Afoot and Afield: Portland/Vancouver. Douglas Lorain
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While you climb, the rocks and boulders on the trail are merely a nuisance, but on the way back down they can easily twist your ankle, so be extra careful on the return trip.
Views here are generally obstructed by trees, mostly short Douglas fir, grand fir, and western hemlock. As you climb, the sounds of rushing water from Grouse Creek in the canyon on your right gradually grow louder as the creek gets closer.
After a little more than 1 mile, the trail is joined by an unsigned motorbike track coming in from the left. But 0.2 mile later this track splits off again. Shortly after this, you pass an active beaver pond and large dam on your right. If you arrive here in the early morning, take some time to scan the pond for the busy builders of this impressive construction project.
Above the pond, you make a bridged crossing of Grouse Creek, loop back to the right, and traverse up the increasingly open hillside. When the trail tops a ridge, the views improve greatly, as most of the trees disappear and you stand in an open meadow. Bulky Silver Star Mountain lies to the northeast, but the best views look to the distant snow peaks of Oregon’s Mt. Hood and decapitated Mt. St. Helens in Washington. You can also see the region’s better known Larch Mountain, on the Oregon side of the Columbia River.
The trail turns west and follows the ridge up through more meadows and strips of trees. Wildflowers abound here, including such colorful favorites as beargrass, lupine, iris, queen’s cup, and golden pea. This is the most attractive part of the hike, although the trail is a bit rocky and deeply gouged by motorcycles.
About 2.5 miles from the trailhead is a junction with the trail coming up from Cold Creek (Trip 8). To reach the top of Larch Mountain, you bear left here and climb 0.5 mile past a beargrass meadow and through several confusing junctions with motorcycle routes. The mountaintop is rather ugly, however, with a clear-cut and electrical towers, so for better views return to the meadows below.
With a car shuttle you can make a long one-way trip by going down the Cold Creek Trail (see Trip 8 for details).
TRIP 10 Silver Star Mountain: Grouse Vista Loop
| Distance | 7.5 miles, Loop | |
| Elevation Gain | 2300 feet | |
| Hiking Time | 4 hours | |
| Optional Map | USGS Bobs Mountain, Dole, Gumboot Mountain, Larch Mountain | |
| Usually Open | Mid-May to October | |
| Best Time | Mid-May to June | |
| Trail Use | Dogs OK, mountain biking, horseback riding, backpacking option | |
| Agency | Yacolt State Forest & Mt Adams Ranger District,Gifford Pinchot National Forest | |
| Difficulty | Difficult |
HIGHLIGHTS This is the most popular route to the top of Silver Star Mountain, perhaps because it has the easiest road access and lends itself perfectly to a loop. Although the hike is very attractive, it is neither as scenic nor as abundant in wildflowers as either the northern loop (Trip 13) or the Bluff Mountain Trail (Trip 15). Nonetheless, it is an enjoyable hike with glimpses of a towering waterfall to go along with the extensive views from the top.
DIRECTIONS Begin by driving to Battleground, either by going north on State Highway 503 from Interstate 205, or by going east on State Highway 502 from Exit 9 off Interstate 5. The two state highways intersect in the middle of Battleground. From here drive north 5.7 miles on Highway 503. Turn right on N.E. Rock Creek Road, which soon becomes Lucia Falls Road. After 8.5 miles turn right on N.E. Sunset Falls Road. Go another 2.0 miles on this road, and then turn right again onto N.E. Dole Valley Road. Stay on this road for 5.2 miles and a junction to the end of pavement. Turn left on Road L 1200 and climb 5.2 miles to the pass at Grouse Vista. The best parking is on the right.
The trail on the east side of the pass starts as an old jeep track blocked by berms intended to keep motor vehicles out. After about 0.1 mile, there is a junction with the Tarbell Trail, a narrow foot trail that bears off to the left. Take this pleasant little trail that goes up and down through woods that come alive in May with small pink blossoms of bleeding heart.
After rounding a ridge, you contour across intermittently open slopes on the walls of a huge forested canyon. As you get close to the head of the canyon, you will be able to glimpse a towering 100-foot waterfall on Rock Creek to your left. Unfortunately, you never get a really good look at the falls from the trail, and there is no easy scramble to a better viewpoint. Cross the wooden bridge over Rock Creek and begin your climb out of the canyon at a moderate grade. A mix of eight switchbacks and long traverses eventually leads up heavily wooded slopes to a junction with an old road near a saddle in the ridge.
Turn right on this bumpy and rocky track and climb steeply through viewless forests on the south side of the ridge. After a little over a mile, check carefully on the left for a look at the sheer columnar basalt cliffs of Sturgeon Rock. For a better look, you can scramble off the trail to some excellent viewpoints at the base of the cliffs, where you can sometimes see climbers inching their way up the rock face.
Sturgeon Rock
An unsigned footpath veers off to the left near the east end of Sturgeon Rock, but you should stay on the road, as the uphill grade lessens somewhat for the final 0.3 mile to the junction. About 80 feet before you reach this junction, an unsigned trail goes left for about 100 feet to a piped spring with refreshingly cool water.
The return route to Grouse Vista goes right at this junction, but you can take a scenic side trip to the summit by turning left. After 20 feet, a foot trail cuts sharply right on its way out to some Native American rock pits (see description in Trip 13). For the summit, you go straight and climb to a little saddle where there is a final junction. Turn right (uphill) and climb for 0.2 mile on a rock-strewn old jeep road to the saddle between the two summits of Silver Star Mountain. Both summits have terrific views and are well worth visiting. Views extend for hundreds of miles over large parts of two states, but some of the most interesting views are of the nearby ridges and canyons of Silver Star Mountain itself. Flowers are also abundant, including paintbrush, beargrass, pink heather, and avalanche lilies near the top.
To return to your car, go back to the road junction near the spring, and follow the old jeep track downhill to the southwest. This fairly steep route travels through extensive meadows with good views and lots of flowers. The tread is very rocky, so watch your step to avoid turning an ankle. At a little saddle about halfway down, there is a junction with an abandoned track that goes left. It’s worth exploring this track for a short distance to check out the cliffs of prominent Pyramid Rock. Once you’ve had your fill, return to the main trail and drop down the ridge to the trailhead.
TRIP 11 Silver Star Mountain: South Ridge Loop