star Mountain, Siskiyou Wilderness, snow plant, Trinity Alps Wilderness, Washington, wildflowers

Hiking Silver Star Mountain SW Washington Trip report Washington

Silver Star Mountain via Grouse Vista – 6/24/2019

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date June 28, 2019
3 Comments on Silver Star Mountain via Grouse Vista – 6/24/2019

We continued to rearrange our vacation plans based on a seemingly ever changing forecast. On Sunday night the Monday forecast for Silver Star Mountain was mostly sunny so we decided to make our third visit to the area. Our first hike at Silver Star Mountain began at the Silver Star Mountain Trailhead in 2013 (post). The road to that trailhead has become extremely rough and is now only recommended for high clearance vehicles. Then in 2015 we used the Bluff Mountain Trail to visit Silver Star (post). A better road but still a bit rough and further away.

For this visit we would start at the Grouse Vista Trailhead. We took the Battleground approach described in the trailhead link which was a mostly paved road approach with just a final 5.5 miles of decent gravel driving.

The Tarbell Trail crosses the road at the trailhead. The route to Silver Star begins on the far side of the road, opposite the restrooms and signboard. (A Washington Discover Pass is required to park here.)

The trail climbs from the start as it follows an old roadbed uphill.

The Tarbell Trail splits off just before the .2 mile mark allowing for a loop. We stayed right at the fork on the Grouse Vista Trail.

The trail gains 500′ over the next half mile as it climbs up a ridge end. The rocky surface provides an added challenge.

As the trail begins to emerge from the trees Sturgeon Rock is visible across the Rock Creek Valley (when clouds aren’t hovering over it). The loop route that we were considering would have us descending beneath Sturgeon Rock.

The trail continued to climb around the ridge and we soon found ourselves with a view of Pyramid Rock (and the Sun).

Sturgeon Rock (still with cloud) and Pyramid Rock

A smattering of flowers were popping up along the trail as we approached Pyramid Rock.
Wild iris

Paintbrush and lupine

Daisies

Penstemon

Shortly before reaching Pyramid Rock we detoured on a spur to the right that lead up to a meadow in a saddle.

Here we had what would turn out to be our only view of a Cascade volcano on the day as Mt. Hood rose above a mass of clouds over the Columbia River Gorge.

We returned to the trail and continued heading toward Sturgeon Rock past ever improving flower displays.

paintbrush and mountain spirea

Beargrass

Columbine

A penstemon

More penstemon

Variety pack

Tiger lily

Golden pea and paintbrush

Another variety pack

Wallflower

As we neared the junction with the summit trail we could see that clouds had now overtaken Pyramid Rock.

They were moving up the Rock Creek drainage heading for the summit of Silver Star so when we arrived at the large rock cairn marking the junction we decided that we would skip the summit for now and head north on the Silver Star Trail.

Avalanche lilies near the junction.

Sign for the Silver Star Trail.

Silver Star Trail

We headed out along the Silver Star trail which began on top of the ridge. This was a new section of trail for us as we had done a big loop around the ridge on our first visit. There wasn’t much visible at the first viewpoint we arrived at but we were able to see Little Baldy which the Bluff Mountain Trail passes along.

We followed this trail along the ridge for just over a mile and a half passing in and out of the clouds as they in turn passed over the area. The lack of views was mildly disappointing but the flowers more than made up for it.

Sturgeon Rock momentarily out of the clouds.

Phlox

Beargrass

White crowned sparrow

We arrived at Ed’s Trail having already seen a wide variety of flowers.

We turned up Ed’s Trail wondering if we could possibly see any more types.

For the most part it was the same cast but in continuously different combinations.

There were a few new sightings though.
Cat’s ear lily

Rose

Violets

Rock penstemon

And some we’d seen but not a lot of yet.
Bleeding heart

Candy flower

Lousewort

An aster or fleabane

A unique feature of Ed’s Trail is a rock arch just past the one mile mark.

Backside of the arch.

Beyond the arch the next quarter of a mile gets a little tricky. There are two short but steep scramble sections. The first was a bit muddy making it a little slick. The second is a rocky section with pretty good holds.

We had forgotten just how steep these places were and had considered doing the loop in the opposite direction. We were glad we had not.

Silver Star’s summit soon came into view and although it was cloud free there didn’t appear to be much hope for views of the surrounding mountains anytime soon.

When we arrived back at the junction we eschewed the .3 mile climb to the summit opting to skip the 250′ climb since we’d been up there twice before and there weren’t going to be any views. Instead we continued past the rock cairn two tenths of a mile and turned down hill on a rocky unmarked roadbed.

This return route would add about 1.6 miles to the hike, but it would cut down on the amount of time spent descending on a rocky roadbed. We find that toward the end of hikes our feet and lower legs are much more sensitive to uneven terrain, especially loose rocks. We had been down this 1.4 mile section of road before passing the basalt columns of Sturgeon Rock.

Silver Star was not done with the flower show even though we were now in denser forest as we spotted some marsh marigolds and marsh corydalis near a wet area.
Marsh marigold

Marsh corydalis

The section of the Tarbell Trail that runs from the Grouse Vista Trailhead to Hidden Falls had been closed on weekdays during much of 2018 due to an active logging operation. There were plenty of signs of it when we arrived at the junction with that trail.

We turned left onto the Tarbell Trail which followed the new logging road for a bit before crossing it into the clear cut.

Pyramid Rock from the Tarbell Trail

Black headed grosbeak

Mountain parnassian

After descedning a series of switchbacks the trail left the clear cut and reentred the forest before reaching a footbridge over Rock Creek.

Beyond Rock Creek the trail traversed the hillside beneath Pyramid Rock wrapping around the ridge end to meet the Grouse Vista Trail. Along this final stretch we noticed some green orchids near a seep that was also popular with butterflies.

The trailhead parking lot had filled up while we’d been hiking but we only ran into a half dozen people on the trails, far fewer than the number of different flowers we had seen over our 11.1 miles. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Silver Star Mountain via Grouse Vista

Tags bluff mountain trail, Ed's Trail, Grouse Vista Trail, Grouse Vista Trailhead, hiking, Pyramid Rock, Rock Arch, Silver Star Mountain, silver star trail, Sturgeon Rock, Washington, wildflowers

Hiking Silver Star Mountain SW Washington Trip report Washington

Lucia & Moulton Falls Parks

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date March 15, 2017
3 Comments on Lucia & Moulton Falls Parks

It’s been a wet and dreary winter in the Pacific Northwest so when a halfway decent forecast came along we jumped on it and headed out for our March hike. Our destination was a pair of Clark County, WA parks along NE Lucia Falls Road and the North Fork Lewis River.

We began our day with 1 mile warm-up hike at Lucia Falls Regional Park. A loop passes through the park and along the river past viewpoints of the modest Lucia Falls.

After our warm-up we hopped back into the car and continued east on Lucia Falls Rd for .3 miles where we veered right onto Hantwick Rd. We followed this road for half a mile to the Hantwick Road Trailhead.

From the trailhead the Moulton Falls Trail follows an old railroad grade 2.6 miles to Moulton Falls Park.

The trail crossed several streams which were flowing nicely and also passed a long pond.

Beyond the pond the trail neared the East Fork Lewis River.

Just beyond the 2 mile mark we came to the Bells Mountain Trail junction. We planned on heading up the trail a ways after visiting Moulton Falls Park so for now we took a photo of the sign and continued on.

A little further along the trail we spotted cars on the far side of the river in the park’s parking lot. Moulton Falls was visible below, a small 10′ cascade.

We crossed the river on a scenic footbridge.

The trail split on the far side of the bridge and we forked right heading uphill toward Yacolt Creek Falls. The trail climbed to an upper parking lot which appeared to still be closed for the winter before dropping back down to a crossing of Lucia Falls Rd. On the far side of the road were a couple of picnic tables and a small pullout above Yacolt Creek Falls. The trail continued down some stairs to a seasonal footbridge.

The footbridge pivots and was still in its winter position making it impossible to complete the loop shown on the park map.

We were a little confused by this as well as by the placement of the falls on the map. The star marking the location appeared to be further up the creek along a spur trail that extended north off the loop on the other side of Big Tree Creek. The fact that the falls at the footbridge were on Big Tree Creek and not Yacolt Creek also made us question whether or not this was actually Yacolt Creek Falls. We decided to walk down Lucia Falls Road and pick up the other side of the loop where it crossed the road. We turned back uphill on the loop trail on the east side of Big Tree Creek and quickly arrived at a viewpoint of the falls and bridge.

We found the spur trail shown on the map leading up and away from the viewpoint. We followed this path less than 100 yards past a sign for Yacolt Creek Falls to the Chelatchie Prairie Railroad and Moulton Station.

Despite the fact that the Yacolt Creek Falls sign seemed to support the falls we’d just come from as being the correct ones we were still unsure based on how we were reading the park map.

We passed through Moulton Station and continued along the tracks for a bit before deciding that we were on a wild goose chase. We had failed to take into account the scale of the map and just how short the distances reflected on the map were. It was a good early season reminder to pay attention to the map scale. We turned around and headed back past Yacolt Creek Falls and descended to Lucia Falls Road which we crossed.

To the right was the parking lot at Moulton Falls which was filling up pretty quickly and to the left was the continuation of the loop. If we’d have gone right a short distance we would have come to a viewpoint with a close up of Moulton Falls, but we’d seen them from the other side of the river already so we turned left. The trail crossed Big Tree Creek on a footbridge then led to a nice viewpoint of the bridge over the East Fork Lewis River.

Beyond the viewpoint the trail climbed up away from the river completing the loop. We recrossed the footbridge and headed back toward the Bells Mountain Trail. This trail provides access to Silver Star Mountain. We weren’t going to be going anywhere near that far on this day though, instead we decided to pick a turn around time based on when we started on the trail.

It was 10:25am when we started up the Bells Mountain Trail so we gave ourselves until 12:30pm and then we’d turn around hoping that would get us home around 5pm. The trail climbed fairly steeply at first but soon leveled off in a young forest.

After the initial climb the trail did a series of ups and downs crossing several streams and logging roads as it passed through alternating sections of clear cuts and trees.

Due to the amount of logging activity in the area the trail is subject to periodic closures so make sure to check ahead if you’re planning on visiting.

The trail was in really good shape and there was good signage at the road crossings as well as mile markers every half mile.

The mile posts actually played into our turnaround point as we arrived at the 4.5 mile marker at 12:25 which was exactly 2 hours after having set off on the Bells Mountain Trail.

Despite setting 12:30 as our turn around time being at the mile marker exactly 2 hours after having started out seemed to demand our calling it so we tapped the post and headed back. On the way back the clouds lifted enough to reveal Silver Star Mountain.

We were really feeling the effects of not hiking regularly on the way back. We hadn’t really been paying that much attention to how far we’d gone but our feet knew it was a lot further than the 10 miles I’d originally planned on for the day. By the time we’d made it back to the Hantwick Road Trailhead we’d gone 17.8 miles, but we’d finished a little before three so we were on track to be home by five. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Lucia & Moulton Falls

Tags Bells Mountain Trail, Big Tree Creek, Chelatchie Prairie Railroad, East Fork Lewis River, Hantwick Road Trailhead, hiking, Lucia Falls, Lucia Falls Park, Moulton Falls, Moulton Falls Park, Moulton Station, Silver Star Mountain, Washington, Yacolt Creek Falls

Hiking Silver Star Mountain SW Washington Trip report Washington

Bluff Mountain Trail to Silver Star Mountain

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date July 1, 2015
4 Comments on Bluff Mountain Trail to Silver Star Mountain

Late June is typically a good time to catch the wildflower displays on Silver Star Mountain in the Gifford-Pinchot National Forest. Located in Washington between the Columbia Gorge and the snowy peaks of Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Adams the Silver Star Scenic Area offers several trails. Many of the trails pass through areas that were part of the 1902 Yacolt Burn, the largest fire in Washington State’s history. The series of September fires left exposed ridges and hillsides which are now wildflower filled meadows. The two most popular routes to Silver Star Mountain are via the Silver Star Trail/Ed’s Trail, a 5.2 mile loop, and an 8.2 mile loop via the Grouse Vista Trailhead. Each of these starting points come with their own drawbacks. Road 4109 which leads to the Silver Star Trail is an awful drive full of rocks, ruts, and potholes. The Grouse Vista Trailhead is on Washington Department of Natural Resource land and thus a Discovery Pass is required to park a car there. Passes are currently $10/day or $30/annually. We had done an expanded loop starting on the Silver Star Trail in 2013 https://wanderingyuncks.wordpress.com/2013/07/04/silver-star-mountain/ and didn’t feel like shelling out another $10 for a discovery pass so for this visit we chose a third option – the Bluff Mountain Trail.

The Bluff Mountain Trailhead has its drawbacks too, mostly a slow drive on a rock and pothole filled Forest Service road. I don’t think it is as bad as road 4109, you do pass this road on the way to the trailhead, but it is longer and took us a little over 45min to cover the 9.4 miles. It is also the longest route to Silver Star at 6.5 miles one way. The trailhead is at a poorly marked junction where the road bends around a ridge at a large swath of dirt. Only a small wooden stake marks the start of the trail which follows an old roadbed for the first 2 miles.

Both Mt. Hood and Mt. Adams were visible from the trailhead parking area. It was going to be another hot day here with the highs near 90 degrees, but it was also fairly cloudy so the air was humid and the horizon hazy. We had prepared for the heat by filling the bladders for our packs the night before and leaving them in the refrigerator, bringing a couple of additional Hydro Flasks full of water, and packing some extra salty items such as potato chips and some after hike pickles.

The old road traveled along ridges past a couple of small hills where a few trees were present. After passing the first of these hills Silver Star Mountain was visible in the distance.

Silver Star Mountain on the far right.

There were still quite a few flowers along the ridge despite the hot and dry conditions, and there seemed to be butterflies everywhere we looked.

There were even some huckleberries beginning to ripen.

One sight that was not welcome was a fire pit filled with garbage where someone had obviously been shooting a shotgun.

This is something we see far too often and it’s really disappointing that people bother to head out into nature just to make it their personal garbage can.

We continued along the road toward Bluff Mountain amid the wildflowers and butterflies. The views kept shifting as the old road made its way around the small hills along the ridge.

Little Baldy

Silver Star Mountain and Little Baldy

At the two mile mark the trail left the road and diped along the right hand side of a small knoll. At the split the view included all three of the peaks we would be passing – Bluff Mountain, Little Blady, and Silver Star Mountain.

It was interesting to be able to see so much of our route due to the open views. Often times we could see the trail in the distance giving us a glimpse of what lay ahead.

The section of trail between the road and Bluff Mountain was full of flowers. Some had seen better days a week or two before but many were still blooming strong and crowding the trail.

In addition to the numerous butterflies we were seeing we also spotted several snakes during the hike. This one was spotted as we were passing below Bluff Mountain.

New flowers and more butterflies joined the views as we passed under the cliffs of Bluff Mountain.

There were also lots of thimble and salmon berry bushes. The thimbleberries were not ripe yet but we found plenty of red and orange salmonberries ready to be eaten.

Looking back from where we’d come we could see three Cascade mountains. (Some better than others)

Mt. St. Helens

Mt. Rainier

Mt. Adams

After passing through the thick berry bushes the trail crossed a rock field then entered an forest of trees on a wide ridge between Bluff Mountain and Little Baldy.

We spotted a small rock cairn and what looked like a possible trail leading off to the right but didn’t have time to investigate.

When we emerged from the trees we were in a small meadow with a view of Mt. Hood.

The meadow was full of yellow flowers.

We also spotted some of my favorite flowers – gentians.

We were now on the opposite side of Little Baldy from what we’d been seeing all morning. Silver Star Mountain spread out ahead of us across a deep valley.

Little Baldy looked like a giant rock pile with a few patches of vegetation growing on its flanks.

Gentians dotted the trail wherever plants were able to grow.

As were were walking we started to hear a loud noise in the distance. At first I thought it might be thunder since the forecast had called for some storms later in the afternoon, but the noise kept growing and getting closer. Heather was the first to identify it as helicopters and then we spotted three of them crossing the sky above Silver Star.

At the 5 mile mark we reached the junction with the Starway Trail. This trail starts on the same Forest Service Road as the Bluff Mountain Trail but at an elevation almost 2000′ lower and is reportedly difficult to follow due to light usage and maintenance. We had watched for the trailhead during the tedious drive along road 41 but were unable to spot it on the way up or back down in the afternoon.

We were now on the final half mile section of the Bluff Mountain Trail before its end at the Silver Star Summit Trail. The trail skirted along the ridge amid wildflower covered slopes and mountain views.

I had been trying to get one of the many lighter colored butterflies to land long enough for a picture and finally a pink-edged sulpher landed long enough for one.

As we neared the end of the trail it suddenly forked with the left hand path heading up the hillside while the right hand side turned and began a traverse along a ridge away from the summit. We initially went right due to that fork looking more like an official trail than the left hand fork but we were getting further from the summit and starting to lose some elevation. I checked the map then the GPS unit and decided we should have taken the narrower left hand fork up so we hiked back and took the other path up to a camp site next to an old road that serves as the Silver Star Summit Trail. The only sign in the area was a small metal plate attached to a tree at the campsite.

We turned up the old road and headed for Silver Stars dual summits.

The views are great all along the long summit of the mountain. Our route was laid out below us all the way to the large dirt parking area where we’d left our car that morning.

On our previous visit we had visited the southern summit first so this time we headed for the northern rocky summit where a lookout tower once stood.

We took a seat on the rocks and ate the potato chips we’d brought along for their extra salt. They really hit the spot after all the hot climb we’d just finished. While we were relaxing and enjoying the view another pair of hikers arrived. I noticed a yellow button hanging from one of their packs and thought it might be a “I’m A Portland Hiker!!” button that some of the members of Oregonhikers.org (formerly Portlandhikers.org) had. It turned out to be miah66 from the forum and a friend who had come up the Silver Star Trail and was planning to return via Ed’s Trail. This was the second time that we’d crossed paths with another member of the forum but the first time we realized it at the time. The first time it wasn’t until we saw a trip report posted on the website that we realized we had passed another forum member.

After a nice conversation we headed to the southern summit then started back down the road. As we were starting to turn into the campsite and the start of the Bluff Mountain Trail miah66 caught up to us. He had realized that he had an extra button which he was nice enough to gift us. After a group photo it went straight on my pack.

It was a warm hike back to the car but the views and the butterflies helped keep our minds off the heat. We arrived back at the car with a little water to spare and a shiny new button. 🙂 Happy Trails!

flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/9319235@N02/sets/72157655183073161

Tags bluff mountain, bluff mountain trail, department of natural resources, discovery pass, Ed's Trail, Gifford-Pinchot National Forest, hiking, little baldy, Mt. Adams, Mt. Hood, Mt. Rainier, pink-edged sulpher, salmonberry, Silver Star Mountain, silver star trail, Washington

Year-end wrap up

The hikes of 2013 – A year in review.

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date December 27, 2013
1 Comment on The hikes of 2013 – A year in review.

What an amazing year of hiking it was! As we reach then end of 2013 we thought we’d make one final entry recapping the beautiful areas and unique features we were blessed enough to encounter while out on our “wanderings”. We began the year in February at the Oregon Coast, hiking at Gwynn Creek and Cape Perpetua then finished up just a couple of weeks ago, once again on the Oregon Coast at Tillamook Head, 140 miles north of where we had started. Sandwiched in between these two hikes were 40 other adventures in which we climbed mountains, crossed rivers, and scrambled cross-country to explore a small sampling of the trails of NW Oregon and SW Washington. We put together a map of the approximate location of the trailheads for each of the hikes.

An interactive version can be viewed on mapquest using the following link.
http://mapq.st/1bQXoXo

I’ve always been interested in numbers so I have kept quite a few statistics regarding these 42 hikes. Here are some of those that I found most interesting. We visited 10 wilderness and 2 scenic areas in 8 different national forests. In addition to the national forests we hiked in 4 state parks and at a national volcanic monument. Some of the other numbers are as follows:
Total Miles (according to the Garmin) – 515.2
Cumulative Elevation Gained (approx.) – 88,000′
Minimum/Maximum Elevation – sea level/10,358′
Total Moving Time (per the Garmin) – 240hrs 36min
Total Time on the Trails (per the Garmin) – 280hrs 6min
Total Miles Driven (approx.) – 7550 miles

For the most part the weather was good. We had a warm, dry end to Winter which carried into Spring clearing many trails of snow earlier than normal. This allowed for some earlier visits to some of the higher elevation areas and also an early bloom for most of the wildflowers including the bear grass which only blooms every 2nd or 3rd year. A mild summer kept temperatures bearable and despite the dry beginning to the year the fire season wasn’t too bad. Fall brought an early snowstorm and left an early winter wonderland at mid-elevations and some unusually cold temperatures of late created some interesting ice displays.

Words can’t do justice to the beauty of God’s creation that we experienced this so year I’ll try to keep them to a minimum and attempt to let pictures show what they can.
I have to start with the Cascade Mountains. The most awe inspiring creations, these steadfast beacons that on clear days dot the horizon always seem to draw our attention.

From the rim of Crater Lake in the south to Mt. Rainier in the north they rise above the other ridges, rooted in their positions, yet ever changing in order or varying in appearance depending on what our location was. Some of the views we had were amazing.

Mt. Scott, Mt. Thielsen, Mt. Baily, & Diamond Peak from the South Sister Summit

Cascade Peaks from Mt. Bachelor to Mt. Hood (minus the North Sister which was hidden behind the Middle) from Mt. Fuji

Mt. Washington to Mt. Hood from the Pacfic Crest Trail near Yapoah Crater

Mt. Washington to Mt. Bachelor from Three Fingered Jack

Mt. Rainier, The Goat Rocks, and Mt. Adams from Wildcat Mountain
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9319235@N02/9110426945/
Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Rainier, and Mt. Adams from Silver Star Mountain

Individual peaks working from the south to the north.
Mt. Thielsen:
From Fuji Mountian

Diamond Peak:
From Waldo Mountain

From Fuji Mountain

Mt. Bachelor:
From Fuji Mountain

From Tam MacArthur Rim

Broken Top:
From above Moraine Lake

From Fuji Mountain

From Tam MacArthur Rim

South Sister:
From above Moraine Lake

From Tam MacArthur Rim

From Fuji Mountain

Middle & North Sister
From Tam MacArthur Rim

From Scott Meadow

From the South Sister

Mt. Washington
From the Matthieu Lakes Trail

From Fuji Mountain

From Three Fingered Jack

Three Fingered Jack:
From the Matthieu Lakes Trail

From Canyon Creek Meadows

Mt. Jefferson:
From Fuji Mountain (Dwarfing Three Fingered Jack)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9319235@N02/10129686653/
From Hanks Lake

From Three Fingered Jack

From Bays Lake in Jefferson Park

Mt. Hood:
From Barrett Spur

From Table Mountain

From Elk Meadows

From Lamberson Butte

From Youcum Ridge

From Timothy Lake

Mt. St. Helens:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9319235@N02/9181641660/
From the Loowit Trail on Mt. St. Helens

From Johnston Ridge

Mt. Adams:
From Silver Star Mountain

Mt. Rainier:
From Wildcat Mountain

From the giant rock towers of the mountains we move on to the delicate meadows full of wildflowers that often times call the mountains home. We visited amazing wildflower displays near Mt. Hood, Mt. Jefferson, and Three Fingered Jack but the Cascades were possibly outdone by Silver Star Mountain in Washington.
Bear Grass on Mt. St. Helens

Balsam Root and Paintbrush in the Ochoco National Forest

Clearcut on Silver Star Mountain

Meadow on Salmon Butte

Elk Meadows

Near Heather Creek on Mt. Hood

Mt. Hood Meadows

Lupine in Canyon Creek Meadows

On Coffin Mountain

Avalanche Lilies on the Timberline Trail

Western Pasque flowers and Paintbrush near Elk Cove

Barret Spur on Mt. Hood

Gentians in Jefferson Park

Jefferson Park

Along the South Brietenbush River in Jefferson Park

Aster on Yocum Ridge

On Yocum Ridge

More from Yocum Ridge
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9319235@N02/9585653703/

There weren’t many hikes where the presence of water was not felt. We encountered it in various forms and in an array of colors. There were lakes, creeks, rivers, waterfalls, springs, and the Pacific Ocean adding sights and sounds to our hikes.
Roaring Creek

McKenzie River

Tamolitch Pool

Russell Lake

Umbrella Falls

Diamond Creek Falls

Heather Creek

South Matthieu Lake

Benham Falls

Carver, Camp, and the Chambers Lakes

Lewis Tarn

Creek near Pamelia Lake

Timothy Lake

Little Crater Lake

Frozen pond near Fuji Mountain

Birthday Lake
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9319235@N02/10129749423/
Ramona Falls
http://www.flickr.com/photos/9319235@N02/9588479856/
Pacific Ocean at Tillamook Head

Pacific Ocean from Cape Perpetua

Last but not least the most unpredictable of the sights out on the trails are the creatures that call these places home. From flying ants on Coldwater Peak to the black bear who left its tracks in the snow on Fuji Mountain we were the tourists traipsing through their neighborhoods. We spotted our first elk, snow shoe hare, and sooty grouse this year. We also had the mysterious case of “mouse rain” on Salmon Butte which you can read about here:https://wanderingyuncks.wordpress.com/2013/06/20/salmon-butte/

Butterflies

Birds

Little guys

Big Guys

We’d like to leave you with what each of us found to be their favorite hike and the most difficult. For myself Elk Meadows was my favorite. https://wanderingyuncks.wordpress.com/2013/07/24/elk-meadows/ The variety and beauty we encountered on that hike put it atop my list. As for the most difficult I chose Silver Star Mountain https://wanderingyuncks.wordpress.com/2013/07/04/silver-star-mountain/ which was also in the running for my favorite. The heat on that day made it the hardest one for me.

After much deliberation Heather chose the same hike as I did her favorite, Elk Meadows; something about that day had her mesmerized as we traveled up Gnarl Ridge towards Mt. Hood. For the most difficult she picked Observation Peak due in part to having fallen shortly after we stared the hike and spraining her hand and wrist. It made for a more challenging and uncomfortable hike as she endeavored to keep her injury elevated above her heart during most of the journey. https://wanderingyuncks.wordpress.com/2013/07/09/observation-peak/

Dominique chose Fuji Mountain for his favorite. There was snow and a great view with a reasonable amount of distance. https://wanderingyuncks.wordpress.com/2013/10/09/fuji-mountain/ For the most difficult he picked Table Mountain and the climb up Heartbreak Ridge. https://wanderingyuncks.wordpress.com/2013/06/14/table-mountain/

I am already hard at work putting together a 2014 itinerary which will include some overnight backpacking trips and hopefully visits to the Goat Rocks Wilderness and Mt. Adams in Washington. If all goes as planned we will kick things off in January, take things slow until we’ve recovered from our April half or full marathons, and then be ready to crank things up in May. Until 2014 here is a link to a 2013 hikes in pictures album on Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/9319235@N02/sets/72157635497870439/

Merry Christmas & Happy Trails!

Hiking Silver Star Mountain SW Washington Trip report Washington

Silver Star Mountain

HOT! That certainly describes our recent visit to Silver Star Mountain, but that would be doing this hike a great disservice. Despite the 90 degree temperatures better descriptions would be amazing flowers, great views, and beautiful scenery. Silver Star Mountain is located in Washington State’s Gifford-Pinchot National Forest between Mt. St. Helens and Portland, OR.

I’d been wanting to visit Silver Star for a long time, but the timing hadn’t been right until now. I had seen a number of trip reports which indicated now was a good time to catch many of the wildflowers that fill the meadows and the weather called for clear skies, the perfect combo. There are a number of possible approaches to the 4390′ summit but for our hike we chose to approach from the north via Ed’s Trail.

The drive to the trail head was tedious with the last 9 miles taking a good 45 minutes due to poor road conditions. Our plan was to hike a big loop sampling as much of the area as we could so we knew we had a long day ahead of us. It was already over 60 when we arrived at the parking area at 7:15. The sky was clear and the birds were out in force as we headed up the north flank towards the junction with Ed’s Trail. Mt. St. Helens loomed behind us and as we climbed Mt. Rainier and later Mt. Adams joined the horizon. As we approached the junction with Ed’s Trail Mt. Hood appeared through a gap ahead surrounding us in Cascade peaks.

Mt. St. Helens & Mt. Rainier from the jct with Ed's Trail — Mt. St. Helens & Mt. Rainier from the jct with Ed’s Trail

Already the flower display had been amazing. The variety of flowers was one of the best we’d seen. There was red paintbrush and columbine, pink nootka rose, purple lupine and iris, orange tiger lilies, white beargrass and thimbleberry, and (new to us) yellow lupine. The meadows here are due in large part to the 1902 Yacolt fire which swept over Silver Star Mountain removing the trees and clearing the way for the flowers. I could easily fill this whole trip report attempting to describe the flowers we saw on this day but the hike had other things to offer as well so I will have to let our photos do much of the flower reporting.

Ed’s trail was truly scenic as it traversed the NE side of the ridge through wildflower meadows with views of the 4 snowy Cascade peaks. Soon the path passed some rocky areas and passed through a natural rock doorway. Not long after passing through the doorway we scrambled up a short, steep section of the trail as it passed through a rocky slot up to a great viewpoint. A small patch of snow remained surrounded by avalanche lilies.

When Ed’s trail met an old road we took it up to the twin summits of Silver Star mountain. The view from the north summit was a true 360 degree panorama. Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Rainier, and Mt. Adams were joined by snow covered Goat Rocks to the north while Mt. Hood, Mt. Jefferson, and the faint Three Sisters rose to the south. The Columbia River and Portland, OR lay to the SW while the ridges and meadows of Silver Star Mountain surrounded us in every direction.

After leaving the summit we continued on to the Indian Pits trail to visit a series of rock pits used as vision quest sights at one time. More wildflower meadows awaited on this trail which ended at a rocky ridge endge with yet another set of wonderful views. As an added bonus we were serenaded by a resident swallow who appeared to be enjoying the view from the top of the rocks as much as we were. It was really starting to warm up as we left the pits and continued on our loop down an abandoned road past sturgeon rock. The old road was actually lined with trees but it was wide enough to remain in the sunlight.

We made our way down the road to the Tarbell Trail which we then turned right (north) on and momentarily entered the forest. The trees didn’t extend far to our left and we could see that much of the hillside below had been clearcut. It is a sight that I don’t particularly enjoy seeing. The stark contrast of the stumps and piles of slash next to the still standing forest always leaves me imagining what it must have once looked like. We were on a collision course with the cut though and soon emerged to the treeless hillside. One of the first things we noticed were the butterflies. They were everywhere and flitting above a vast array of wildflowers. Even the clearcut couldn’t spoil the areas scenery 🙂

The lack of trees did mean we were once again exposed to the sun and for about 2 miles we switchbacked down and across the hillside before again reaching the forest on the other side. We were greeted by the first sound of water on the hike. The source was Coyote Creek and that was where we would find our next destination, Hidden Falls. What a welcome change to the heat Hidden Falls was. A bench near the 92′ cascade gave us a place to rest while we cooled off courtesy of the breeze created by the falls.

After another mile and a half on the Tarbell Trail we arrived at the Chinook Trail which would take us up Kloochman Ridge and back to the road we had been on early in the morning. The Chinook trail spent a short time climbing in the forest before emerging in some of the hikes best wildflower meadows. The number and variety of flowers on this ridge trumped all the others we had been through on this day.

This was also the steepest trail we’d been on and with the temperatures hitting the 90s we needed all the distraction the flowers could provide.

We eventually made it up Kloochman Ridge and then headed back down the road to our car and the extra water that was stashed in our cooler. This was one of the rare occasion when I actually finished off all the water in my Camelbak (1/4mi from the car). Silver Star Mountain had lived up to all the hype I’d seen in the trip reports. With a little something for everyone it’s an amazing area and I highly recommend exploring any of the areas trails. If you’re a fan of beargrass skip next year since it only blooms every 2nd or 3rd year and this year it was on, or better yet go both years and see the difference. Happy Trails and have a safe 4th of July.

Facebook album https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10201492927112255.1073741839.1448521051&type=1
Flickr photos -http://www.flickr.com/photos/9319235@N02/sets/72157634416726411/

Tags Beargrass, Ed's Trail, Gifford-Pinchot National Forest, Hidden Falls, hiking, Mt. Adams, Mt. Hood, Mt. Rainier, Mt. St. Helens, Silver Star Mountain, Tarbell Trail, Washington