Essentially broke and with about 100 miles worth of gas left in my tank, I left Astoria Sunday afternoon for Arch Cape, where I sometimes hike in the area of Onion Peak when I want to get some distance and elevation gain in without driving a few hours to the real mountains. The pull-off is about 1/2 mile south of the turnoff for Hug Point State Park on U.S. Highway 101.
The hike follows Hug Point and Onion Peak roads, gaining about 2,200 feet over the first 6 miles before Onion Peak comes into view. You're not allowed to climb the 3,057-foot Onion Peak, which is managed for conservation of some rare flower and onion species. But I found some GPS tracks on Peakbagger for a hike/bushwack up West Onion Peak, which rises to 3,080 feet southwest of its more famous neighbor. The total hike is about 13 miles round trip.
- The hike to West Onion Peak, about 13 miles round trip, follows Hug Point Road from a turnoff on U.S. Highway 101 to Onion Peak Road.
The clear-cuts, while ugly pockmarks on the environment, provide expansive views of the Pacific Ocean along the way up. I'd soon get much closer with that marine front working its way inland from the ocean.
- The hike starts amid clear-cuts, which provide vast panoramas of the Pacific Ocean.
The portion of the hike on logging roads maxes out at about 2,200 feet just after passing by a barrow pit.
- The elevation on the logging roads tops out at around 2,200 feet shortly after a barrow pit on Onion Peak Road.
Along the roadway, I ran into the tract's land manager, who I informed I was climbing West Onion Peak. He told me there was only one way to the top, an approach from the west on a hunting/game trail from Dave Spur, an offshoot of Onion Peak Road. I meandered up Dave Spur, and found the trail entrance he was talking about, a slight rockslide heading up into some thick woods.
- A hunting trail that climbs to the top of West Onion Peak from Dave Spur is an easy-to-miss little rockslide disappearing into the woods.
On my Peakbagger app, I noticed an even gentler slope heading up to West Onion Peak farther up Dave Spur, so I kept going, and was rewarded with a nice little view of Mt. Rainier.
- At the end of Dave Spur is a nice view of Mt. Rainier behind several ridges.
But I didn't see any trails heading up to West Onion Peak. I decided to head back down to Onion Peak Road and approach from the east, as was described on the GPS track I was referencing. I found the turnoff on the east side of the mountain, an old, faint, almost unnoticeable abandoned jeep road.
- The turnoff for the eastern approach to West Onion Peak is a barely noticeable abandoned jeep road with a game trail going up.
Once you're on it, the trail following the old roadbed is fairly obvious. Then you reach a rougher cutoff that begins the climb up the eastern flank of West Onion Peak.
- A cutoff from the old jeep roadbed starts the climb up the eastern flank of West Onion Peak.
Don't attempt this route without a GPS unit, or at least a phone with the GPS track loaded onto Peakbagger, like I did. This is commercial timberland, which means the trees are often smaller and the underbrush thicker, with only faint game trails to follow. You need to be comfortable route-finding and bushwacking through some really thick, sometimes thorny underbrush up and down steep ridges filled big boulders and downed trees everywhere.
Be careful where you step. Many of the thick tree trunks will crumble the moment any weight is put on them. The boulders are often covered in moss that will slip right off with your boots. Detritus accumulates everywhere, sometimes hiding holes between rocks multiple feet deep.
Upon reaching the top, I was a little bummed to learn there's not much of a view. The top is more of a hidden fort surrounded by firs, strewn with some boulders and the remnants of an old fire lookout.
- On top of West Onion Peak is an abandoned fire lookout, complete with a concrete pad and some other foundations.
There were some nice wildflowers on the way up and at the top, along with some butterflies doing their best to avoid my lens.
Once I got to the top, West Onion Peak was almost immediately engulfed by fog, which also topped Angora Peak to the south.
- Nearby Angora Peak was ensconced in clouds.