Silver Star, Mt St Helens, Rainier Adams and Hood with the ridge running from Silver Star to Old Baldy.

The Silver Star

Silver Star is very visible from east Portland in the southern Washington Cascades. People rave about the views over the flower gardens along Ed’s Trail coming in on the north side. The approach road there is the crux of the hike. Your car makes it, or it does not. There are decent displays coming up on the Grouse Vista Trail – an old jeep road, like Ed’s. You don’t have that awful washed out road to deal with either.

Outlined trail is Ed’s Garden loop. Grouse Vista Trail is 180F going off to the southwest past Pyramid Rock.

Silver Star Mountain was named by a man searching for silver – E. A. Dole – in 1874. Its slopes were swept by a vast fire in 1902. The fire started in Stevenson twelve miles to the east from a slash burn. Huge east winds quickly got the fire out of control with it burning the little town of Yacolt, ten miles to the northwest from the peak with 39 people dying.

The soils are poor on the mountain and the forests have had a difficult time re-growing in the century following the fire – there were other fires, as well. The paucity of trees means great views and great flowers in the upper meadows of the mountain.

Near the top, there are also several pits you can find. These are thought to have been dug out of the rocks so young males could spiritually “quest” to help them on their journey to adulthood.

The hike to the Silver Star

I have done the hike several times. The best time of the year for flowers is late June when the snows have come of the 4364 foot high peak. You reach the Grouse Vista trailhead – 2375 feet elevation – by driving up a gravel road south from Yacolt or north out of the Washougal River valley. For the parking area at the trailhead, you need a Discovery Pass, not a Northwest Forest Pass. This area falls within State jurisdiction and not Federal. Everyone is in search of your dollar. Be warned, rangers are up here everyday to check on cars. I have even seen them on days when the mountain is socked in by clouds.

The hike follows an old jeep road up to gain the summit ridge. Much of the gain is through woods initially and then again nearer the summit ridge.

Payoff

The view this day from the top – a former fire lookout – was spectacular – a superb panorama over Portland. We could see from the Three Sisters and Mary’s Peak in the far south – up north to Rainier, with Saddle Mountain visible west towards the Coast.

Mt Hood, Washougal River drainage, Larch Mountain with Portland beyond. Sturgeon Rock is on the extreme right.

Larch Mountain in the middle and Sturgeon Rock on the right.

A 360 view from the top of the south peak of Silver Star – the main peak is just to the north. Click and drag with your mouse for full 360 effect.

Silver Star Mountain Lookouts

The route out to Little Baldy looked much lonelier than the traffic atop Silver Star. I visited that ridge once before and recommend it if you have time.

Mt Hood is just right of the center. Valley below is from the West Fork of the Washougal River.

Three Corner Rock was visible. The site of another former fire lookout, my little corgi and I visited a couple weeks earlier. Easily, I could see how Three Corner connected with the top of Table Mountain in the Gorge – maybe a better access there?

A 360 view from the old lookout site on Silver Star Mountain.

Walkabout

I hiked this day with an old colleague and friend, Bill. In the distant past, we had hiked around Mt Hood on the Timberline Trail in two days. Later, we also covered over half of the Wonderland Trail around Mt Rainier in a couple days, as well..

The jeep road on the left used to service the lookout. The trail is below on the right. Star Creek valley is farther on the right and our mountain goat was just below us.

The trail descends on the meadowed ridge to the left – to north and east over Star Creek below. Mt St Helens, Rainier and Adams are the snowy peaks with the rocky peak on the right being Old Baldy.

Ed’s Garden plateau and ridge are in the center with Mt St Helens above. Mt Rainier is on the right partly obscured by clouds. The town of Yacolt is on the left. The 1902 fire burned all across the picture.

Billy Goat Gruff

Before our final push back, we hiked out on Ed’s Trail to the meadowed plateau just north of the summit. Pushing past the flowers, we climbed to the edge of cliffs on its northern end.  There we met a mountain goat trying to cool himself below in the shadows.

A 360 view from the cliffs just north of Silver Star Mountain. Ed’s Garden is along the meadowed road. Look below in the shadows for the mountain goat.

Another 360 view from above Ed’s Garden.

The Long Return

Finally, returning the way we came, back down the trail we descended to our waiting car. The hike covered about ten miles – we did a little more than peak bag – with a little over 2000 feet of elevation gain.

Mt Hood and Silver Star are the main peaks on the right.

June 10