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Silver Star Mountain

From Oregon Hikers Field Guide

Revision as of 08:44, 18 February 2007 by Jeffstatt (Talk | contribs)

Silver Star summit
Hikers enjoying the view atop Silver Star Mt
The Columbia River Gorge and Mount Hood from summit
USGS Silver Star trail complex

Contents

Description

Silver Star Mountain is a bald, exposed peak in Skamania County, WA not far from the eastern limits of Vancouver. It is one of the most prominent peeks on the eastern horizon - and visible from places all over the Columbia River Gorge. Silver Star is a popular destination due to the fantastic 360 degree panoramic viewpoint from the top . On a clear day you can see five Cascade volcanoes: Rainier, Saint Helens, Adams, Hood and Jefferson. It is a former lookout site, as evidenced by a leftover foundation on the summit.

There are many approaches to climbing Silver Star. The three most popular options are Silver Star Trail #180 -- the route from the north and the easiest of the three, Blue Grouse Trail #180F -- probably the most scenic, but with the most elevation gain, and the Bluff Mountain Trail - a much longer approach from the east northeast.

No matter which of the three you select, you'll pass plenty of unique geologic features along an old, exposed, overgrown forest road, and you'll be surrounded by vast meadows on all sides. Depending on the time of year these meadow s are felled with abundant wildflowers - in particular bear grass and lupine. Click |here to download a guide from the USGS for identifying each species.

The reason this region is so lacking in forests but abundant in wildflower meadows., is it has yet to rebound from the Yacolt Burn - the 1902 wildflower that scorched vast acreage from the Silver Star far west to Three Corner Rock.

The Chinook Trail Association has been building a system of trails from Yacolt to Three Corner Rock with Silver Star Mountain as its crown jewel. This network is part of a large scale plan to connect existing trails all along SW Washington.

Silver Star is a very popular destination among hiking clubs, but it gets passed over by many due to the perception of the difficulty in getting to one of the main trailheads. True, you must traverse miles forest roads whose conditions are inconsistent from season to season. This author has made the trek on a half dozen occasions with nothing but a low clearance passenger car, and had few problems (had to navigate around some large pot holes in places!)

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Oregon Hikers Field Guide is built as a collaborative effort by its user community. While we make every effort to fact-check, information found here should be considered anecdotal. You should cross-check against other references before planning a hike. Trail routing and conditions are subject to change. Please contact us if you notice errors on this page.

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