HIGHLIGHTS Although similar to the much better known trail on the main branch of Siouxon Creek (Trip 3), the trail up North Siouxon Creek has two important differences. While both hikes feature fine forest scenery and a lovely creek, North Siouxon Creek has much more difficult road access, so solitude is virtually guaranteed. And while its six waterfalls make the trail along Siouxon Creek more scenic, the North Siouxon Creek Trail is no slouch in the scenery department and the one waterfall along the way is absolutely first rate. Also, since this trail has almost no people, wildlife is much more common, especially elk, which quiet hikers have a good chance of seeing.
DIRECTIONS From the intersection of State Highways 502 and 503 in Battleground, drive 12 miles north on Highway 503 to a junction at the north end of Amboy. Turn right, still on Highway 503, and proceed 5.2 miles to a junction just 0.1 mile past the Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument headquarters. Turn right on Healy Road, which becomes Forest Road 54, and drive 5.2 miles to a major fork. Bear left on gravel Road S 1000, which is often rough and muddy, go 0.4 mile, and then bear right at a second fork, still on S 1000. Stay on the main road for 4.7 miles, passing several minor intersections, until you come to the next major fork. Bear left (downhill), drive 1.4 miles, and then park at an unsigned pull-out where an old logging road goes right (south).
The unsigned but obvious trail goes sharply down the embankment on the southeast side of the pull-out, descends four quick switchbacks, and then skirts the edge of a clear-cut. Once reentering forest, the path settles into a pattern of ups and downs that will continue for the remainder of the hike and add significantly to the total elevation gain of the trip. The abundantly green vegetation is the usual mix of western hemlock and Douglas fir draped with mosses and ferns. Although the trail stays well above cascading North Siouxon Creek, you can always hear this rollicking stream in the canyon on the right.
At 1.6 miles, just as the trail reaches creek level, you cross a good-sized but unnamed side creek. In early spring this crossing can be a bit intimidating, so look for a log just downstream. After the creek crossing, the trail makes a couple of uphill switchbacks and then descends near the base of an old clear-cut before resuming its up-and-down pattern. At 3 miles you make a sometimes tricky crossing of another good-sized side creek, this time in the middle of a steep, sliding cascade that doesn’t quite merit the title “waterfall.”
Black Hole Falls, North Siouxon Creek
More uneventful but attractive forest hiking takes you to 4.5 miles, where you turn right onto a spur trail signed BLACK HOLE. This path switchbacks downhill for 0.2 mile to the base of Black Hole Falls, easily the scenic highlight of the trip. Thundering over a basalt cliff and filling a terrific (but cold) swimming hole at its base, this 55-foot waterfall is an impressive sight. In the spring, when the water is high, the spray from the falls fills the rocky amphitheater here providing constant moisture for the mosses and ferns that cling to the rock face. Expect to see dippers, chunky little gray birds that live along mountain streams, feeding in the creek and tending a nest behind the falls. This waterfall is an ideal lunch spot. Unfortunately, there is no adequate campsite in the area, so hikers must make this a day trip.
TRIP 2 Huffman Peak Loop
| Distance | 14.5 miles, Loop | |
| Elevation Gain | 3000 feet | |
| Hiking Time | 7 to 8 hours | |
| Optional Map | Green Trails Lookout Mountain | |
| Usually Open | May to October | |
| Best Time | Mid-June | |
| Trail Use | Dogs OK (but ford may be dangerous), horseback riding | |
| Agency | Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, Gifford Pinchot National Forest | |
| Difficulty | Difficult |
HIGHLIGHTS So you’ve come to the Siouxon Creek area and you feel that the Siouxon Creek Trail (Trip 3), while beautiful, just doesn’t provide enough exercise. Well, there’s another worthy option here for athletic hikers looking to pump up that heart rate. The climb to Huffman Peak will satisfy the cardiovascular needs of the most avid hiker and has the added benefit of providing a first-rate view of Mt. St. Helens.
By making a loop out of the trip and returning on the Siouxon Creek Trail, you won’t even miss the waterfalls and forests that are the area’s main attraction. In addition to strong lungs and thighs, this hike requires an unusual piece of equipment—a pair of wading shoes. You’ll need them to make the bridgeless lower crossing of Siouxon Creek.
DIRECTIONS Begin by driving to Battleground, either by going north on State Highway 503 from Interstate 205, or by going east on State Highway 502 from Exit 9 off Interstate 5. From the intersection of the two state highways in the middle of Battleground, proceed north on Highway 503 for 16.8 miles, and turn right on N.E. Healy Road just after you pass the Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument headquarters.
After 9.2 miles on N.E. Healey Road, bear left at a poorly signed junction and travel on single-lane, paved Forest Road 57. Drive another 1.3 miles, and then turn sharply left on often unsigned Forest Road 5701. Follow this rough, paved road for 3.7 miles to its end at a trailhead parking lot.
The trail departs near a large signboard about 100 yards west of the parking area. You hike just 50 feet and turn left (west) at a signed junction. For the next couple of miles you follow an easy trail that parallels the road, staying some distance below it in a lovely western-hemlock forest. Along the way you splash across three small side creeks that won’t even get the tops of your boots wet, but which provide enough water to satisfy
