Pyramid Rock
From Oregon Hikers Field Guide
- Hikes including this location:
- Weather forecast: NWS/NOAA
- Maps: Oregon Hikers Maps Google Maps
- Latitude, Longitude: 45.73446, -122.25315
- Elevation: 3577 feet
Description
Pyramid Rock is a large rock outcrop to the southwest of Silver Star Mountain. It gets its name from its pyramid-like shape. It is marked as the highpoint of a rocky spine leading up to Silver Star right along the Grouse Vista Trail. The exposed rock, part of the Silver Star pluton but once cloaked with trees, is the result of lost vegetation and hydro-erosion after one of the most widespread forest fires in Pacific Northwest history swept through this area in 1902. This fire, called the Yacolt Burn, is responsible for all the deforestation from here all the way east toward Three Corner Rock, and also the abundant wildflowers that grace the surrounding meadows in early spring.
Like nearby Sturgeon Rock (visible directly to the north), Pyramid Rock is mislabeled on USGS maps. In this case the error is not as egregious. The actual Pyramid Rock is marked as Peak 3577, just northeast of the falsely marked summit, which is about 75 feet lower. (See the map at the bottom of this page to understand the discrepancy)
One can summit Pyramid Rock with a short scramble, although doing so may seem a bit anticlimactic after reaching the summit of Silver Star Mountain. However, this is a spot you will probably have all to yourself. You can access it by taking Grouse Vista Trail from the trailhead for a little over a mile and 1000 feet in elevation gain.
In the winter of 2006, a mountain goat took up solitary residence on the Pyramid Rock, much to the delight of snowshoers who noticed him hopping around effortlessly around its summit. It has not been reported in subsequent seasons.
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