Heading for Old Baldy
by Joan Gisler Tolby

Looking for an autumn hike with an array of color plus a vista view?  Bluff Mountain in the Yacolt Burn will provide you with the “fix.” A fire in 1902 consumed 238,900 acres; subsequently 16 smaller fires ravaged the area from 1910 to 1929. Many very large areas have never grown back, leaving  sparsely forested areas with multiple meadows and magnificently visible picturesque rock outcroppings. You will hike ridges that will provide you, on a clear day, with one of the most spectacular 360-degree views of five major mountain peaks of the Pacific Cascade Range: Mt. Rainier, Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Adams, Mt. Hood, and Mt. Jefferson 

This area is part of the Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument.   Your final destination on this 12.4 mile hike is the ever popular Silver Star Mountain. Our family has hiked Silver Star multiple times, but last year was the first time we approached it from Trail #172, Old Baldy.  It is not necessary to do the entire hike to enjoy the views and flora that this hike has to offer. However, the best is at the end.  

Nature’s paintbrush
The trail is magnificent in color, painted in red, yellows, and orange, from the vast population of vine maple and huckleberry. Because of the open meadows this hike is profuse in wildflowers, boasting 100 species throughout the growing season ranging from early alpine lilies to the summer splashes of color.  In mid September we saw paintbrush, daisy, gentians, and asters.

From the trailhead the first three miles follow an abandoned rocky forest road. You get a fantastic view from the start as you navigate across a rocky ridge peering in to open valleys.  Picasso could not have painted it more eloquently. Two miles into the hike you will see Bluff Mountain directly in front.  As the trail veers to the right (west), at mile three you will be upon Bluff Mountain.   

Arching right, the trail heads west.  Within two-thirds of a mile you come upon Little Baldy Mountain.  This is just under the four-mile mark, or about half-way.  Little Baldy was one of my favorite spots.  This bare, rocky peak provided us with a lovely lunch spot. You do not climb the summit of Old Baldy, but follow a trail around traversing a rocky ledge.  Because of the burn and lack of substantial forest and vegetation, the clear views in to the valley and to the mountains of the Cascades are phenomenal.

From Little Baldy you will gain and lose elevation dramatically on the ridge.  You will begin to see Silver Star as you follow the narrow spined ridge with numerous basaltic outcrops. The geology of this hike leaves you with anticipation as you meander up, down, and around.

When you reach five miles, you will see the Stairway Trail Junction.  Although you may feel like you have traversed more elevation, in actuality you are at 3700 feet and have gained a mere 200 feet from the parking lot.  The hike becomes steeper in the last mile where you gain 700 feet.  Most of the time you will be in the open, but at this point you will venture through a juvenile second-growth forest.  You will know you are about to approach the summit of Silver Star when you abruptly swing left (south) passing the junction from Trail #180. 

Once you reach this point you are only .4 miles and approaching the summit of Silver Star.  The view opens up with a clear view to the north, east and south.  A saddle-like trail gives you two options for views.  A short summit gives you a great view of Mt. Rainier and St. Helens.  The “true” summit to the left is where you will find the remnant foundation of the old fire lookout tower.  I guarantee on a clear day you will want to linger and take in the vast scenery.  Metropolitan Portland is in the foreground as well as valleys and mountain peaks.

You can either follow the trail back the way you came or become more creative for a shorter hike by placing a vehicle at both ends of the trail like we did.  Remember whenever you venture into the wild, especially in the fall and winter, pack accordingly and prepare for the unexpected. We often carry a space blanket, matches, energy bars, our cell phones, and warmer clothing.  The wind can pick up very quickly.  Hiking shoes on this trail are recommended for ankle stability and some form of walking stick either commercial or natural, grabbed somewhere along the trail.

The images of fall will dance in your head long after you leave.  Mid-July is also an excellent time to do this hike for the floral explosion is one of the best we have seen, so you can jot this hike down as a ‘do over’.  Other than the gas consumed getting to the trail head, hiking is a very inexpensive and doable form of exercise and enjoyment.  Grab those shoes and go for a hike!

Directions to trailhead:
From Yacolt, Wash., travel southeast on NE Railroad Avenue for 2.4 miles to NE Sunset Falls Road. Follow NE Sunset Falls Road to the forest boundary. At the boundary, follow Forest Route 41 southeast past Forest Routes 4104 and 4109 to the top of the mountain where you will find parking and the Bluff Mountain trailhead.
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