Difference between revisions of "Silver Star Mountain"
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Revision as of 10:44, 10 February 2007
- Hikes containing this destination
- Silver Star Hike via Grouse Vista Trail (approach from the South)
- Weather forecast: NWS/NOAA
- Maps: Oregon Hikers Maps Google Maps
- Latitude, Longitude: 45.74000, -122.23000
- Elevation: 4390'
Contents |
Description
Silver Star Mountain is a bald peak in Skamania County, not far from Vancouver with a captivating 360 degree view encompassing five Cascade volcanoes. This peak is the most prominent on the horizon looking east from Portland (omitting the aforementioned volcanoes). It is easy to spot looking north from I-84 near Gresham to the east of Vancouver. It is snow-covered during the most of the winter months, and it’s brown summit stands out during the warm season.
Silver Star is named for the star shape it appears to have when looked at from the air. The arms of the star are made of nearby protuberances like Pyramid Rock, Little Baldy and Sturgeon Rock.
The entire summit, as well as a good percentage of all the trails leading to it, are wide open. These hikes feature vast meadows, which make for a great destination for wildflowers in the springtime. These meadows are not the result of altitude and climate, but rather a devastating wildfire, called the Yacolt Burn, which tore through this area in 1902.
There is an extensive network of trails in this area that encompass this mountain, but the most popular approach is from the north using the Silver Star Trail #180 (sometimes called the Stairway to the Stars), as it is a short 2 ½ miles with 1000 foot of elevation gain.
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!)
Other interesting tidbits:
- A visit here might warrant a side trip to the Indian Pits, a former native American spirit quest site
- There is another Silver Star Mountain in Northern Washington that's about double the height!
Trip Reports
- Silver Star Mountain 2/5/2007
- Silver Star Mountain Hike 7/23/06
- Silver Star Mountain via Bluff Mountain Trail 6/24/06
- Silver Star Mountain via Ed's Trail 6/17/06
(Click here to add your own)
Related Conversations / Q&A
- Highpointing (re: nearby Sturgeon Rock)
- Getting started geocaching (re: caches on this and other Mts)
- Sturgeon Rock identity problem solved!
- Secret Gorge hikes divulged (brief mention)
(Click here to ask a question or start a conversation)
More Links
- Chinook Trail association
- Brian Jenkin's SummitPost page
- NWHiker.com: North loop hike #50
- NWHiker.com: South loop hike #51
- Adam Schneider: wildflower photos
- BSA's Silver Star page
Page Contributors
- user:jeffstatt (primary)